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This book explores the complex, yet critical, relationship between technology and creativity, specifically in educational contexts. Creativity is important for success in today's rapidly changing, radically contingent and hyperconnected world. This is even more relevant in the context of teaching and learning--where the psychological, sociological and cultural aspects of human learning confront the challenges of a rapidly changing, technologically saturated world. Written by some of the foremost thinkers and researchers in the area of creativity and/or technology, the chapters in this volume examine the impact of recent and future technologies on creativity, teaching and learning. Individually and collectively, they help us develop an understanding of this nexus of creativity and technology for education. They offer new perspectives on this rapidly evolving future--exploring issues, paradoxes, tensions, and points of interest for creativity and technology. They position these issues in ways that consider implications for thinking, learning, teaching, and education in general.

This book introduces the concept of multimedia in education, and how multimedia technology could be implemented to impart digital education to university students. The book emphasizes the versatile use of technology enabled education through the research papers from distinguished academicians and researchers who are specifically working in this area. It benefits all those researchers who are enthusiastic about learning online and also for those academicians who are interested to work on various aspects of learning and teaching through technology.

Critically analyzing the representation of pedagogy in the novels of J.M. Coetzee, this insightful text illustrates the author's profound conception of learning and personal development as something which takes place well beyond formal education. Bringing together critical and educational theory, "Pedagogy in the Novels of J.M. Coetzee" examines depictions of pedagogy in novels including "Age of Iron," "Elizabeth Costello," "Disgrace," and "Childhood of Jesus." Engaging with Coetzee's varied literary use of pedagogical themes such as motherhood, maternal love, and the importance of childhood interactions, reading, and experiences, chapters demonstrate how Coetzee foregrounds pedagogy as intrinsic to the formation of human actors, society, and civilization. The text thereby aptly explores and broadens our understanding of education -- what it is, what it achieves, and how it can affect and shape human existence. This text will be of great interest to graduate and postgraduate students, academics, researchers and professionals in the fields of pedagogy, postcolonial studies, educational theory and philosophy, and English literature.

"Cases on Global E-Learning Practices: Successes and Pitfalls" looks into global practices of e-learning, examining the successes and failures of e-learning professionals. It provides a judicious mix of practical experiences and research in the form of case studies. Written by experts from all over the globe, this book shows how to design instructional strategies for e-learning, illustrates the application of e-learning with case studies, and reviews the potential of e-learning in education and training. "Cases on Global E-Learning Practices: Successes and Pitfalls" gives an understanding of the practical implementation of e-learning technologies, including what to do and what to avoid. Chapters of this book include: (1) Global E-Learning Practices (Ramesh Sharma and Sanjaya Mishra); (2) Online Learning with the Use of WebVT Vista (Alina Zapalska and Dallas Brozik); (3) Combining Synchronous and Asynchronous Distance Learning for Adult Training in Military Environments (Ilias Maglogiannis and Costa's Kaposi's ); (4) A Case Study on Education Networks and Brokerage (Gunnar Martin, Oliver Boil, August-Wilhelm Scheer, and Udo Winand); (5) Transitioning to E-Learning (Carmen Gonzales, Susan Bussmann, Bethany Bovard, and Julia Parra); (6) Using E-Learning to Globalize a Teacher Education Program (Hilary Wilder); (7) Delivery of a Social Science Online Program in India (Shobhita Jain); (8) Introducing Integrated E-Portfolio across Courses in a Postgraduate Program in Distance and Online Education (Madhumita Bhattacharya); (9) The Mediated Action of Educational Reform (Donna Russell); (10) VIPER (John Beaumont-Kerridge); (11) Investigating Patterns of Cognitive and Interactive Acts in an Online Student Cooperative Program (Lucio Teles and Nancy Johnston); (12) Learning Sport Management through Interaction with the Real World (Alistair Inglis, Matthew Nicholson, and Clare Hanlon); (13) Experimentation and Challenge (Raffaella Sette); (14) Learning Computer Science over the Web (Jarkko Suhonen and Erkki Sutinen); (15) Fiji Implements Blended E-Learning as Appropriate Flexible Learning (Elspeth McKay); (16) Project-Based Learning in Chemical Engineering Education Using Distance Education Tools (Katia Tannous); (17) The "Pastoral" in Virtual Space (Mary Griffiths and Michael Griffiths); (18) Using Scenario-Based Learning for E-Learning in Vocational Education (K. C. Chu); (19) An E-Workshop Model for Teacher Training (Yan Hanbing and Zhu Zhiting); (20) Creating a Multimedia Instructional Product for Medical School Students (Mitchell Weisburgh); (21) Hard Fun (Colette Wanless-Sobel); (22) ESPORT Demonstration Project, Canada (Patrick Fahy and Patrick Cummins); (23) EBS E-Learning and Social Integrity (Byung-Ro Lim); and (24) Case Studies on Learners and Instructors in an E-Learning Ecosystems (Vive Kumar, Chris Groeneboer, Stephanie Chu, Dianne Jamieson-Noel, and Cindy Xin).

