Int. J. Nat. Comput. Res.最新文献

{"title":"MP Modelling of Glucose-Insulin Interactions in the Intravenous Glucose Tolerance Test","authors":"V. Manca, L. Marchetti, R. Pagliarini","doi":"10.4018/jncr.2011070102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jncr.2011070102","url":null,"abstract":"The Intravenous Glucose Tolerance Test is an experimental procedure used to study the glucose-insulin endocrine regulatory system. An open problem is to construct a model representing simultaneously the entire regulative mechanism. In the past three decades, several models have appeared, but they have not escaped criticisms and drawbacks. In this paper, the authors apply the Metabolic P systems theory for developing new physiologically based models of the glucose-insulin system, which can be applied to the IVGTT. Ten datasets obtained from literature were considered and an MP model was found for each, which fits the data and explains the regulations of the dynamics. Finally, each model is analysed to define a common pattern which explains, in general, the action of the glucose-insulin control system. DOI: 10.4018/jncr.2011070102 14 International Journal of Natural Computing Research, 2(3), 13-24, July-September 2011 Copyright © 2011, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. results in increasing the blood glucose level by acting on liver cells and causing them to release glucose into the blood2 (Figure 1). If the plasma glucose concentration level is constantly out of the usual range, then we are in presence of blood glucose problems. In particular, when this level is constantly higher than the range upper bound (which is referred to as hyperglycemia), we are in presence of Diabetes: a dreadfully severe and pervasive illness which concerns a good number of structures in the body. Diabetes is classified into two main categories known as type I and type II, respectively. Type I, 5−10% of all categories of diabetes, results from autoimmune destruction of β-cells and the pancreas is no longer capable of making insulin. Therefore, daily insulin injections are necessary. Diabetes of type II refers to the remaining 90% and occurs when the pancreas produces insulin but cells fail to use it properly. In both the types of diabetes, the illness can lead to several complications like retinopathy, nephropathy, peripheral neuropathy and blindness. This motivates researches to study the glucose-insulin endocrine regulatory system. In particular, the glucoseinsulin system has been the object of repeated mathematical modelling attempts. The majority of the proposed models were devoted to the study of the glucose-insulin dynamics by considering experimental data obtained by the intravenous glucose tolerance test, shortly IVGTT, and the oral glucose tolerance test, shortly OGTT. In these models, the insulinglucose system is assumed to be composed of two linked subsystems modelling the insulin action and the glucose kinetics, respectively. Since the action of insulin is delayed with respect to plasma glucose, the subsystems of insulin action typically includes a delay. The intravenous glucose tolerance test focuses on the metabolism of glucose in a period of 3 hours starting from the inf","PeriodicalId":369881,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Nat. Comput. Res.","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133790493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Trans-Canada Slimeways: Slime Mould Imitates the Canadian Transport Network","authors":"A. Adamatzky, S. Akl","doi":"10.4018/jncr.2011100103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jncr.2011100103","url":null,"abstract":"Slime mould Physarum polycephalum builds up sophisticated networks to transport nutrients between distant part of its extended body. The slime mould's protoplasmic network is optimised for maximum coverage of nutrients yet minimum energy spent on transportation of the intra-cellular material. In laboratory experiments with P. polycephalum we represent Canadian major urban areas with rolled oats and inoculated slime mould in the Toronto area. The plasmodium spans the urban areas with its network of protoplasmic tubes. We uncover similarities and differences between the protoplasmic network and the Canadian national highway network, analyse the networks in terms of proximity graphs and evaluate slime mould's network response to contamination.","PeriodicalId":369881,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Nat. Comput. Res.","volume":"43 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130665168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Forward and Backward Chaining with P Systems","authors":"Sergiu Ivanov, A. Alhazov, V. Rogojin, M. A. Gutiérrez-Naranjo","doi":"10.4018/jncr.2011040105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jncr.2011040105","url":null,"abstract":"One of the concepts that lie at the basis of membrane computing is the multiset rewriting rule. On the other hand, the paradigm of rules is profusely used in computer science for representing and dealing with knowledge. Therefore, establishing a “bridge†between these domains is important, for instance, by designing P systems reproducing the modus ponens-based forward and backward chaining that can be used