Jornal de Ciência da Computação e Biologia de Sistemas

The article addresses a reflection dimension on the use of technology and the need of technology for the construction of a democratic, inclusive, ethical, equalitarian and fair society which aim to indiscriminately develop each individual, and consequently the society.

Decision making in the field of medical diagnosis involves a degree of uncertainty and a need to take into account the patient’s clinical parameters, the context of illness and the medical knowledge of the physician, to determine and confirm the diagnosis. In this study, we investigated and evaluated a model framework, for diagnostic decisions, based on a cognitive process and a Semantic Web approach. Fuzzy cognitive maps (FCM) are a cognitive process applying the main features of fuzzy logic and neural processors to situations involving imprecision and uncertain descriptions, in a similar way to intuitive human reasoning. We explored the use of this method for modeling clinical practice guidelines, using Semantic Web tools to implement these guidelines and for the formalization process. Twenty-five clinical and 13 diagnosis concepts were identified, to represent the problem of urinary tract infection diagnosis.

Unhindered security accomplishment in WSNs has always been threating task. Due to its compelling and tangled nature a lot of research work is going on all around the globe. Out of the various key topics Broadcasting from sink node to other sensor nodes has been the most sophisticated matter which is still untapped. A base station frequently broadcasts messages such as network query, time synchronization, multi-hop routing etc. The basic problem in such communication is source authentication because of untrusted receivers and unreliable communication environment. Therefore a unique topology is in demand. Keeping this theme in mind our proposed paper has come-up with such unique topology and an algorithm which can help sink node not only for broadcasting but also for multicasting and unicasting. Thus helps in improving security to a greater level.

Mapping of equi-luminous fluxes from a point source through a freeform lens for illumination with different luminance intensities is studied. The freeform surface is associated with the mapping and the grids to design on a target plane. Relocation of the target grids designed for uniform illumination is proposed by comparing the grids with reference and desired ones for interpolation to achieve the desired illumination distribution. Target-grids relocation for rectangular illumination with vertical, horizontal, tilt, circular, ring and rectangular cut-off for two different luminance intensities is demonstrated. The target grids after relocation are smooth in distribution, and the lens with a smooth freeform surface is achieved. The adequacy of the proposed methodology is proved by simulation.

Archaea are single cell microorganisms having several unique characteristics which differentiate them from bacteria. One of the key features which make archaea distinct from bacteria is the replication process, which is very different and resembles that of the eukaryotes. In-vivo mapping of the ori site in Archae is a time consuming and tedious job due to complexity involved in the culture of archaeal colony, which puts challenges as well as opportunity to scientist to devise in-silico method to map the Ori site in archaeal genomes. Z-curve approach is a widely used insilico method to predict the Ori site in archaea, but it is not equally successful for all archaeal genomes. Several other parameters like copy number and location of the cdc6 gene, AT rich region with the presence of origin recognition boxes (ORB) provide a better estimate of the Ori site in archaea. The motivation behind development of Archae Profile database is to predict the location and the number of putative Ori sites in archaeal genomes based on purinepyrimidine ( R-Y) and amino-keto(M-K) disparity curve along with the consensus ORB sequences, cdc6 gene copy number, their location and upstream AT richness. Quick update cycle and easy browser interface makes Archae Profile distinct from other databases. Another important feature is the integration of tools for plotting disparity plot of a given genome sequence and finding specific repeats with copy number and location in a sequence. ArchaeProfile will be updated timely and the emphasis will be to integrate other tools for genome analysis as well as new search features in the database. Presently Archaea Profile has Ori related data of 122 archeal genome which is likely to increase with time.

Availability: ArchaeProfile can be accessed freely from http://www.bioinfommv.in/archaeprofile. Data available on the database could be used for further analysis and tutorial purpose.

Tumors in humans are believed to be caused by a sequence of genetic abnormality. Understanding these sequences is important for improving cancer treatments. Biologists have uncovered some of the most basic mechanisms by which normal stem cells develop into cancerous tumors. These biological theories can then be transformed into mathematical models. In this paper, we review the mathematical models applied to the optimal design of cancer chemotherapy. However, chemotherapy is a complex treatment mode that requires balancing the benefits of treating tumors with the adverse toxic side effects caused by the anti-cancer drugs. Some methods of computational optimization have proven useful in helping to strike the right balance. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the limitations of the existing theoretical research and provide several directions to improve research in optimizing chemotherapy treatment planning using real protocol treatments defined by the oncologist.

Despite the immense advances of medical research there remains a fundamental theoretical deficit regarding how the body is able to maintain its physiological stability. In other words, what is the mechanism which regulates homeostasis and allostasis and/or what is the relationship between genotype and the influence of the environment (phenotype)? Despite the immense amount of publicity given to the huge increases in the occurrence of the most common lifestyle related ailments (e.g. diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, etc) which have occurred in recent years; most people in the world still have relatively normal levels of body weight and remain free from medical problems during their lifetimes, at least until their advancing years when their body is increasingly less able to maintain its normal regulated function. This article considers whether it is now possible to understand the nature, structure and function of this regulatory mechanism in far more detail than has hitherto been possible. This neuroregulatory mechanism involves the influence of light upon brain function and hence upon the autonomic nervous system and physiological systems. There is a particular emphasis in this article upon the regulation of Blood Glucose and how Acidity plays a significant role in diabetes etiology. Finally, the article introduces a Mathematical Model of the Autonomic Nervous System and/or the Physiological Systems (developed by Dr IG Grakov) which has been incorporated into a commercialised technology which is based upon the concepts outlined.