This is the first book to survey the region's use of educational media and summarise the experiences of different Commonwealth Asian countries in one collection. It includes a review of the key issues, country studies, research reviews and several case studies on harnessing technologies for distance-learning initiatives. The book is designed to serve as both a resource and a guide. Following a Preface (Sir John Daniel), Contributor information, and an Introduction/Overview (Usha V. Reddi), the book is divided into three parts. Part I, Country Profiles, includes: (1) Educational Media in Bangladesh (Monira Hossain); (2) Educational Media in India (Binod C. Agrawal); (3) Educational Media in Malaysia (Rozhan M. Idrus); (4) Educational Media in Singapore (Cher Ping Lim); and (5) Educational Media in Sri Lanka (Shironica Karunanayaka and Rupa Wijeratne). Part II, Research Reviews, includes: (6) Audio, Radio and Interactive Radio (Sanjaya Mishra); (7) Educational Television and Teleconference (Sohanvir Chaudhary and Santosh Panda); and (8) Computers, Multimedia and E-Learning (Paul Kawachi). Part III, Case Studies, includes: (9) Educational Media Strategy at Indira Gandhi National Open University, India (Ramesh C. Sharma and Suresh Garg); (10) Application of Educational Media at Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia (Tian Belawati, Dewi Padmo and Eduard Sinar); (11) Use of Information Communication Technology in Teachers' Professional Development Courses Via Distance: A Case Study of Teachers in Kedah (Hisham Dzakiria and Zuber Hassan); (12) Educational Media in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University with Special Reference to Teleconference (V. Venkaiah); (13) Satellite-Based Distance Education Program at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India (Kavi Arya, Saraswathi Krithivasan and Shyamala Iyer); and (14) E-Learning for Development: The Case of the University of the Philippines Open University (Melinda dela Pena-Bandalaria.) The book concludes with an Epilogue (Usha V. Reddi.) (Chapters are appended, noted and referenced individually. Contains 8 figures and 9 tables.)

"Interactive Multimedia in Education and Training" emerges out of the need to share information and knowledge on the research and practices of using multimedia in various educational settings. The book discusses issues related to planning, designing and development of interactive multimedia in a persuasive tone and style, offering rich research data. Roles and application of multimedia in different education and training contexts are highlighted, as are case studies of multimedia development and use, including areas such as language learning, cartography, engineering education, health sciences, and others. Authors of various chapters report on their experiences of designing multimedia materials that are pedagogically appropriate and suitable to the cognitive abilities of the target groups. Chapters of this book include: (1) Planning for Multimedia Learning (Patrick Fahy); (2) Toward Effective Use of Multimedia Technologies in Education (Geraldine Torrisi-Steele); (3) Interactive Multimedia for Learning and Performance (Ashok Banerji and Glenda Scales); (4) Teaching, Learning and Multimedia (Loreen Butcher-Powell); (5) Reaching Students of Many Languages and Cultures (Rika Yoshii, Alfred Bork, Alastair Milne, Fusa Katada, and Felicia Zhang); (6) Designing for Learning in Narrative Multimedia Environments (Lisa Gjedde); (7) Principles of Educational Software Design (Vassilios Dagdilelis); (8) Multiple Representations in Multimedia Materials (Michael Sankey); (9) Empirical Representations in Multimedia Materials (Paul Kawachi); (10) Multimedia, Cognitive Load and Pedagogy (Peter Doolittle, Andrea McNeill, Krista Terry, and Stephanie Scheer); (11) Cognitive Skill Compatibilities in Web-Based Educational Systems (Elspeth McKay); (12) Usable and Interoperable E-Learning Resources Repositories (S. Retalis); (13) Interactive Multimedia and AIDS Prevention (Jose Illera); (14) Interactive Learning in Engineering Education (Katia Tannous); (15) An Embedded Collaborative Systems Model for Implementing ICT-based Multimedia Cartography Teaching and Learning (Shivanand Balram and Suzana Dragicevic); (16) Cave Automated Virtual Environment (Leo Hin, R. Subramaniam, and Sharlene Anthony); (17) Multimedia Learning Designs (Mike Keppell, Jane Gunn, Kelsey Hegarty, Vivienne O'Conner, Ngaire Kerse, Karen Kan, and Louise Messer); and (18) Using an Interactive Feedback Tool to Enhance Pronunciation in Language Learning (Felicia Zhang).