as tools for reasoning in propositional logic. In this paper, the authors show how powerful and intuitive the formalism of membrane computing is and how it can be used to represent concepts and notions from unrelated areas.","PeriodicalId":369881,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Nat. Comput. Res.","volume":"70 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123453502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Local Search with P Systems: A Case Study","authors":"M. A. Gutiérrez-Naranjo, M. Pérez-Jiménez","doi":"10.4018/jncr.2011040104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jncr.2011040104","url":null,"abstract":"Local search is currently one of the most used methods for finding solutions in real-life problems. It is usually considered when the research is interested in the final solution of the problem instead of the how the solution is reached. In this paper, the authors present an implementation of local search with Membrane Computing techniques applied to the N-queens problem as a case study. A CLIPS program inspired in the Membrane Computing design has been implemented and several experiments have been performed. The obtained results show better average times than those obtained with other Membrane Computing implementations that solve the N-queens problem. DOI: 10.4018/jncr.2011040104 48 International Journal of Natural Computing Research, 2(2), 47-55, April-June 2011 Copyright © 2011, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. (2010), a first study on depth-first search in the framework of Membrane Computing was presented. In this paper we go further with the study of searching methods in Membrane Computing by exploring local search. We consider the N-queens problem as a case study and we present a family of P systems which solves it by implementing local search ideas. The paper is organized as follows: First we recall some basic definitions related to local search. Then, we recall the problem used as a case study: the N-queens problem, previously studied in the framework of Membrane Computing in Gutiérrez-Naranjo, Martínezdel-Amor, Pérez-Hurtado, and Pérez-Jiménez (2009). Next, we provide some guidelines of the implementation of local search in our case study and show some experimental results. The paper finishes with some final remarks.","PeriodicalId":369881,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Nat. Comput. Res.","volume":"112 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124521133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Asynchronous P Systems","authors":"T. Balanescu, R. Nicolescu, Huiling Wu","doi":"10.4018/jncr.2011040101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jncr.2011040101","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper, the authors propose a new approach to fully asynchronous P systems, and a matching complexity measure, both inspired from the field of distributed algorithms. The authors validate the proposed approach by implementing several well-known distributed depth-first search (DFS) and breadth-first search (BFS) algorithms. Empirical results show that the proposed P algorithms have shorter descriptions and achieve a performance comparable to the corresponding distributed algorithms.","PeriodicalId":369881,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Nat. Comput. Res.","volume":"62 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122282884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"P Colonies of Capacity One and Modularity","authors":"Ludek Cienciala, Lucie Ciencialová, Miroslav Langer","doi":"10.4018/jncr.2011040103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jncr.2011040103","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper, the authors continue the investigation of P colonies introduced in Kelemen, KelemenovAi, and Paun (2004). This paper examines a class of abstract computing devices composed of independent agents, acting and evolving in a shared environment. The first part is devoted to the P colonies of the capacity one. The authors present improved results concerning the computational power of the P colonies with capacity one and without using checking programs. The second part of the paper examines the modularity of the P colonies. The authors then divide the agents into modules.","PeriodicalId":369881,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Nat. Comput. Res.","volume":"89 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116159730","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Simulating Spiking Neural P Systems Without Delays Using GPUs","authors":"F. Cabarle, H. Adorna, Miguel A. Martínez-del-Amor","doi":"10.4018/jncr.2011040102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jncr.2011040102","url":null,"abstract":"We present in this paper our work regarding simulating a type of P system known as a spiking neural P system (SNP system) using graphics processing units (GPUs). GPUs, because of their architectural optimization for parallel computations, are well-suited for highly parallelizable problems. Due to the advent of general purpose GPU computing in recent years, GPUs are not limited to graphics and video processing alone, but include computationally intensive scientific and mathematical