Showing papers by "Polytechnic University of Catalonia published in 2015"

Epidemic processes in complex networks

Abstract: Complex networks arise in a wide range of biological and sociotechnical systems. Epidemic spreading is central to our understanding of dynamical processes in complex networks, and is of interest to physicists, mathematicians, epidemiologists, and computer and social scientists. This review presents the main results and paradigmatic models in infectious disease modeling and generalized social contagion processes.

Discriminative Learning of Deep Convolutional Feature Point Descriptors

Abstract: Deep learning has revolutionalized image-level tasks such as classification, but patch-level tasks, such as correspondence, still rely on hand-crafted features, e.g. SIFT. In this paper we use Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to learn discriminant patch representations and in particular train a Siamese network with pairs of (non-)corresponding patches. We deal with the large number of potential pairs with the combination of a stochastic sampling of the training set and an aggressive mining strategy biased towards patches that are hard to classify. By using the L2 distance during both training and testing we develop 128-D descriptors whose euclidean distances reflect patch similarity, and which can be used as a drop-in replacement for any task involving SIFT. We demonstrate consistent performance gains over the state of the art, and generalize well against scaling and rotation, perspective transformation, non-rigid deformation, and illumination changes. Our descriptors are efficient to compute and amenable to modern GPUs, and are publicly available.

Ballistocardiography and Seismocardiography: A Review of Recent Advances

Abstract: In the past decade, there has been a resurgence in the field of unobtrusive cardiomechanical assessment, through advancing methods for measuring and interpreting ballistocardiogram (BCG) and seismocardiogram (SCG) signals. Novel instrumentation solutions have enabled BCG and SCG measurement outside of clinical settings, in the home, in the field, and even in microgravity. Customized signal processing algorithms have led to reduced measurement noise, clinically relevant feature extraction, and signal modeling. Finally, human subjects physiology studies have been conducted using these novel instruments and signal processing tools with promising results. This paper reviews the recent advances in these areas of modern BCG and SCG research.

Analytical Methods in Untargeted Metabolomics: State of the Art in 2015

Abstract: Metabolomics comprises the methods and techniques that are used to measure the small molecule composition of biofluids and tissues, and is actually one of the most rapidly evolving research fields. The determination of the metabolomic profile –the metabolome- has multiple applications in many biological sciences, including the developing of new diagnostic tools in medicine. Recent technological advances in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) are significantly improving our capacity to obtain more data from each biological sample. Consequently, there is a need for fast and accurate statistical and bioinformatic tools that can deal with the complexity and volume of the data generated in metabolomic studies. In this review we provide an update of the most commonly used analytical methods in metabolomics, starting from raw data processing and ending with pathway analysis and biomarker identification. Finally, the integration of metabolomic profiles with molecular data from other high throughput biotechnologies is also reviewed.

Black silicon solar cells with interdigitated back-contacts achieve 22.1% efficiency

Abstract: A power conversion efficiency of 22% is achieved in black silicon back-contacted solar cells through passivation of the nanostructured surface by a conformal alumina layer.

Grasp quality measures: review and performance

Abstract: The correct grasp of objects is a key aspect for the right fulfillment of a given task. Obtaining a good grasp requires algorithms to automatically determine proper contact points on the object as well as proper hand configurations, especially when dexterous manipulation is desired, and the quantification of a good grasp requires the definition of suitable grasp quality measures. This article reviews the quality measures proposed in the literature to evaluate grasp quality. The quality measures are classified into two groups according to the main aspect they evaluate: location of contact points on the object and hand configuration. The approaches that combine different measures from the two previous groups to obtain a global quality measure are also reviewed, as well as some measures related to human hand studies and grasp performance. Several examples are presented to illustrate and compare the performance of the reviewed measures.

Real-Time Simulation Technologies for Power Systems Design, Testing, and Analysis

Abstract: This task force paper summarizes the state-of-the-art real-time digital simulation concepts and technologies that are used for the analysis, design, and testing of the electric power system and its apparatus. This paper highlights the main building blocks of the real-time simulator, i.e., hardware, software, input-output systems, modeling, and solution techniques, interfacing capabilities to external hardware and various applications. It covers the most commonly used real-time digital simulators in both industry and academia. A comprehensive list of the real-time simulators is provided in a tabular review. The objective of this paper is to summarize salient features of various real-time simulators, so that the reader can benefit from understanding the relevant technologies and their applications, which will be presented in a separate paper.

Optimization of Radio and Computational Resources for Energy Efficiency in Latency-Constrained Application Offloading

Abstract: Providing femto access points (FAPs) with computational capabilities will allow (either total or partial) offloading of highly demanding applications from smartphones to the so-called femto-cloud. Such offloading promises to be beneficial in terms of battery savings at the mobile terminal (MT) and/or in latency reduction in the execution of applications. However, for this promise to become a reality, the energy and/or the time required for the communication process must be compensated by the energy and/or the time savings that result from the remote computation at the FAPs. For this problem, we provide in this paper a framework for the joint optimization of the radio and computational resource usage exploiting the tradeoff between energy consumption and latency. Multiple antennas are assumed to be available at the MT and the serving FAP. As a result of the optimization, the optimal communication strategy (e.g., transmission power, rate, and precoder) is obtained, as well as the optimal distribution of the computational load between the handset and the serving FAP. This paper also establishes the conditions under which total or no offloading is optimal, determines which is the minimum affordable latency in the execution of the application, and analyzes, as a particular case, the minimization of the total consumed energy without latency constraints.