Telemedicine is defined as the use of telecommunications and information to support delivery of healthcare, where distance separates the provider and the patient [14]. Telementoring is an educational technique in a slightly different dimension-mentoring through the use of telecommunications. With the onset of the Internet, access to the "more experienced" has been on a rapid increase, and with the increasing applications of telecommunication network in medicine, this access has now reached a state wherein the remotely placed surgeons can get the help of centrally placed experienced surgeons in performing complicated surgeries/procedures that may require expert advice during surgery for intraoperative decision making. Besides intraoperative assistance, as has been highlighted by several authors earlier, the authors feel that an additional dimension to telementoring involves incorporating all the events, wherever a mentor's input is needed for the overall clinical care of the patient, such as aid in diagnosis, preoperative treatment planning, and postoperative care. The application of telementoring in surgery has been utilized in various subspecialties like urology [5, 13], gastrointestinal surgery [16, 17], neurosurgery [6], vascular surgery [2], and now in endocrine surgery [1, 10, 19]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For several years, immunological assays have been used to detect, localize, and quantify extremely small amounts of antigen in complex tissues The immunoglobulins (antibodies) are proteins of the immune system Their special structural characteristics allow them to bind specifically to one of many possible foreign molecules (antigens), and thereby render them inactive [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations in CCN concentrations in clean maritime air modulated not only cloud droplet concentrations (Nc) but also large cloud droplet concentrations (NLD). Keywords Drizzle, CCN [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimization problems in the previous Chapters have all been finite dimensional and functions have been defined onRnand the number of constraints has been finite. However, a great deal of optimization theory is concerned with problems involving infinite dimensional normal spaces. In this Chapter, we extend the concept of V-invexity to continuous functions and to continuous functionals and use it to obtain sufficient optimality conditions and duality results for different kinds of multiobjective variational and control problems. For this purpose the Chapter is divided in six sections. In Section 2, we extend the concept of V- invexity to continuous functions and discuss some examples. In Section 3, we present a number of Kuhn-Tucker type sufficient optimality conditions. In Section 4, Mond-Weir type duality results are obtained under avarietyofV- invexity assumptions. In Section 5, we have presented multiobjective control problems and obtained duality theorems. In last Section, we have considered a class of nondifferentiable multiobjective variational problems and establish duality results mainly for conditionally properly efficient solutions of the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Composite model problem (VP) is broad and flexible enough to cover many common types of multiobjective problems, see in the literature. Moreover, the model obviously includes the wide class of convex composite single objective problems, which is now recognized as funda mental for theory and computation in scalar nonsmooth optimization. To illustrate the nature of the model (VP), let us look at some examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that much of the theory of optimality in constrained optimization has evolved under traditional smoothness (differentiability) assumptions, discussed in previous chapters. As nonsmooth phenomena in optimization occur naturally and frequently, the attempts to weaken these smoothness requirements have received a great deal of attention during the last two decades (Ben-Tal and Zowe (1982), Clarke (1983), Kanniappan (1983), Jeyakumar (1987, 1991), Rockaffelar (1988), Burke (1987), Egudo and Hanson (1993), Bhatia and Jain (1994), Mishra and Mukherjee (1996). Necessary optimality conditions for nonsmooth locally Lipschitz problems have been given in terms of the Clarke generalized subdifferentials (Jeyakumar (1987), Egudo and Hanson (1993), Mishra and Mukherjee (1996)). The Clarke subdifferential method has been proved to be a powerful tool in many nonsmooth optimization problems, see for example Giorgi and others (2004). This Chapter is organized as follows: In Section 3, we establish sufficient optimality conditions to nonsmooth context using conditional proper efficiency. Using the concept of quasi-differentials due to Borwein (1979), Fritz John and Kuhn-Tucker type sufficient optimality conditions for a feasible point to be efficient or conditionally properly efficient for a subdifferentiable multiobjective fractional problem are obtained without recource to an equivalent V-invex program or parametric transformation. In Section 4, Mond-Weir type duality results are established for the nonsmooth multiobjective programming problem, under generalized V-invexity conditions, using conditional proper efficiency. Further, various duality results are established under similar assumptions for subdifferentiable multiobjective fractional programming problems. In Section 5, a vector valued ratio type Lagrangian is considered and vector valued saddle point results are presented under V-invexity conditions and its generalizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous decision problems in management science and problems in economic theory give rise to constrained optimization of linear or nonlinear functions. If in the nonlinear case the objective function is a ratio of two functions or involves several such ratios, then the optimization problem is called a fractional program. Apart from isolated earlier results, most of the work in fractional programming were done since about 1960. The analysis of fractional programs with only one ratio has largely dominated the literature until about 1980. Since the first international conference with an emphasis on fractional programming the NATO advanced Study Institute on "Generalized Concavity in Optimization and Economics" (Schaible and Ziemba (1981)), that indicates a shift of interest from the single