The formalization and analysis of a communications protocol

The MSMIE protocol [SBC89] allows processors in a distributed system to communicate via shared memory. It was designed to meet the reliability and efficiency needs of applications such as nuclear safety systems. We present a formal model of the MSMIE protocol expressed in the notation CCS. Desirable properties of the protocol are expressed in the modal mu-calculus, an expressive modal logic. We show that the protocol lacks an important liveness property. In actual operation, additional operating constraints are checked to avoid potential problems. We present a modified protocol and show that it possesses the liveness property even without checking operating constraints. We also show how parts of the analysis were automated with the Concurrency Workbench.     

Improved left ventricular endocardial border delineation and opacification with OPTISON (FS069), a new echocardiographic contrast agent. Results of a phase III Multicenter Trial

We investigated whether changes in iron metabolism and the transferrin receptor (TRF-R) expression were involved in the antileukaemic effects of arabinoside cytosine (ara-C). Treatment with 100 nM ara-C for 48h reduced thymidine uptake and increased the surface expression of the TRF-R on leukaemic blasts derived from 13/16 (81%) patients and on the HL-60 and U-937 cell lines. Whereas intracellular non-haem iron was strongly depleted 24 h after ara-C addition, TRF-R up-regulation and recovery of intracellular non-haem iron concentration occurred together after a longer exposure of the cultured cells to the drug. Since iron is an essential regulator of cell proliferation we have evaluated the effects of the combination between ara-C and the iron chelator desferioxamine (DSF) on the growth of HL-60 and U-937 cells. We found that desferioxamine strongly potentiated the effects of ara-C on leukaemic cell growth inhibition and apoptosis. This is the first report of a positive interaction between ara-C and an iron chelator in terms of antileukaemic effects.     

Adaptive training of video sets for image recognition on mobile phones

We present an enhancement towards adaptive video training for PhoneGuide, a digital museum guidance system for ordinary camera-equipped mobile phones. It enables museum visitors to identify exhibits by capturing photos of them. In this article, a combined solution of object recognition and pervasive tracking is extended to a client–server-system for improving data acquisition and for supporting scale-invariant object recognition. A static as well as a dynamic training technique are presented that preprocess the collected object data differently and apply two types of neural networks (NN) for classification. Furthermore, the system enables a temporal adaptation for ensuring a continuous data acquisition to improve the recognition rate over time. A formal field experiment reveals current recognition rates and indicates the practicability of both methods under realistic conditions in a museum.

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<Emphasis Type="Bold">Stefan Hügel</Emphasis> transparenz.arbeit.kontrolle,Gemeinsame Jahrestagung von FIfF und DVD

DuD ReportVeranstaltungsbesprechungen

Stefan Hügel transparenz.arbeit.kontrolle, Gemeinsame Jahrestagung von FIfF und DVD K?ln, 5.–7. November 2010     

The effect of banner animation on fixation behavior and recall performance in search tasks

Previous findings suggested that banner ads have little or no impact on perceptual behavior and memory performance in search tasks, but only in browsing paradigms. This assumption is not supported by the present eye-tracking study. It investigates whether task-related selective attention is disrupted depending on the animation intensity of banner ads when users are in a search mode as well as the impact of banner animation on perceptual and memory performance.     

Low Loss Star Coupler Concept for AWGs in Rib Waveguide Technology

We introduce a new concept for a tapered transition between waveguides and a free propagation region (FPR) for rib waveguide technology. The optical field is pressed downwards to the lower part of the guiding layer by tapering off the waveguide. The subsequent FPR is also etched down to the lower part of the guiding layer, which results in an adiabatic transition from the waveguide to the slab. Arrayed waveguide gratings, designed with this technique, were fabricated in silicon-on-insulator and showed a reduction in insertion loss of about 2.5 dB     

Searching for points-to analysis

The points-to analysis problem is to find the pointer relationships that could arise during program execution. Many points-to analysis algorithms exist, each making a particular trade off between cost of the analysis and precision of the results. In this paper, we show how points-to analysis algorithms can be defined as transformed versions of an exact algorithm. We present a set of program transformations over a general program model and use them to define some existing points-to analysis algorithms. Doing so makes explicit the approximations involved in these algorithms. We also show how the transformations can be used to define new points-to analysis algorithms. Our transformations are generic and may be useful in the design of other program analysis algorithms.     

Effects of thermal processing and iron doping in co-sputtered barium strontium titanate thin films

The effects of the thermal processing and iron doping on RF magnetron co-sputtered barium strontium titanate thin film properties have been investigated. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy have been used to determine the structural evolution of the films as a function of the annealing temperature and the amount of iron dopant. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy were employed to gain information about the chemical binding states and the defect structure. The enhancement of the quality factor Q, as well as the decreasing permittivity and tunability due to iron acceptor doping are demonstrated.