Abstract: We consider the problem of choosing a set of k sensor measurements, from a set of m possible or potential sensor measurements, that minimizes the error in estimating some parameters. Solving this problem by evaluating the performance for each of the (m k) possible choices of sensor measurements is not practical unless m and k are small. In this paper, we describe a heuristic, based on convex optimization, for approximately solving this problem. Our heuristic gives a subset selection as well as a bound on the best performance that can be achieved by any selection of k sensor measurements. There is no guarantee that the gap between the performance of the chosen subset and the performance bound is always small; but numerical experiments suggest that the gap is small in many cases. Our heuristic method requires on the order of m 3 operations; for m= 1000 possible sensors, we can carry out sensor selection in a few seconds on a 2-GHz personal computer.

Abstract: A systematic planning of groundwater exploitation using modern techniques is essential for the proper utilization and management of this precious but shrinking natural resource. With the advent of powerful and high-speed personal computers, efficient techniques for water management have evolved, of which RS (remote sensing), GIS (geographic information system) and GPS (Global Positioning System) are of great significance. In the present study, an attempt has been made to delineate and classify possible groundwater potential zones in the West Medinipur district of West Bengal, India using integrated remote sensing and GIS techniques. The thematic layers considered in this study are lithology, landform, drainage density, recharge, soil, land slope and surface water body, which were prepared using the IRS-1D imagery and conventional data. All these themes and their individual features were then assigned weights according to their relative importance in groundwater occurrence and the corresponding normalized weights were obtained based on the Saaty's analytical hierarchy process. The thematic layers were finally integrated using ArcInfo GIS software to yield a groundwater potential zone map of the study area. Thus, three different groundwater potential zones were identified, namely 'good', 'moderate' and 'poor'. The area having good groundwater potential is about 1400 km2, which is about 15% of the total study area. The eastern portion and some small patches in the central and northern portions of the study area fall under moderate groundwater potential zone, which encompasses an area of 5400 km2 (55%). However, the groundwater potential in the western, south-western and parts of north-eastern portions of the study area is poor, encompassing an area of about 3000 km2. Moreover, the average annually exploitable groundwater reserve in the good zone was estimated to be 0.29 MCM/km2, whereas it is 0.25 MCM/km2 for the moderate zone and 0.13 MCM/km2 for the poor zone. Finally, it is concluded that the RS and GIS techniques are very efficient and useful for the identification of groundwater potential zones.

Abstract: In 2005, the American Stroke Association formed a task force on the development of stroke systems to propose a new framework for stroke care delivery that would emphasize linkages rather than silos in the chain of stroke survival and provide a blueprint for large organizations or state and federal agencies on how to implement a more coordinated approach to stroke care.1 The stroke systems of care model (SSCM) recommends implementation of telemedicine and aeromedical transport to increase access to acute stroke care in neurologically underserved areas, as do the latest American Stroke Association guidelines for the early management of adults with ischemic stroke.2 The present report was commissioned by the American Heart Association to address how telemedicine might help address current barriers to improved stroke care delivery in the United States within the framework of the SSCM. Telemedicine has been defined broadly as “the use of telecommunications technologies to provide medical information and services” (p 483).3 Technically, this encompasses all aspects of medicine practiced at a distance, including use of telephone, fax, and electronic mail technology, as well as the use of interactive full-motion integrated video and audio, that brings together patients and providers separated by distance.4 In the early part of the twentieth century, electrocardiograms and electroencephalograms were transmitted over ordinary analogue telephone lines, and in 1920, medical advice service for sea craft via Morse code and voice radio was established. Expensive and cumbersome 2-way closed-circuit television systems used in the 1960s to transmit radiographs and evaluate patients have been replaced by low-cost, personal computer–based solutions for videoconferencing and transmission of physiological data from clinics or patient homes or from inaccessible sites such as ships, aircraft, and geographically remote regions.5 Telemedicine has been proposed as an alternative means of managing many different diseases and …