to the multiobjective case, see Singh and Dass (1989), Cambini, Castagnoli, Martein, Mazzoleni and Schaible (1990), Komlosi, Rapcsak and Schaible (1994), Mazzoleni (1992). It is interesting to note that some of the earliest publications in fractional programming, though not under this name, Von Neuman's classical paper on a model fo a general economic equilibrium [Von Neumann (1937)] analysis a multiobjective fractional program. Even a duality theory was proposed for this nonconcave program, and this at a time when linear programming hardly existed. However, this early paper was followed almost exclusively by articles in single objective fractional programming until the early 1980s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hanson's (1981) introduction of invex functions was motivated by the question of finding the widest class of functions for which weak duality hold for dual programs, such as the Wolfe and Mond-Weir duals, formulated from the necessary optimality conditions. Since then, various generalizations of invexity have been introduced in the literature e.g. Craven and Glover (1985), Egudo (1989), Hanson and Mond (1982), Kaul and Kaur (1985), Martin (1983), Kaul, Suneja and Srivastava (1994), Jeyakumar and Mond (1992), Mond and Hanson (1984, 1989), Nanda and Das (1993, 1994), Smart (1990), Weir (1988), Rueda and Hanson (1988), Mond and Husain (1989), Mond, Chandra and Husain (1988), Mishra and Mukherjee (1994a, 1994b, 1995, 1996, 1996a, 1996b). optimality and duality properties are concerned. In this Chapter, we consider the role of invexity and its generalizations, namely V-pseudo-invexity and V-quasi-invexity in standard multiobjective programming; in particular, the replacement is made of invexity in results related to necessary and sufficient optimality conditions, duality theorems symmetric duality results and vector valued constrained games. A vast number of theorems developed during the evolution of nonlinear programming theory were stated with assumptions of invexity. In most cases it has been possible to generalize these results under the assumptions of Vinvexity. However, this has not been a direct process. Intermediate and overlapping results have been achieved using the various notions of generalized convexity discussed in Chapter 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many decision or design process, one attempts to make the best decision within a specified set of possible ones. In the sciences, "best" has traditionally referred to the decision that minimized or maximized a single objective optimization problem. But, we are rarely asked to make decisions based on only one objective, most often decisions are based on several usually conflicting objectives. In nature, if the design of a system evolves to some final, optimal state, then it must include a balance for the interaction of the system with its surrounding- certainly a design based on a variety of objectives. Furthermore, the diversity of nature's design suggests infinity of such optimal states. In another sense, decisions simultaneously optimize a finite number of criteria, while there is usually infinity of optimal solutions. Multiobjective optimization provides the mathematical frame work to accommodate these demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines the shrinkage behaviour of residually derived black cotton (BC) soil and red soil compacted specimens that were subjected to air-drying from the swollen state. The soil specimens were compacted at varying dry density and moisture contents to simulate varied field conditions. The void ratio and moisture content of the swollen specimens were monitored during the drying process and relationship between them is analyzed. Shrinkage is represented as reduction in void ratio with decrease in water content of soil specimens. It is found to occur in three distinct stages. Total shrinkage magnitude depends on the type of clay mineral present. Variation in compaction conditions effect marginally total shrinkage magnitudes of BC soil specimens but have relatively more effect on red soil specimens. A linear relation is obtained between total shrinkage magnitude and volumetric water content of soil specimens in swollen state and can be used to predict the shrinkage magnitude of soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans have had a major impact on the earth's water reservoirs: rivers, lakes, oceans as well as groundwater. Nitrate is listed as second most common pollutant of groundwater next to pesticides. Whether it is by deforestation of riparian zones, inundating agricultural fields with fertilizer, faulty septic systems or poorly designed waste water overflow systems, the detrimental effects of human activities have started to become apparent. With the growing awareness of the increasing nitrate problem and its impact on ecosystems as well as human health, the question remains: what alternatives do we have? Are our only choices to reduce the human population, dig millions upon millions of miles of tunnels underneath towns and cities, prohibit the use of fertilizers, or fund tertiary waste water treatment? Some of these suggestions are more farfetched than others. In the past fifty years or so, strides have been made using processes which incorporate physico-chemical or biological means to help restore an area or remove this pollutant from soil and water. The fact is that most of the above actions are either extremely expensive or completely unethical, a much less expensive, and more environment friendly alternative could be phytoremediation. Taking into consideration the world's growing population and the adverse effect humans have had on the nitrate concentrations of water bodies, more measures both effective and eco-friendly are needed to remedy the menace of growing NO3− pollution in groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micropropagation of papaya began three decade ago. Papaya is a polygamous fruit crop and both dioceous as well as gynodioceous varieties of papaya are being cultivated. Cloning of female papaya plants through in vitro shoot bud culture is an ideal approach. In vitro regeneration with shoot tip, excised from mature papaya plant, has been attempted (Ali & Hogan, 1976; Litz & Conover, 1978; Rajeevan & Pandey, 1986; Drew, 1988, 1992). However, most of the protocols are genotype dependent and could not be reproduced. Callus culture has also been