15,131 research outputs found
Link stability estimation based on link connectivity changes in mobile ad-hoc networks
No full textDear Wang,
Re: Link Stability Estimation Based on Link Connectivity Changes in Mobile Ad-hoc Networks
I have not been able to assess if this is an author version peer-reviewed or is it an author version non peer reviewed. Could you please clarify this so I can proceed to add your paper to Spiral. Spiral digital repository only accept peer-reviewed papers.
30/11/12 author has confirmed peer reviewe
Ontology evolution: a framework and its application to RDF
No full textThe algorithms dealing with the incorporation of new knowledge in an ontology often share a rather standard process of dealing with changes. This process consists of the determination of the allowed change operations, the identification of the inconsistencies that could be caused by each such operation as well as the various alternatives to deal with each such inconsistency, and, finally, some (manual or automatic) selection mechanism that allows the determination of the “best” of these alternatives. Unfortunately, most ontology evolution algorithms implement these steps using a case-based, ad-hoc methodology, which is cumbersome and error-prone. In this paper we propose a general framework for ontology change management that generalizes the methodology employed by existing tools. The introduction of this framework allows us to devise a whole class of ontology evolution algorithms, which, due to their formal underpinnings, avoid many of the problems exhibited by ad-hoc frameworks. We exploit this framework by implementing a specific ontology evolution algorithm for RDF ontologies
On RDF/S ontology evolution
No full textThe algorithms dealing with the incorporation of new knowledge in an ontology (ontology evolution) often share a rather standard process of dealing with changes. This process consists of the specification of the language, the determination of the allowed update operations, the identification of the invalidities that could be caused by each such operation, the determination of the various alternatives to deal with each such invalidity, and, finally, some selection mechanism for singling out the “best” of these alternatives. Unfortunately, most ontology evolution algorithms implement these steps using a case-based, ad-hoc methodology, which is cumbersome and error-prone. The first goal of this paper is to present, justify and make explicit the five steps of the process. The second goal is to propose a general framework for ontology change management that captures this process, in effect generalizing the methodology employed by existing tools. The introduction of this framework allows us to devise a whole class of ontology evolution algorithms, which, due to their formal underpinnings, avoid many of the problems exhibited by ad-hoc frameworks. We exploit this framework by implementing a specific ontology evolution algorithm for RDF ontologies as part of the FORTH-ICS Semantic Web Knowledge Middleware (SWKM)
Enhancing the efficacy of the 20 m multistage shuttle run test
No full textOBJECTIVE: Maximal oxygen uptake (Vo(2max)) of 44 ml kg(-1) min(-1) is an accepted criterion (Vo(2CR)) below which health and fitness for young male adults may be compromised. New algorithms validated for Vo(2CR) screening using the 20 m multistage shuttle run test (20mMST) were developed. METHODS: Vo(2max) was assessed in 110 males using a stationary gas analyser in a treadmill test (TT) and in 40 of these subjects using a portable gas analyser in the 20mMST. Vo(2max) predicted from the 20mMST in 70 subjects was used for cross validation. Two equations predicting Vo(2max) during 20mMST (EQ(MST)) and TT (EQ(TT)) were developed. RESULTS: Significant energy cost variance (EC(V)) was detected between TT and 20mMST (p0.05) between predicted and measured values. Prevalence of low fitness based on Vo(2CR) was 0.37. McNemar chi(2) indicated significant differences in sensitivity (p0.05), mean predicted Vo(2max) from EQ(LEG) was significantly higher compared to TT Vo(2max) (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: These algorithms increase the efficacy of 20mMST to accurately evaluate aspects of health and fitness
Cerebral atrophy in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease: rates and acceleration.