applications as well. Moreover P systems, including SNP systems, are inherently and maximally parallel computing models whose inspirations are taken from the functioning and dynamics of a living cell. In particular, SNP systems try to give a modest but formal representation of a special type of cell known as the neuron and their interactions with one another. The nature of SNP systems allowed their representation as matrices, which is a crucial step in simulating them on highly parallel devices such as GPUs. The highly parallel nature of SNP systems necessitate the use of hardware intended for parallel computations. The simulation algorithms, design considerations, and implementation are presented. Finally, simulation results, observations, and analyses using an SNP system that generates all numbers in $mathbb N$ - {1} are discussed, as well as recommendations for future work.","PeriodicalId":369881,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Nat. Comput. Res.","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126843789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Segmentation and Feature Extraction of Panoramic Dental X-Ray Images","authors":"Pedro H. M. Lira, G. Giraldi, L. A. P. Neves","doi":"10.4018/jncr.2010100101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jncr.2010100101","url":null,"abstract":"Automating the process of analysis of Panoramic X-Ray images is important to help dentist procedures and diagnosis. Tooth segmentation from the radiographic images and feature extraction are essential steps. The authors propose a segmentation approach based on mathematical morphology, quadtree decomposition for mask generation, thresholding, and snake models. The feature extraction stage is steered by a shape model based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA). First, the authors take the quadtree decomposition of a low-pass version of the original image and select the smallest blocks to generate a mask. Then, the original image is processed by Otsu’s thresholding. The result is improved by morphological operators and the quadtree mask is applied to address overlapping, a common problem in X-ray images. The obtained regions are searched and the larger ones are selected to find tooth candidates. The boundary of the obtained regions are extracted and aligned with the shape model in order to recognize the target tooth (molar). The selected curve is used in a search method to initialize a snake technique. Finally, morphometric data extraction is performed to obtain tooth measurements for dentist diagnosis. Experiments show the advantages of the proposed method to extract teeth from X-Ray images and discuss its drawbacks.","PeriodicalId":369881,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Nat. Comput. Res.","volume":"44 13","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133453939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Analysis of a Step-Based Watershed Algorithm Using CUDA","authors":"G. B. Vitor, A. Körbes, R. Lotufo, J. V. Ferreira","doi":"10.4018/jncr.2010100102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jncr.2010100102","url":null,"abstract":"This paper proposes and develops a parallel algorithm for the watershed transform, with application on graphics hardware. The existing proposals are discussed and its aspects briefly analysed. The algorithm is proposed as a procedure of four steps, where each step performs a task using different approaches inspired by existing techniques. The algorithm is implemented using the CUDA libraries and its performance is measured on the GPU and compared to a sequential algorithm running on the CPU, achieving an average speed of twice the execution time of the sequential approach. This work improves on previous results of hybrid approaches and parallel algorithms with many steps of synchronisation and iterations between CPU and GPU.","PeriodicalId":369881,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Nat. Comput. Res.","volume":"262 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133079331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Object Tracking by Multiple State Management and Eigenbackground Segmentation","authors":"G. M. Freitas, C. L. Tozzi","doi":"10.4018/jncr.2010100103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4018/jncr.2010100103","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents a multiple target tracking system through a fixed video camera, based on approaches found in literature. The proposed system is composed of three steps: foreground identification through background subtraction techniques; object association through color, area and centroid position matching, by using the Kalman filter to estimate the object’s position in the next frame; object classification according to an object management system. The obtained results showed that the proposed tracking system was able to recognize and track objects in movement on videos, as well as dealing with occlusions and separations, while encouraging future studies in its application on real time security systems.","PeriodicalId":369881,"journal":{"name":"Int. J. Nat. Comput. Res.","volume":"39 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127734061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}