Abstract: This paper generalizes Benders decomposition to maximize a nonconcave objective function and uses that decomposition to solve an ldquoelectric power grid interdiction problem.rdquo Under one empirically verified assumption, the solution to this bilevel optimization problem identifies a set of components, limited by cardinality or ldquointerdiction resource,rdquo whose destruction maximizes economic losses to customers (and can thereby guide defensive measures). The decomposition subproblem typically incorporates a set of DC optimal power-flow models that cover various states of repair after an attack, along with a load-duration curve. Test problems describe a regional power grid in the United States with approximately 5000 buses, 6000 lines, and 500 generators. Solution time on a 2-GHz personal computer is approximately one hour.

Abstract: With the ever increasing role of computerized machines in society, Human Computer Interaction (HCI) system has become an increasingly important part of our daily lives. HCI determines the effective utilization of the available information flow of the computing, communication, and display technologies. In recent years, there has been a tremendous interest in introducing intuitive interfaces that can recognize the user's body movements and translate them into machine commands. For the neural linkage with computers, various biomedical signals (biosignals) can be used, which can be acquired from a specialized tissue, organ, or cell system like the nervous system. Examples include Electro-Encephalogram (EEG), Electrooculogram (EOG), and Electromyogram (EMG). Such approaches are extremely valuable to physically disabled persons. Many attempts have been made to use EMG signal from gesture for developing HCI. EMG signal processing and controller work is currently proceeding in various direction including the development of continuous EMG signal classification for graphical controller, that enables the physically disabled to use word processing programs and other personal computer software, internet. It also enable manipulation of robotic devices, prosthesis limb, I/O for virtual reality games, physical exercise equipments etc. Most of the developmental area is based on pattern recognition using neural networks. The EMG controller can be programmed to perform gesture recognition based on signal analysis of groups of muscles action potential. This review paper is to discuss the various methodologies and algorithms used for EMG signal classification for the purpose of interpreting the EMG signal into computer command.

Abstract: A programmable lighting control system integrates time-based, sensor-based, and manual control of lighting and other loads. The system includes one or more groups of controlled lighting areas, which may be, for example, floors of a building. Each group may have one or more lighting zones, which may be, for example, individual rooms or offices on a building floor. Each lighting zone includes occupancy and/or daylight sensors that may be wirelessly coupled to a gateway of the group. Each gateway is coupled to a network, such as, for example, a local area network (LAN). Control software, residing on a computer (e.g., a personal computer or a server) coupled to the network and accessible via the network, remotely communicates with and controls the lighting zones either individually, groupwise, or globally. Each lighting zone can also be locally controlled at the gateway and can function independently of the control software and the gateway.

Abstract: Modern graphics co-processors (GPUs) can produce high fidelity images several orders of magnitude faster than general purpose CPUs, and this performance expectation is rapidly becoming ubiquitous in personal computers. Despite this, GPU virtualization is a nascent field of research. This paper introduces a taxonomy of strategies for GPU virtualization and describes in detail the specific GPU virtualization architecture developed for VMware's hosted products (VMware Workstation and VMware Fusion).We analyze the performance of our GPU virtualization with a combination of applications and microbenchmarks. We also compare against software rendering, the GPU virtualization in Parallels Desktop 3.0, and the native GPU. We find that taking advantage of hardware acceleration significantly closes the gap between pure emulation and native, but that different implementations and host graphics stacks show distinct variation. The microbenchmarks show that our architecture amplifies the overheads in the traditional graphics API bottlenecks: draw calls, downloading buffers, and batch sizes.Our virtual GPU architecture runs modern graphics-intensive games and applications at interactive frame rates while preserving virtual machine portability. The applications we tested achieve from 86% to 12% of native rates and 43 to 18 frames per second with VMware Fusion 2.0.