No full textOBJECTIVE: To quantify the regional and global cerebral atrophy rates and assess acceleration rates in healthy controls, subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and subjects with mild Alzheimer disease (AD). METHODS: Using 0-, 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-, and 36-month MRI scans of controls and subjects with MCI and AD from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database, we calculated volume change of whole brain, hippocampus, and ventricles between all pairs of scans using the boundary shift integral. RESULTS: We found no evidence of acceleration in whole-brain atrophy rates in any group. There was evidence that hippocampal atrophy rates in MCI subjects accelerate by 0.22%/year2 on average (p = 0.037). There was evidence of acceleration in rates of ventricular enlargement in subjects with MCI (p = 0.001) and AD (p < 0.001), with rates estimated to increase by 0.27 mL/year2 (95% confidence interval 0.12, 0.43) and 0.88 mL/year2 (95% confidence interval 0.47, 1.29), respectively. A post hoc analysis suggested that the acceleration of hippocampal loss in MCI subjects was mainly driven by the MCI subjects that were observed to progress to clinical AD within 3 years of baseline, with this group showing hippocampal atrophy rate acceleration of 0.50%/year2 (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The small acceleration rates suggest a long period of transition to the pathologic losses seen in clinical AD. The acceleration in hippocampal atrophy rates in MCI subjects in the ADNI seems to be driven by those MCI subjects who concurrently progressed to a clinical diagnosis of AD
A Fair and Secure Cluster Formation Process for Ad Hoc Networks
No full textAn efficient approach for organizing large ad hoc networks is to divide the nodes
into multiple clusters and designate, for each cluster, a clusterhead which is responsible for
holding intercluster control information. The role of a clusterhead entails rights and duties.
On the one hand, it has a dominant position in front of the others because it manages the
connectivity and has access to other node¿s sensitive information. But on the other hand, the
clusterhead role also has some associated costs. Hence, in order to prevent malicious nodes
from taking control of the group in a fraudulent way and avoid selfish attacks from suitable
nodes, the clusterhead needs to be elected in a secure way. In this paper we present a novel
solution that guarantees the clusterhead is elected in a cheat-proof manner
Acute and short-term effects of secondhand smoke on lung function and cytokine production.
No full textRATIONALE: The acute effect of secondhand smoke (SHS) on lung function and the duration of system disruption remain unknown. OBJECTIVES: To assess the SHS effects and their duration on lung function and inflammatory markers. METHODS: In a randomized single-blind crossover experiment data were obtained from 16 (8 women) nonsmoking adults at baseline and at 0, 1, and 3 hours after a 1-hour SHS exposure set at bar/restaurant SHS levels. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Serum and urine cotinine, lung function, and cytokines IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and IFN-gamma. At 0 hours most lung function parameters were significantly reduced (indicative: FEV(1), 4.3 +/- 0.4 vs. 3.8 +/- 0.3 L; FEV(1)/FVC, 0.9 +/- 0.1 vs. 0.8 +/- 0.1; P < 0.05) but at 3 hours they were at baseline levels. In contrast, cotinine (serum, 8.9 +/- 3.2 vs. 35.5 +/- 10.2 ng x ml(-1)), IL-4 (41.3 +/- 5.8 vs. 44.2 +/- 4.5 pg x ml(-1)), IL-5 (36.1 +/- 3.2 vs. 60.1 +/- 7.0 pg x ml(-1)), IL-6 (2.5 +/- 0.3 vs. 7.6 +/- 1.4 pg x ml(-1)) and IFN-gamma (0.3 +/- 0.2 vs. 0.6 +/- 0.2 IU x ml(-1)) at 3 hours were higher than at baseline (P < 0.05). IL-4 and TNF-alpha increased only in men, whereas IL-5, IL-6, and IFN-gamma were different between sexes after exposure (P < 0.05). Regression analyses revealed inverse associations of FEV(1) and FEV(1)/FVC ratio with IL-5 (P < 0.05) in men and with IL-5 (P = 0.01), IL-6 (P < 0.001), IFN-gamma (P = 0.034) and serum cotinine (P < 0.001) in women. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that 1 hour of SHS exposure at bar/restaurant levels is accompanied by significant decrements on lung function and marked increases in inflammatory cytokines, particularly in men. More importantly, whereas most smoke-induced effects on lung function appear to recede within 60 minutes, inflammatory cytokines remain elevated for at least 3 hours after exposure to SHS
Heat remains unaccounted for in thermal physiology and climate change research
