An investigation of latency prediction for NoC-based communication architectures using machine learning techniques

The Journal of Supercomputing - Due to the increasing number of cores in Systems on Chip (SoCs), bus architectures have suffered with limitations regarding performance. As applications demand...     

Advances in Bioapplications of Carbon Nanotubes

This progress report provides an overview on recent advances in bioapplications of carbon nanotubes including the chemical modification of carbon nanotubes, targeting specifically their covalent and noncovalent conjugations with a variety of biological and bioactive species (proteins and peptides, DNAs/RNAs, and carbohydrates). Furthermore, the significant recent development and progress in the use of carbon nanotubes for biosensors, drug and other delivery systems, bioimaging, etc. and in the understanding of in vivo biodistribution and toxicity of carbon nanotubes are reported.     

Rheology and breadmaking performance of rice-buckwheat batters supplemented with hydrocolloids

The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of hydrocolloid addition on rheological properties and breadmaking performance of rice-buckwheat batter at different water levels. Xanthan gum (XG) and propylene glycol alginate (PGA) were added to rice-buckwheat blend (60:40) at levels of 0.5–1.5%. Batter rheological properties were investigated using dynamic measurements in the linear viscoelastic range (frequency sweep and time cure tests). The addition of both hydrocolloids significantly enhanced the storage modulus (G′) of batter. XG exerted greater effect on G′ than PGA. Different effects on starch gelatinisation were observed for the two hydrocolloids. PGA breads showed higher improvement in terms of increased specific volume (V_s), decreased crumb firmness and crumb structure than XG breads. Different technological behaviours were explained on the basis of batter rheological properties.     

δ-Tocomonoenol: A new vitamin E from kiwi (Actinidia chinensis) fruits

A new vitamin E, δ-tocomonoenol, has been isolated from Actinidia chinensis (kiwi) fruits. The new structure, 2,8-dimethyl-2-(4,8,12-trimethyltridec-11-enyl)chroman-6-ol, has been elucidated on the basis of EIMS, 1D, and 2D NMR spectral data. GC–MS analysis of peels and pulps of kiwi showed that the new compound, together with δ-tocopherol, is mainly present in the fruit peel, whilst α-tocopherol is present in a similar amount in both matrices. The compound was tested for its radical-scavenging and antioxidant capabilities, by measuring its ability to scavenge DPPH (2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical) and anion superoxide radical, and inhibit the formation of methyl linoleate conjugated diene hydroperoxides and TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive species).     

Entry into imaginary space: Metaphors of transition and variations in the affective quality of potential space in children’s literature.

In this article the authors use the imaginal worlds of three children’s stories to explore variations in the affective quality of potential space. Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Norton Juster’s The Phantom Toolbooth, each contain a metaphor of transition in which the protagonist moves from the real space of the narrative into the imaginary space where the action takes place—the protagonists are altered and alter their own worlds. The authors will use these metaphors as analogues to differing qualities of imaginary space, including the collapse of meaning in schizoid states, the play of meaning in mentalization and the adventurousness of negotiating separation. These metaphors of transitioning into imaginary space may be used to think about disruptions in development as they manifest in clinical process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MedISys: An early-warning system for the detection of (re-)emerging food- and feed-borne hazards

We evaluated the Medical Information System (MedISys) as an early-warning system for the detection of food- and feed-borne hazards. Nine hazards were selected in the period from January 2007 to March 2009 from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and traced back on MedISys and ProMED-mail. In addition, from January to March 2009, food- and feed-borne (re-)emerging hazards were monitored on MedISys and traced back on ProMED-mail and RASFF. MedISys has demonstrated to be an effective early-warning system for food- and feed-borne hazards. However, further customization is required to improve its sensitivity, in particular by increasing the number of multi-lingual categories related to food and feed items. MedISys tended to detect food- and feed-borne hazards earlier and more frequently than ProMED-mail, but the information from both systems was often complementary.     

Superhydrophobic properties of cotton fabrics functionalized with ZnO by electroless deposition

Cotton fabrics were coated with arrays of ZnO hexagonal prisms using an electroless (catalytic/autocatalytic) deposition process. A typical three step method, similar to those used for electroless deposition of metals on insulating substrates, consisting of pre-activation, activation and deposition steps was employed. The low-dimensional ZnO particles were grown from an aqueous solution containing zinc nitrate as source of zinc ions and dimethylamineborane as reducing agent. The as-obtained ZnO-coated cotton fabrics were characterized from the point of view of structure by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD studies demonstrate that the ZnO particles have a hexagonal wurtzite crystalline structure. The SEM observations prove that the cotton fibers are homogeneously covered by hexagonal prisms which have uniform base size of approximately 500 nm and height of 1 μm. Optical spectroscopy measurements show that the functionalization with ZnO strongly decreases the transmittance in the UV–vis region of the cotton fabrics. An important characteristic is that the ZnO-functionalized cotton fabrics exhibit superhydrophobicity, with water contact angles exceeding 150°. The technique described is highly reproducible, easy scalable and cheap, allowing a wide range of applications.     

Automated cell classification and visualization for analyzing remyelination therapy

Remyelination therapy is a state-of-the-art technique for treating spinal cord injury (SCI). Demyelination—the loss of myelin sheath that insulates axons, is a prominent feature in many neurological disorders resulting in SCI. This lost myelin sheath can be replaced by remyelination. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for efficient automated cell classification and visualization to analyze the progress of remyelination therapy in SCI. Our method takes as input the images of the cells and outputs a density map of the therapeutically important oligodendrocyte-remyelinated axons (OR-axons) which is used for efficacy analysis of the therapy. Our method starts with detecting cell boundaries using a robust, shape-independent algorithm based on iso-contour analysis of the image at progressively increasing intensity levels. The detected boundaries of spatially clustered cells are then separated using the Delaunay triangulation based contour separation method. Finally, the OR-axons are identified and a density map is generated for efficacy analysis of the therapy. Our efficient automated cell classification and visualization of remyelination analysis significantly reduces error due to human subjectivity. We validate the accuracy of our results by extensive cross-verification by the domain experts.