reported in papaya (Arora & Singh, 1978; Litz et al., 1983). Papaya is recalcitrant to tissue culture. Slow rate of proliferation, poor establishment of axenic cultures and high mortality of plants during acclimatization are some of the main problems of papaya micropropagation. Most of the reports on papaya micropropagation using mature explants are therefore conflicting. Somatic embryogenesis system using hypocotyl (Fitch, 1993) or immature zygotic embryos (Fitch & Manshardt, 1990) has been successful in vitro regeneration. The micropropagation protocol described herein is based on direct somatic embryogenesis using immature zygotic embryo for somatic embryo induction and subsequent plant regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have been conducted on pre-fetching models based on decision trees, Markov chains, and path analysis. However, the increased uses of dynamic pages, frequent changes in site structure and user access patterns have limited the efficacy of these static techniques. One of the techniques that are used for improving user latency is Caching and another is Web pre-fetching. Approaches that bank solely on caching offer limited performance improvement because it is difficult for caching to handle the large number of increasingly diverse files. An agent based method is proposed here to cluster related pages into different categories based on the access patterns. Additionally page ranking is used to build up the prediction model at the initial stages when users are yet to invoke any page. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many stresses trigger transient increases in minor phospholipids, such as phosphatidic acid (PA) and phosphoinositides (PIs), in plants. Such changes are early events in signaling plant stress response. Lipid mediators affect cellular functions through direct interaction with proteins and/or structural effects on cell membranes. The identified lipid targets in plants include protein phosphatases, kinases, and proteins involved in membrane trafficking and cytoskeleton. The effect of lipids on signaling, intracellular trafficking, and cytoskeletal organization plays important roles in plant coping with drought and salinity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current symbolic techniques for the automated reasoning over undecidable hybrid automata, force one to choose between the refinement of either an overapproximation or an underapproximation of the set of reachable states. When the analysis of branching time temporal properties is considered, the literature has developed a number of abstractions techniques based on the simulation preorder, that allow the preservation of only true universally quantified formulæ. This paper suggests a way to surmount these difficulties by defining a succession of abstractions of hybrid automata, which not only (1) allow the detection and the refinement of both over- and under-approximated reachable sets symmetrically, but also (2) preserves the full set of branching time temporal properties (when interpreted on a dense time domain). Moreover, our approach imposes on the corresponding set of abstractions a desirable monotonicity property with respect to the set of model-checked formulaæ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elliptic (ECC) and hyperelliptic curve cryptosystems (HECC) have emerged as cryptosystems for small hand-held and mobile devices. Extensive research has been carried out for their secure and efficient implementation on these devices. These devices come with very low amount of resources, efficient memory management is an important issue in all such implementations. HECC arithmetic is now generally performed using so called explicit formulas. The main goal of these formulas is to reduce the number of finite field operations (multiplications and squarings). On the other hand, reducing the memory requirement is also important. To the best of our knowledge, the literature on HECC implementation does not seriously consider this aspect. This is the first work to obtain memory efficient versions of various explicit formulas appearing in the literature. In certain cases, we are also able to determine the minimum memory requirement and obtain a memory optimal implementation. We believe that these formulas will be extremely useful to designers of HECC. Our basic technique is essentially an exhaustive search with heuristic strategies for improving the run-time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chromatoid body (CB) is a finely filamentous, lobulated perinuclear granule located in the cytoplasm of male germ cells. The role of the CB in the mouse has remained elusive, although it was proposed to be involved in RNA storing and metabolism. We have found that the CB is related to the RNA processing body of somatic cells and that it seems to operate as an intracellular nerve center of the microRNA (miRNA) pathway. Our findings underscore the importance of posttranscriptional gene regulation and of the miRNA pathway in the control of postmeiotic male germ cell differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is an important winter season grain legume grown worldwide in semi-arid regions. Although lentil has been an important crop for centuries, very little attention has been paid in terms of genetic research until recently. A few centers around the world, including India, have started systematic work on genetic and linkage studies in lentil. Inheritance studies involving about three-dozen morphological markers have been completed. A comprehensive linkage map involving molecular markers and a few morphological markers has been developed. In the present paper, an effort has been made to comprehend the current status and recent advances made in terms of genetic, cytogenetic, linkage studies and other related aspects in lentil. The strategies for future research have also been outlined [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chapter 4 of the book "Building Feminist Movements and Organizations: Global Perspectives" is presented. It explores several issues that challenge feminist organizations and reflects on the experiences of various women, feminists and other organizations regarding human rights and social justice. It also defines the true concept of feminist organization and discusses issues regarding those individuals and groups who call themselves feminists but do not embrace its principles.