Abstract: Blood pressure (BP) is one of the important vital signs that need to be monitored for personal healthcare. Arterial blood pressure (BP) was estimated from pulse transit time (PTT) and PPG waveform. PTT is a time interval between an R-wave of electrocardiography (ECG) and a photoplethysmography (PPG) signal. This method does not require an aircuff and only a minimal inconvenience of attaching electrodes and LED/photo detector sensors on a subject. PTT computed between the ECG R-wave and the maximum first derivative PPG was strongly correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) (R?=??0.712) compared with other PTT values, and the diastolic time proved to be appropriate for estimation diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (R?=??0.764). The percent errors of SBP using the individual regression line (4---11%) were lower than those using the regression line obtained from all five subjects (9---14%). On the other hand, the DBP estimation did not show much difference between the individual regression (4---10%) and total regression line (6---10%). Our developed device had a total size of 7?×?13.5 cm and was operated by single 3-V battery. Biosignals can be measured for 72 h continuously without external interruptions. Through a serial network communication, an external personal computer can monitor measured waveforms in real time. Our proposed method can be used for non-constrained, thus continuous BP monitoring for the purpose of personal healthcare.

Abstract: Pedestrian detection is one of the most important components in driver-assistance systems. In this paper, we propose a monocular vision system for real-time pedestrian detection and tracking during nighttime driving with a near-infrared (NIR) camera. Three modules (region-of-interest (ROI) generation, object classification, and tracking) are integrated in a cascade, and each utilizes complementary visual features to distinguish the objects from the cluttered background in the range of 20-80 m. Based on the common fact that the objects appear brighter than the nearby background in nighttime NIR images, efficient ROI generation is done based on the dual-threshold segmentation algorithm. As there is large intraclass variability in the pedestrian class, a tree-structured, two-stage detector is proposed to tackle the problem through training separate classifiers on disjoint subsets of different image sizes and arranging the classifiers based on Haar-like and histogram-of-oriented-gradients (HOG) features in a coarse-to-fine manner. To suppress the false alarms and fill the detection gaps, template-matching-based tracking is adopted, and multiframe validation is used to obtain the final results. Results from extensive tests on both urban and suburban videos indicate that the algorithm can produce a detection rate of more than 90% at the cost of about 10 false alarms/h and perform as fast as the frame rate (30 frames/s) on a Pentium IV 3.0-GHz personal computer, which also demonstrates that the proposed system is feasible for practical applications and enjoys the advantage of low implementation cost.

Abstract: This invention relates to a system for combining an electronic mail (email) address or addresses and/or facsimile telephone numbers into a fax message, so that when received by a server the fax document is processed and transmitted as an email attachment to the email addresses or a fax message to the telephone numbers of the intended fax recipients. This allows the user to be able to send faxes and emails from a conventional fax machine or personal computer without having an Internet connection.

Abstract: Preface. Chapter 1: Basic Practices and Techniques in the Biochemistry Laboratory. Chapter 2: Spectrophotometry. Chapter 3: Quantification of Protein Concentration. Chapter 4: Chromatography. Chapter 5: Gel Electrophoresis of Proteins. Chapter 6: Overview of Protein Purification. Chapter 7: Isolation and Characterization of the Enzyme Alkaline Phosphatase From Escherichia Coli. Chapter 8: Enzyme Kinetics. Chapter 9: Enzymatic Methods of Analysis. Chapter 10: Ligand Binding. Chapter 11: Recombinant DNA Techniques. Chapter 12: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Technology. Chapter 13: Using the Personal Computer and the Internet for Biochemical Research. Appendix 1: Safety Checklist. Appendix 2: An Example of an MSDS. Index.

Abstract: Using case study data, we describe how a large personal computer manufacturer changed its supply-chain management strategy after outsourcing the majority of its design and manufacturing activities to a network of focused suppliers. To cope with this new structure, the firm created highly skilled generalists, “supply-chain integrators,” who coordinate product development, marketing, production, and logistics from product concept to delivery across firm boundaries. We particularly focus on the skill-set that characterizes these integrators. Finally, we use the case evidence, combined with previous theory, to suggest a specific program of research into coordinating product development across disaggregated supply chains.