No full textIn the aftermath of the Paris Agreement, there is a crucial need for scientists in both thermal physiology and climate change research to develop the integrated approaches necessary to evaluate the health, economic, technological, social, and cultural impacts of 1.5°C warming. Our aim was to explore the fidelity of remote temperature measurements for quantitatively identifying the continuous redistribution of heat within both the Earth and the human body. Not accounting for the regional distribution of warming and heat storage patterns can undermine the results of thermal physiology and climate change research. These concepts are discussed herein using two parallel examples: the so-called slowdown of the Earth's surface temperature warming in the period 1998-2013; and the controversial results in thermal physiology, arising from relying heavily on core temperature measurements. In total, the concept of heat is of major importance for the integrity of systems, such as the Earth and human body. At present, our understanding about the interplay of key factors modulating the heat distribution on the surface of the Earth and in the human body remains incomplete. Identifying and accounting for the interconnections among these factors will be instrumental in improving the accuracy of both climate models and health guidelines. © 2017 Flouris AD and Kenny GP
Energy efficiency in ad-hoc wireless networks
No full textIn ad-hoc wireless networks, nodes are typically battery-powered, therefore energy limitations are among the critical constraints in ad-hoc wireless networks' development. The approaches investigated in this thesis to achieve energy efficient performance in wireless networks
can be grouped into three main categories.
1. Each wireless network node has four energy consumption states: transmitting, receiving, listening and sleeping states. The power consumed in the listening state is less than the power consumed in the transmitting and receiving states, but significantly greater than that in the sleeping state. Energy efficiency is achieved if as many nodes as possible are put into the sleeping states.
2) Since energy is consumed for transmission nonlinearly in terms of the transmission range, transmission range adjustment is another energy saving approach. In this work, the optimal transmission range is derived and applied to achieve energy efficient performance in a number of scenerios.
3) Since energy can be saved properly arranging the communication algorithms, network topology management or network routing is the third approach which can be utilised in combination with the above two approaches. In this work, Geographical Adaptive Fidelity (GAF) algorithms, clustering algorithms and Geographic Routing (GR) algorithms are all utilised to reduce the energy consumption of wireless networks, such as Sensor Networks and Vehicular Networks.
These three approaches are used in this work to reduce the energy consumption of wireless networks. With the GAF algorithm. We derived the optimal transmission range and optimal grid size in both linear and rectangular networks and as a result we show how the network energy consumptions can be reduced and how the network lifetime can be prolonged. With Geographic Routing algorithms the author
proposed the Optimal Range Forward (ORF) algorithm and Optimal Forward with Energy Balance (OFEB) algorithm to reduce the energy consumption and to prolong the network lifetime. The results show that compared to the traditional GR algorithms (Most Forward within Radius, Nearest Forward Progress), the network lifetime is prolonged. Other approaches have also been considered to improve the networks's energy efficient operation utilising Genetic Algorithms to find the optimal size of the grid or cluster. Furthermore realistic physical layer models, Rayleigh fading and LogNormal fading, are considered in evaluating energy efficiency in a realistic network environment
The impact of mobility models on the performance of mobile Ad Hoc network routing protocol
No full textA mobility model represents nodes distribution and movement over the network. Several research works have shown that a selection of mobility model can affect the outcome of routing performance simulation in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks. Thus, a routing protocol may only be effective in a particular mobility model or scenario but performs inferiorly in another. As a result, analyses of routing protocol performance are often based on inadequate information leading to inaccurate argument and conclusion. In this paper, three different mobility models have been selected, where each of them is highly distinctive in terms of nodes movement behavior. In addition, a new measurement technique called probability of route connectivity is introduced. The technique is used to quantify the success rate of route established by a routing protocol. Extensive simulation runs are done and results are compared between each mobility model
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