This paper proposes a new technique for Mobile IP (MIP) registration by WLAN host (WH) through GPRS network. The home agent (HA) of WH resides in external IP network. The gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) provides foreign agent (FA) functionality for WH in GPRS. After successful attach with GPRS network, WH needs two mandatory passes for MIP registration with HA. First it establishes PDP (packet data protocol) context in GPRS network and then it sends MIP registration request (MRR) to FA at GGSN. This causes a large delay for handoff from WLAN to GPRS. We propose a one-pass technique of MIP registration through GPRS network to reduce the handoff delay. We transport MIP-registration request of WH in the information field of activate-PDP-context request message to GGSN. Thus MIP registration message reaches GGSN before completion of PDP context establishment. This technique reduces the control signaling for handoff from WLAN to GPRS. We observed from simulated results that proposed one-pass technique reduces handoff delay by 18% compared to handoff delay in two-pass method. Keywords: 3G, GPRS, loose coupling, MIP, tight coupling, UMTS, WLAN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary reason for shape characterization and matching is to use it for characterization and recognition of the associated objects. However, the shapes obtained from segmentation and/or edge detection of real world images are, at best, approximations of the actual shapes of objects. Unsupervised segmentations often deviate from object boundaries to include parts of other objects or background. Similarly, objects of interest may be partially occluded by other objects in natural scenes. We address the problem of adapting known shape characterization and retrieval methods to make them robust to errors in the basic input - the binarised shape image corresponding to an object. An effort is made to retain the ability to deal with scale, rotation and translation. The presented method is based on the centroid distance shape signature, but which does not sample the perimeter points evenly along the perimeter length. Instead, the sampling is done evenly using an angular measure. This property of our signature localizes the changes due to occlusion. For similar reasons, we do not derive a shape descriptor where each feature potentially depends on the entire shape signature. The onus of achieving various invariances is shifted to the definition of our similarity metric. Again, to take care of the changes in the perimeter, the similarity measure has been designed to produce small changes for small segmentation errors. The approach presented here can be applied to many applications such as Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR), Target Detection, Medical Imaging etc. The limitations of the method are its inability to deal with complex shapes that have perforations, tendrils etc. Index terms: Shape, Shape signature, Similarity measure, Occlusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We address the problem of formulating a measure of image information content that is consistent with human perception of information present in a given image. When presented with an image, humans can assess the amount of interesting structural details present as well as the quality of an image in terms of sharpness and noise level. This assessment can be performed independent of any reference image or prior knowledge of ground truth. The challeng is to formulate measures that are sensitive to structurally significant intensity variations in images but which can also reject noise and clutter in a way similar to humans. It is shown that conventional measures known in literature for evaluating single images (no ground truth) fail to reject noisy images. The limitations of the published methods based on statistics, edges and entropy lead us to define a new technique based on an extension of Shannon's entropy measure and multiresolution representations. This implicitly postulates a model of perceived structures that is able to reject noise while giving high scores for sharp, clean natural images. Index terms: Perceptual quality, information, entropy, multiresolution, image model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pipelining is a well-known performance enhancing technique in computer science. Point multiplication is the computationally dominant operation in curve based cryptography. It is generally computed by repeatedly invoking some curve (group) operation like doubling, tripling, halving, addition of group elements. Such a computational procedure may be efficiently computed in a pipeline. More generally, let Π be a computational procedure, which computes its output by repeatedly invoking processes from a set of similar processes. Employing pipelining technique may speed up the running time of the computational procedure. To find pipeline sequence by trial and error method is a nontrivial task. In the current work, we present a general methodology, which given any such computational procedure Π can find a pipelined version with improved computational speed. To our knowledge, this is the first such attempt in curve based cryptography, where it can be used to speed up the point multiplication methods using inversion-free explicit formula for curves over prime fields. As an example, we employ the proposed general methodology to derive a pipelined version of the hyperelliptic curve binary algorithm for point multiplication and obtain a performance gain of 32% against the ideal theoretical value of 50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a learning algorithm for a single Quadratic Integrate-and-Fire Neuron (QIFN) is proposed and tested for various applications in which a multilayer perceptron neural network is conventionally used. It is found that a single QIFN is sufficient for the applications that require a number of neurons in different layers of a conventional neural network. Several benchmark and real-life problems of classification and function-approximation have been illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At this point, there are more questions than answers with regard to the pathophysiology of prion disorders. Although it is clear that host PrPC is required for the development of disease, the precise mechanism by which PrPC is converted to PrPSc or the biochemical pathways leading to neuronal damage remain unclear. Several triggers of prion-associated neuropathology have been proposed, including toxicity by PrPSc deposits, inherent toxicity of cytosolic PrP, initiation of pathogenic signals by C-transmembrane PrP, activation of the caspase pathway by PrPSc or PrPC, interference in transcription by association of PrPSc with chromatin in the nucleus, and several other equally important mechanisms supported by experimental evidence. In some instances, impaired proteasomal function contributes to the disease process, in others it does not. Converging evidence suggests that prion disorders are not the result of protein aggregation alone, but a combination of aberrant PrP metabolism and a failure of the cellular quality control mechanisms to cope. Thus, mis-metabolism of PrP and its eventual aggregation, and an overwhelmed chaperone and proteasomal response may precipitate these disorders. Such conditions have a greater propensity to occur with advanced age, explaining the late onset of these disorders despite the presence of germ-line mutations in certain instances. Accumulation of misfolded PrP may result in further deterioration of proteasomal function and an autocatalytic accumulation of misfolded forms. Although the cell death pathways activated by the culmination of these events are not entirely clear, research in the development of strategies that optimize or enhance the cellular quality control mechanisms including proteasomal function may help in the prevention of prion disorders [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As increasingly complex computer systems have started playing a controlling role in all aspects of modern life, system availability and associated downtime of technical systems have acquired critical importance. Losses due to system downtime have risen manifold and become wide-ranging. Even though the component level availability of hardware and software has increased considerably, system wide availability still needs improvement as the heterogeneity of components and the complexity of interconnections has gone up considerably too. As systems become more interconnected and diverse, architects are less able to anticipate and design for every interaction among components, leaving such issues to be dealt with at runtime. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an approach for autonomic management of system availability, which provides real-time evaluation, monitoring and management of the availability of systems in critical applications. A hybrid approach is used where analytic models provide the behavioral abstraction of components/subsystems, their interconnections and dependencies and statistical inference is applied on the data from real time monitoring of those components and subsystems, to parameterize the system availability model. The model is solved online (that is, in real time) so that at any instant of time, both the point as well as the interval estimates of the overall system availability are obtained by propagating the point and the interval estimates of each of the input parameters, through the system model. The online monitoring and estimation of system availability can then lead to adaptive online control of system availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chapter 7 of the book "Gateways to Spirituality: Pre-School Through Grade Twelve" is presented. It examines the connection between relativism and the instruction of world religions at the secondary school level. It examines the improvement and pedagogical factors that help bring about the emergence of relativism. It also provides students the opportunity to explore non-conventional and non-institutional faith traditions.