Design and evaluation of algorithms for mapping and scheduling of virtual network functions

Abstract: Network function virtualization has received attention from both academia and industry as an important shift in the deployment of telecommunication networks and services. It is being proposed as a path towards cost efficiency, reduced time-to-markets, and enhanced innovativeness in telecommunication service provisioning. However, efficiently running virtualized services is not trivial as, among other initialization steps, it requires first mapping virtual networks onto physical networks, and thereafter mapping and scheduling virtual functions onto the virtual networks. This paper formulates the online virtual function mapping and scheduling problem and proposes a set of algorithms for solving it. Our main objective is to propose simple algorithms that may be used as a basis for future work in this area. To this end, we propose three greedy algorithms and a tabu search-based heuristic. We carry out evaluations of these algorithms considering parameters such as successful service mappings, total service processing times, revenue, cost etc, under varying network conditions. Simulations show that the tabu search-based algorithm performs only slightly better than the best greedy algorithm.

Control of cell–cell forces and collective cell dynamics by the intercellular adhesome

Abstract: Dynamics of epithelial tissues determine key processes in development, tissue healing and cancer invasion. These processes are critically influenced by cell-cell adhesion forces. However, the identity of the proteins that resist and transmit forces at cell-cell junctions remains unclear, and how these proteins control tissue dynamics is largely unknown. Here we provide a systematic study of the interplay between cell-cell adhesion proteins, intercellular forces and epithelial tissue dynamics. We show that collective cellular responses to selective perturbations of the intercellular adhesome conform to three mechanical phenotypes. These phenotypes are controlled by different molecular modules and characterized by distinct relationships between cellular kinematics and intercellular forces. We show that these forces and their rates can be predicted by the concentrations of cadherins and catenins. Unexpectedly, we identified different mechanical roles for P-cadherin and E-cadherin; whereas P-cadherin predicts levels of intercellular force, E-cadherin predicts the rate at which intercellular force builds up.

The LDBC Social Network Benchmark: Interactive Workload

Abstract: The Linked Data Benchmark Council (LDBC) is now two years underway and has gathered strong industrial participation for its mission to establish benchmarks, and benchmarking practices for evaluating graph data management systems. The LDBC introduced a new choke-point driven methodology for developing benchmark workloads, which combines user input with input from expert systems architects, which we outline. This paper describes the LDBC Social Network Benchmark (SNB), and presents database benchmarking innovation in terms of graph query functionality tested, correlated graph generation techniques, as well as a scalable benchmark driver on a workload with complex graph dependencies. SNB has three query workloads under development: Interactive, Business Intelligence, and Graph Algorithms. We describe the SNB Interactive Workload in detail and illustrate the workload with some early results, as well as the goals for the two other workloads.

Artificial bee colony based algorithm for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for PV systems operating under partial shaded conditions

Abstract: An artificial bee colony based MPPT under partially shaded conditions is proposed.Photovoltaic systems are considered.A co-simulation methodology combining Simulink and Pspice has been adopted.Excellent efficiency and tracking performance compared to the PSO-based MPPT.The effectiveness of the proposed method has been confirmed experimentally. Artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm has several characteristics that make it more attractive than other bio-inspired methods. Particularly, it is simple, it uses fewer control parameters and its convergence is independent of the initial conditions. In this paper, a novel artificial bee colony based maximum power point tracking algorithm (MPPT) is proposed. The developed algorithm, does not allow only overcoming the common drawback of the conventional MPPT methods, but it gives a simple and a robust MPPT scheme. A co-simulation methodology, combining Matlab/Simulink? and Cadence/Pspice?, is used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method and compare its performance, under dynamic weather conditions, with that of the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) based MPPT algorithm. Moreover, a laboratory setup has been realized and used to experimentally validate the proposed ABC-based MPPT algorithm. Simulation and experimental results have shown the satisfactory performance of the proposed approach.

Advanced Vector Control for Voltage Source Converters Connected to Weak Grids

Abstract: This paper addresses an advanced vector current control for a voltage source converter (VSC) connected to a weak grid. The proposed control methodology permits high-performance regulation of the active power and the voltage for the feasible VSC range of operation. First, the steady state characteristics for a power converter connected to a very weak system with a short circuit ratio (SCR) of 1 are discussed in order to identify the system limits. Then, the conventional vector control (inner loop) and the conventional power/voltage control (outer loop) stability and frequency responses are analyzed. From the analysis of the classic structure, an enhanced outer loop based on a decoupled and gain-scheduling controller is presented and its stability is analyzed. The proposed control is validated by means of dynamic simulations and it is compared with classic vector current control. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed control system could provide a promising approach to tackle the challenging problem of VSC in connection with weak AC grids.