Abstract: Product lifespan is a fundamental variable in understanding the environmental impacts associated with the life cycle of products. Existing life cycle and materials flow studies of products, almost without exception, consider lifespan to be constant over time. To determine the validity of this assumption, this study provides an empirical documentation of the long-term evolution of personal computer lifespan, using a major U.S. university as a case study. Results indicate that over the period 1985-2000, computer lifespan (purchase to "disposal") decreased steadily from a mean of 10.7 years in 1985 to 5.5 years in 2000. The distribution of lifespan also evolved, becoming narrower over time. Overall, however, lifespan distribution was broader than normally considered in life cycle assessments or materials flow forecasts of electronic waste management for policy. We argue that these results suggest that at least for computers, the assumption of constant lifespan is problematic and that it is important to work toward understanding the dynamics of use patterns. We modify an age-structured model of population dynamics from biology as a modeling approach to describe product life cycles. Lastly, the purchase share and generation of obsolete computers from the higher education sector is estimated using different scenarios for the dynamics of product lifespan.

Abstract: We have developed an approach for whole-house gross movement and room transition detection through sensing at only one point in the home. We consider this system to be one member of an important new class of human activity monitoring approaches based on what we call infrastructure mediated sensing, or "home bus snooping." Our solution leverages the existing ductwork infrastructure of central heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems found in many homes. Disruptions in airflow, caused by human inter-room movement, result in static pressure changes in the HVAC air handler unit. This is particularly apparent for room-to-room transitions and door open/close events involving full or partial blockage of doorways and thresholds. We detect and record this pressure variation from sensors mounted on the air filter and classify where certain movement events are occurring in the house, such as an adult walking through a particular doorway or the opening and closing of a particular door. In contrast to more complex distributed sensing approaches for motion detection in the home, our method requires the installation of only a single sensing unit (i.e., an instrumented air filter) connected to an embedded or personal computer that performs the classification function. Preliminary results show we can classify unique transition events with up to 75-80% accuracy.

Abstract: Yang C. Strategic coupling of regional development in global production networks: redistribution of Taiwanese personal computer investment from the Pearl River Delta to the Yangtze River Delta, China, Regional Studies. From the perspective of strategic coupling of regional development in global production networks (GPN), this paper attempts to explore the dynamics and patterns of the redistribution of Taiwanese personal computer (PC) investment from the Pearl River Delta (PRD) to the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) in China since the early 2000s. Through firm-level interviews and case studies, it argues that the redistribution is resulted from divergent strategic coupling between respective Taiwanese firms in the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta and their lead firm counterparts fostered by different local institutional initiatives. The study further elucidates that regional development in the global economy has turned increasingly to trans-local dynamics. Yang C. L'association strategique de l'amenagem...

Abstract: This research paper evaluates the development relationship between the adoption rate of Information and Communications Technologies (the Internet, mobile phone, pager, personal computer, and telephone) and per capita income gap between the urban and rural areas in China, mainly between 1985 and 2006. The Pearson’s correlation coefficients suggest there has been a strong correlation in the development relationship between this income gap and the adoption of the Internet, mobile phone, personal computer, and telephone during this period. This paper also examines the adoption of these ICTs between the urban and rural regions, and probes into two pressing issues that affect the digital divide - affordability of these technologies to the rural population, and the educational level of rural users that impact upon usage capability.