The next generation wireless communication devices are expected to be capable of communicating with the best possible network as well as to utilize multiple networks, simultaneously. Existing solutions such as the interoperability mechanisms and the Always Best Connected (ABC) paradigm limit the access of wireless devices to only one, preferably the best possible network. Such schemes, though found to be better than the traditional single interface communication, are limited in their ability to utilize the services in the best possible way. Existing work focuses mainly on network layer or transport layer bandwidth aggregation mechanisms which either need to change the existing TCP protocol or require proxy nodes to perform the bandwidth scheduling process. We, in this paper, propose a new wireless access paradigm for multi-homed hosts based on a session layer bandwidth aggregation mechanism. The major advantages of our solution are the high end-to-end throughput, glitch free transition during both mobility and interface changes, dynamic selection of number of end-to-end paths, and above all our solution can work with existing transport and network layer protocols in today's Internet. In this paper, we provide the architectural and protocol solutions for the proposed scheme and results from extensive simulations and a Linux based implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new location management scheme that integrates two key ideas, namely, (i) Subscriber Movement Profile (SMP) based on spatial and temporal locality of the movement of a mobile terminal and (ii) localized updates known as Time-bound Self Purging Indicators (TSPI) generated by a probabilistic approach when a mobile terminal does not adhere to registered profile. The SMP registered by a mobile host is used to predict its cell location based on time specific movement history. The transient deviations from the registered SMP are handled efficiently by TSPIs using a Regional Route Map (RRM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we suggest a possible confluence of the theory of hybrid automata and the techniques of algorithmic algebra to create a computational basis for systems biology. We describe a method to compute bounded reachability by combining Taylor polynomials and cylindric algebraic decomposition algorithms. We discuss the power and limitations of the framework we propose and we suggest several possible extensions. We briefly show an application to the study of the Delta-Notch protein signaling system in biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by applications to systems biology, and the emergence of semi-algebraic hybrid systems as a natural framework for modeling biochemical networks, we continue exploring the decidability problem for model-checking with TCTL (Timed Computation Tree Logic) over this broad class of semi-algebraic hybrid systems. Previously, we had introduced these models, demonstrated the close connection to the goals of systems biology. However, we had only developed the techniques for bounded reachability, arguing for the adequacy of such an approach in a majority of the biological applications. Here, we present a semi-decidable symbolic algebraic dense-time TCTL model checking algorithm, which satisfies two desirable properties: it can be derived automatically from the symbolic description, and it extends to and generalizes other versions of temporal logics. The main mathematical device at the core of this approach is Tarski-Collins' real quantifier elimination employed at each fixpoint iteration, whose high complexity is the crux of its unfortunate limitation. Along with these results, we prove the undecidability of this problem in the more powerful "real" Turing machine formalism of Blum, Shub and Smale. We then demonstrate a preliminary version of our model-checker Tolque on the Delta-Notch example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we studied the dynamics of modified FitzHugh-Nagumo (MFHN) neuron model. This model shows how the potential difference between spine head and its surrounding medium vacillates between a relatively constant period called the silent phase and large scale oscillation reffered to as the active phase or bursting. We investigated bifurcation in the dynamics of two MFHN neurons coupled to each other through an electrical coupling. It is found that the variation in coupling strength between the neurons leads to different types of bifurcations and the system exhibits the existence of fixed point, periodic and chaotic attractor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperelliptic curve cryptosystems (HECC) can be implemented on a variety of computing devices, starting from smart cards to high end workstations. Side-channel attacks are one of the most potential threats against low genus HECC. Thus efficient algorithms resistant against side channel attacks are the need of the hour. In the current work we provide implementation ready formulae for addition and doubling on curves of genus 2 which are shielded against simple side-channel analysis by having a uniform performance. This is achieved by applying the concept of side-channel atomicity - introducing cheap dummy operations to make all traces look identical. So far a detailed study of countermeasures against side-channel attacks exists only for differential attacks. There one assumes that the performance is made predictable by other means. But apart from the double-and-alway-add approach only generalizations of the Montgomery form were suggested and only for odd characteristic. They are less efficient and do not combine well with some of the countermeasures against differential attacks. Hence, our contribution closes the gap to achieve secured implementations of HECC on devices exposed to side-channel attacks. To increase the performance even further we show how our formulae can be implemented in parallel on two multipliers using a low number of registers. It is also possible to combine our method with precomputations. Keywords: Side-channel attacks, SPA countermeasures, hyperelliptic curve cryptosystems, scalar multiplication, side-channel atomicity, parallel algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing network connectivity to rural regions in the developing world is an economically challenging problem especially given the low income levels and low population densities in such regions. Many existing connectivity technologies incur a high deployment cost that limits their affordability. Leveraging several emerging wireless technologies, this paper presents the case for economically viable networks in rural developing regions. We use the Akshaya Network located in Kerala, India as a specific