Myopia Control with a Novel Peripheral Gradient Soft Lens and Orthokeratology: A 2-Year Clinical Trial

Abstract: Objective. To evaluate the degree of axial elongation with soft radial refractive gradient (SRRG) contact lenses, orthokeratology (OK), and single vision (SV) spectacle lenses (control) during a period of 1 year before treatment and 2 years after treatment. Methods. This was a prospective, longitudinal, nonrandomized study. The study groups consisted of 30, 29, and 41 children, respectively. The axial length (AL) was measured during 2 years after recruitment and lens fitting. Results. The baseline refractive sphere was correlated significantly (Spearman’s Rho (ρ) correlation = 0.542; P < 0.0001) with the amount of myopia progression before baseline. After 2 years, the mean myopia progression values for the SRRG, OK, and SV groups were −0.56 ± 0.51, −0.32 ± 0.53, and −0.98 ± 0.58 diopter, respectively. The results represent reductions in myopic progression of 43% and 67% for the SRRG and OK groups, respectively, compared to the SV group. The AL increased 27% and 38% less in the SRRG and OK groups, respectively compared with the SV group at the 2-year visit (P < 0.05). Axial elongation was not significantly different between SRRG and OK (P = 0.430). Conclusion. The SRRG lens significantly decreased AL elongation compared to the SV control group. The SRRG lens was similarly effective to OK in preventing myopia progression in myopic children and adolescent.

The Great Colorado Flood of September 2013

Abstract: During the second week of September 2013, a seasonally uncharacteristic weather pattern stalled over the Rocky Mountain Front Range region of northern Colorado bringing with it copious amounts of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. This feed of moisture was funneled toward the east-facing mountain slopes through a series of mesoscale circulation features, resulting in several days of unusually widespread heavy rainfall over steep mountainous terrain. Catastrophic flooding ensued within several Front Range river systems that washed away highways, destroyed towns, isolated communities, necessitated days of airborne evacuations, and resulted in eight fatalities. The impacts from heavy rainfall and flooding were felt over a broad region of northern Colorado leading to 18 counties being designated as federal disaster areas and resulting in damages exceeding $2 billion (U.S. dollars). This study explores the meteorological and hydrological ingredients...

Giant barocaloric effects at low pressure in ferrielectric ammonium sulphate

Abstract: Caloric effects are currently under intense study due to the prospect of environment-friendly cooling applications. Most of the research is centred on large magnetocaloric effects and large electrocaloric effects, but the former require large magnetic fields that are challenging to generate economically and the latter require large electric fields that can only be applied without breakdown in thin samples. Here we use small changes in hydrostatic pressure to drive giant inverse barocaloric effects near the ferrielectric phase transition in ammonium sulphate. We find barocaloric effects and strengths that exceed those previously observed near magnetostructural phase transitions in magnetic materials. Our findings should therefore inspire the discovery of giant barocaloric effects in a wide range of unexplored ferroelectric materials, ultimately leading to barocaloric cooling devices.

Detection of recurrent alternative splicing switches in tumor samples reveals novel signatures of cancer

Abstract: The determination of the alternative splicing isoforms expressed in cancer is fundamental for the development of tumor-specific molecular targets for prognosis and therapy, but it is hindered by the heterogeneity of tumors and the variability across patients. We developed a new computational method, robust to biological and technical variability, which identifies significant transcript isoform changes across multiple samples. We applied this method to more than 4000 samples from the The Cancer Genome Atlas project to obtain novel splicing signatures that are predictive for nine different cancer types, and find a specific signature for basal-like breast tumors involving the tumor-driver CTNND1. Additionally, our method identifies 244 isoform switches, for which the change occurs in the most abundant transcript. Some of these switches occur in known tumor drivers, including PPARG, CCND3, RALGDS, MITF, PRDM1, ABI1 and MYH11, for which the switch implies a change in the protein product. Moreover, some of the switches cannot be described with simple splicing events. Surprisingly, isoform switches are independent of somatic mutations, except for the tumor-suppressor FBLN2 and the oncogene MYH11. Our method reveals novel signatures of cancer in terms of transcript isoforms specifically expressed in tumors, providing novel potential molecular targets for prognosis and therapy. Data and software are available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.1061917 and https://bitbucket.org/regulatorygenomicsupf/iso-ktsp.

Phase-field modeling and simulation of fracture in brittle materials with strongly anisotropic surface energy

Abstract: Crack propagation in brittle materials with anisotropic surface energy is important in applications involving single crystals, extruded polymers, or geological and organic materials. Furthermore, when this anisotropy is strong, the phenomenology of crack propagation becomes very rich, with forbidden crack propagation directions or complex sawtooth crack patterns. This problem interrogates fundamental issues in fracture mechanics, including the principles behind the selection of crack direction. Here, we propose a variational phase-field model for strongly anisotropic fracture, which resorts to the extended Cahn-Hilliard framework proposed in the context of crystal growth. Previous phase-field models for anisotropic fracture were formulated in a framework only allowing for weak anisotropy. We implement numerically our higher-order phase-field model with smooth local maximum entropy approximants in a direct Galerkin method. The numerical results exhibit all the features of strongly anisotropic fracture and reproduce strikingly well recent experimental observations.