Abstract: Disclosed are interconnectable personal computer architectures comprising secure, portable and persistent computing environments that provide secure computing sessions with persistence. The computing environments are implemented using a secure non-computing client device, such as a USB device, that interfaces with a host computer and, optionally, a trusted server. The secure non-computing client device is used to instantiate a secure BIOS and a secure cold or warm boot of the host computer, from the client device, in a host protected area of the host computer, or from the trusted server. The client device comprises a security device, such a trusted platform module, that encrypts and decrypts data transferred between the client apparatus and the host computer to provide a sealed computing environment on the host computer. The client device may implement keyboard logger attack prevention. The client device may also implement a high assurance guard to protect applications. The client device may also comprise security wrapper software that encapsulates malware processed by the host computer. Computing methods and software are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present study investigated the recreational use of video and computer games in the workplace. In an online survey, 833 employed users of online casual games reported on their use of computer games during working hours. The data indicate that playing computer games in the workplace elicits substantial levels of recovery experience. Recovery experience associated with gameplay was the strongest predictor for the use of games in the workplace. Furthermore, individuals with higher levels of work-related fatigue reported stronger recovery experience during gameplay and showed a higher tendency to play games during working hours than did persons with lower levels of work strain. Additionally, the social situation at work was found to have a significant influence on the use of games. Persons receiving less social support from colleagues and supervisors played games at work more frequently than did individuals with higher levels of social support. Furthermore, job control was positively related to the use of games at work. In sum, the results of the present study illustrate that computer games have a significant recovery potential. Implications of these findings for research on personal computer use during work and for games research in general are discussed.

Abstract: A controlling device (e.g., a telephony device) can remotely control various tasks associated with a controlled device (e.g., a personal computer), including the navigation of user interfaces associated with applications or an operating system associated with the controlled device. A task can be controlled at the controlled device by mapping user input received at the controlling device to control commands suitable for execution at the controlled device.

Abstract: As the cell size of the NAND flash memory has been scaled down by 40%-50% per year and the memory capacity has been doubling every year, a solid-state drive (SSD) that uses NAND as mass storage for personal computers and enterprise servers is attracting much attention. To realize a low-power high-speed SSD, the co-design of NAND flash memory and NAND controller circuits is essential. In this paper, three new circuit technologies, the selective bit-line precharge scheme, the advanced source-line program, and the intelligent interleaving, are proposed. In the selective bit-line precharge scheme, an unnecessary bit-line precharge is removed during the verify-read and consequently the current consumption decreases by 23%. In the advanced source-line program scheme, a hierarchical source-line structure is adopted. The load capacitance during the program pulse is reduced by 90% without a die size overhead. As a result, the current consumption is reduced by 48%. Finally, with the intelligent interleaving, a current peak is suppressed and a high-speed parallel write operation of the NAND flash memories is achieved. By using these three technologies, both the NAND flash memory and the NAND controller circuits are best optimized. At the sub-30 nm generation, the current consumption of the NAND flash memory decreases by 60% and the SSD speed improves by 150% without a cost penalty or circuit noise.

Abstract: Background/Aims: Frequency and amplitude perturbations are inherent in voice acoustic signals. The assessment of voice perturbation is influenced by several factors, including the type of recording equipment used and the measurement extraction algorithm applied. In the present study, perturbation measures provided by two computer systems (a purpose-built professional voice analysis apparatus and a personal computer-based system for acoustic voice assessment) and two computer programs (Multi-Dimensional Voice Program and Praat) were compared. Methods: Correlations and inferential statistics for seven perturbation measures (absolute jitter, percent jitter, relative average perturbation, pitch perturbation quotient, shimmer in decibels, percent shimmer, and amplitude perturbation quotient) in 50 subjects with various voice disorders are presented. Results: Results indicate statistically significant differences between the two systems and programs, with the Multi-Dimensional Voice Program yielding consistently higher measures than Praat. Furthermore, correlation analyses show weak to moderate proportional relationships between the two systems and weak to strong proportional relationships between the two programs. Conclusion: Based on the literature and the proportional relationships and differences between the two systems and programs under consideration in this study, one can state that one can hardly compare frequency perturbation outcomes across systems and programs and amplitude perturbation outcomes across systems.