case study. and show that a wireless network using WiFi for the backhaul, CDMA450 for the access network, and shared PCs for end user devices has the lowest deployment cost. However, if we include the expected spectrum licensing cost for CDMA450, a network with lease exempt spectrum using WiFi for the backhaul and WiMax for access is the most economically attractive option. Even with license exemption, regulatory costs comprise nearly half the total cost in the WiFi/WiMax case suggesting the possibility of significant improvement in network economics with more favorable regulatory policies. Finally, we also demonstrate the business case for a WiFi/CDMA450 network with nearly fully subsidized cellular handsets as end user devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inversion is the costliest of all finite field operations. Some algorithms require computation of several finite field elements simultaneously (elliptic curve factorization for example). Montgomery's trick is a well known technique for performing the same in a sequential set up with little scope for parallelization. In the current work we propose an algorithm which needs almost same computational resources as Montgomery's trick, but can be easily parallelized. Our algorithm uses binary tree structures for computation and using 2r-1 multipliers, it can simultaneously invert 2r elements in 2r multiplication rounds and one inversion round. We also describe how the algorithm can be used when 2, 4... number of multipliers are available. To exhibit the utility of the method, we apply it to obtain a parallel algorithm for elliptic curve point multiplication. The proposed method is immune to side-channel attacks and compares favourably to many parallel algorithms existing in literature. Keywords: Elliptic Curve Cryptosystems, Scalar Multiplication, parallel algorithm, Montgomery ladder, simultaneous inversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular conjugates are nanometer-sized entities consisting of synthetic materials (lipids, polycations, targeting agents, and so on) and nucleic acids. These composites are delivery vehicles that function to provide the transport of nucleic acids to sites of action. Recently, great progress has been made in the construction of these nonviral delivery vehicles and the understanding of how they function in cells and animals. Here, we review some of the important issues in assembling molecular conjugates and understanding their behavior in biological fluids, cells, and animals. One of the largest challenges in the field of molecular conjugates is how to integrate the components into a workable system that exploits the combined attributes of the components without suffering losses due to the assembly of the system. We discuss some of the difficulties involved in the assembly of a functioning delivery system for in vivo use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a efficient and secure point multiplication algorithm, based on double-base chains. This is achieved by taking advantage of the sparseness and the ternary nature of the so-called double-base number system (DBNS). The speed-ups are the results of fewer point additions and improved formulæ for point triplings and quadruplings in both even and odd characteristic. Our algorithms can be protected against simple and differential side-channel analysis by using side-channel atomicity and classical randomization techniques. Our numerical experiments show that our approach leads to speed-ups compared to windowing methods, even with window size equal to 4, and other SCA resistant algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design, implementation, and performance evaluation of MykilDDS, a secure and highly scalable data distribution system over the Internet. MykilDDS facilitates a secure distribution of data over the Internet to a significantly large number of clients. It integrates IP multicast with Mykil group key management system. Important advantages of MykilDDS include security, high scalability, differentiated quality of service for data distribution, high availability, and support for user mobility and smaller, hand-held devices. A prototype of MykilDDS has been implemented. The paper describes this implementation and reports on the performance measured from this implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a methodology to define areas within the costing profession which require training, based on the expert categorisation of essential knowledge types for the vncommercial and engineering activities within cost estimating (CE2). Ten knowledge types (comprising of both commercial and engineering) were identified as being essential for CE2. A lateral transfer of these cost-knowledge types is required across the CE2 existing experts, and for the professions' novices. If the knowledge used within the costing domain is successfully transferred across it, the comprehension of the interacting cost experts, and the communication between them will increase: Resulting in the consistent production of faster, more accurate estimates. A training analysis (DIF) was performed per knowledge type, in order to determine which required formal training; and which would suffice with informal. The relevant knowledge was then grouped into training modules for development. The primary focus for this training development is within the aerospace and automotive industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since Emil Kraepelin coined the term dementia praecox, schizophrenia has been recognized as a group of illnesses of unknown etiology sharing common symptomatology with diverse clinical courses. Family, twin, and adoption studies indicate that genetic factors contribute to the etiology of schizophrenia. There has been evidence for involvement of many neurotransmitter receptor subtypes in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The champion of these is the dopamine (DA) receptor because DA-D2 receptors are targets of neuroleptics and have been found to be elevated in schizophrenia. The recent cloning of genes encoding five distinct DA receptor subtypes (D1-D5) and the discovery of a functional polymorphism within each gene have made it possible to investigate linkage of each DA receptor locus with genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia. To date there appears to exist no linkage between schizophrenia and the known DA receptors (Coon et al., 1993; Nöthen et al., 1994). Normal density or normal structure of a certain receptor subtypes does not always mean that the downstream partners of the receptor (G proteins, effectors, protein kinases, phosphatases) are normal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]