Abstract: We provide a new algorithm for generating the Baker–Campbell–Hausdorff (BCH) series Z=log(eXeY) in an arbitrary generalized Hall basis of the free Lie algebra L(X,Y) generated by X and Y. It is based on the close relationship of L(X,Y) with a Lie algebraic structure of labeled rooted trees. With this algorithm, the computation of the BCH series up to degree of 20 [111 013 independent elements in L(X,Y)] takes less than 15min on a personal computer and requires 1.5Gbytes of memory. We also address the issue of the convergence of the series, providing an optimal convergence domain when X and Y are real or complex matrices.

Abstract: Systems are provided that support millimeter-wave wireless communications between hosts and electronic devices. A host may be formed using a personal computer associated with a user or computing equipment associated with a public establishment. Content can be automatically synchronized between the host and the user's electronic device over a millimeter-wave wireless communications link in a communications band such as a 60 GHz wireless communications band. Synchronization operations may be performed based on user content preferences. Content preference information may be gathered explicitly from a user using on-screen options or may be gathered by monitoring user media playback activities and media rating activities. The content preference information may be transmitted automatically from an electronic device to a host when the electronic device is brought within range of the host. Synchronization operations may be performed automatically when a user is in proximity of a point-of-sale terminal or ticketing equipment.

Abstract: This paper presents the design and implementation of a multiple-axis motion control chip using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). This multiple-axis motion control chip is designed to control a multiple-axis motion system such as a robotic arm manipulator or a computer numerical control machine. The proposed motion control chip has many functions. These include velocity profile generation, interpolation calculation, inverse kinematics calculation, proportional-integral-derivative control, feedback count, pulse integration, data conversion, clock generation, and external interfacing. These functions are designed using the VHSIC hardware description language and implemented on an FPGA according to the electronic design automation design methodology. This allows for a highly sampled, accurate, flexible, compact, low-power, and low-cost motion control system. The detailed design of the proposed motion control chip is presented. A multiple-axis motion control system using this chip is implemented, and its performance is measured. The multiple-axis motion control system is implemented on a platform consisting of a chip-based multiple-axis motion controller, analog ac servo drivers, a selective compliant assembly robot arm robot, and a host personal computer.

Abstract: Many hormones are released in a pulsatile or burst-like pattern resulting in fluctuating blood levels that can undergo rapid modulation by physiological and pathological signals. To accurately measure these changes in hormone concentration requires frequent blood sampling, often over extended periods as the overall rhythmicity may vary over 24 hours. The aim of this study was to develop a computerized, automated blood sampling system which allows repeated stress-free blood sample collection from humans over an extended period under basal or test conditions. The system incorporates a peristaltic pump, fraction collector and standard infusion pump together with a custom built electronic control unit linked to a personal computer. Disposable tubing prevents cross-contamination between study participants. The computer programme is modifiable to adjust for the number of specimen tubes and volume of blood collected per sampling cycle. Patency of the collecting line is maintained with 0.9% saline, without the need for heparinization. To validate the system, 10-minute samples for cortisol were collected over 24 hours from five healthy volunteers, of whom two had additional concomitant ACTH sampling. Deconvolution analysis revealed an expected number of hormone secretory episodes and a non-pathological degree of orderliness within the data. There was high concordance between ACTH and cortisol secretory events. The ability of the system to allow multiple measurements and of the software program to link with other physiological monitoring equipment provides a powerful tool to study physiologic/pathophysiologic change in relation to blood hormone and other biomarker levels.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for transferring a communication and computer session between devices. A user launches a communication session on a first device, such as a personal computer. The user may then selectively transfer the communication session to another device, such as a wireless device, through activation of a triggering signal. In response, the context of the communication session is determined as it is being performed on the first device, including a type of the communication session. The communication session is then transferred to the second device by launching a new communication session on the second device and transferring the context of the communication session corresponding to the first device to the new communication session on the second device. The communications session is continued via use of the first device as a proxy for the second device.