I created this code to open a socket connection in Visual Studio using VB.net:
Dim winsock1 As New Socket(AddressFamily.InterNetwork, SocketType.Stream,
ProtocolType.Tcp)
Dim myIP As New IPAddress(IPAddress.Parse("127.0.0.1").GetAddressBytes())
Dim myPort As Integer = 23
Dim myIPend As New IPEndPoint(myIP, myPort)
Public Function Sockets()
If (winsock1.Connected = True) Then
winsock1.Close()
End If
winsock1.Connect(myIPend)
Do While (winsock1.Connected <> True)
Loop
If winsock1.Connected = True Then
winsock1.DoStuff()
End If
If (winsock1.Connected = True) Then
winsock1.Close()
End If
Do While (winsock1.Connected <> True)
Loop
End Function
Friday, October 19, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
For Tired Computer Users: A Headband To Tell You When To Quit
A Tufts University team wants to expand on technology that uses near-infrared spectroscopy sensors to measure the brain's emotional state.
By W. David Gardner InformationWeek October 12, 2007 06:00 AM
A high tech headband that monitors blood oxygenation levels in the brain may tell people working at PCs and terminals when they are becoming overly fatigued, distracted, or just plain stressed out.
The concept was described at this week's ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology by a Tufts University team that has been awarded a $445,000 grant by the National Science Foundation. The technology involves the use of a MRI-like headband to gain real time insight into the brain's emotional state.
The research could produce valuable insight into a range of situations, but particularly for people peering into video screens in stressful situations like air traffic controllers, emergency workers and military personnel in combat situations. A long-term goal of the research would be to improve user interfaces for normal computer users.
Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), the team said the technology is "safe, portable, non-invasive and can be implemented wirelessly."
The team has been directed by computer science professor Robert Jacob and biomedical engineering professor Sergio Fantini. They have noted that while there have been some successful evaluations of workload, emotion and fatigue of computer users, it has traditionally been difficult to measure mental workload, frustration and distraction.
"One moment a user may be bored, and the next moment, the same user may be overwhelmed," stated professor Jacob. "Measuring mental workload, frustration and distraction is typically limited to qualitatively observing computer users or to administering surveys after completion of a task, potentially missing valuable insight into the users' changing experiences."
Infrared sensors on the headband are fitted with laser diodes that send near-infrared light into the forehead, enabling oxygenation to be tracked. Stress levels from bored to overwhelmed can be measured. In initial experiments using the fNIRS technology, the Tufts researchers were able to obtain relatively accurate depictions of subjects' workload. Now they want to take the technology further.
In initial experiments, subjects were asked to carry out various tasks online before they were asked to rate the difficulty of the tasks. The subjects' ratings coincided 83% of the time with the date developed by the fNIRS technology.
"We don't know how specific we can be about identifying users' different emotional states," said Sergio Fantini, a biomedical engineering professor at Tufts. "However, the particular area of the brain where the blood-flow change occurs should provide indications of the brain's metabolic changes and by extension workload, which could be a proxy for emotions like frustration."
By W. David Gardner InformationWeek October 12, 2007 06:00 AM
A high tech headband that monitors blood oxygenation levels in the brain may tell people working at PCs and terminals when they are becoming overly fatigued, distracted, or just plain stressed out.
The concept was described at this week's ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology by a Tufts University team that has been awarded a $445,000 grant by the National Science Foundation. The technology involves the use of a MRI-like headband to gain real time insight into the brain's emotional state.
The research could produce valuable insight into a range of situations, but particularly for people peering into video screens in stressful situations like air traffic controllers, emergency workers and military personnel in combat situations. A long-term goal of the research would be to improve user interfaces for normal computer users.
Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), the team said the technology is "safe, portable, non-invasive and can be implemented wirelessly."
The team has been directed by computer science professor Robert Jacob and biomedical engineering professor Sergio Fantini. They have noted that while there have been some successful evaluations of workload, emotion and fatigue of computer users, it has traditionally been difficult to measure mental workload, frustration and distraction.
"One moment a user may be bored, and the next moment, the same user may be overwhelmed," stated professor Jacob. "Measuring mental workload, frustration and distraction is typically limited to qualitatively observing computer users or to administering surveys after completion of a task, potentially missing valuable insight into the users' changing experiences."
Infrared sensors on the headband are fitted with laser diodes that send near-infrared light into the forehead, enabling oxygenation to be tracked. Stress levels from bored to overwhelmed can be measured. In initial experiments using the fNIRS technology, the Tufts researchers were able to obtain relatively accurate depictions of subjects' workload. Now they want to take the technology further.
In initial experiments, subjects were asked to carry out various tasks online before they were asked to rate the difficulty of the tasks. The subjects' ratings coincided 83% of the time with the date developed by the fNIRS technology.
"We don't know how specific we can be about identifying users' different emotional states," said Sergio Fantini, a biomedical engineering professor at Tufts. "However, the particular area of the brain where the blood-flow change occurs should provide indications of the brain's metabolic changes and by extension workload, which could be a proxy for emotions like frustration."
Compupter Science Grads Enjoy Record Starting Salaries
In another sign of economic recovery, starting salaries for computer science graduates have soared to an average of $53,051, rising 4.5 percent and making a new high for the decade, according to Ars Technica.
The surge suggests a deficiency in professional IT manpower, which Ars' Nate Anderson attributes to the dot-com bust and "subsequent mass migration of programming jobs to south Asia," which caused computer science students to "bolt from their majors like horses from a barn fire."
Sure enough, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported in 2005 that interest in the major was in a free fall, with those who declared it dropping 32% from 2000 to 2004.
The surge suggests a deficiency in professional IT manpower, which Ars' Nate Anderson attributes to the dot-com bust and "subsequent mass migration of programming jobs to south Asia," which caused computer science students to "bolt from their majors like horses from a barn fire."
Sure enough, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported in 2005 that interest in the major was in a free fall, with those who declared it dropping 32% from 2000 to 2004.
Drake University Virtual Reality Program on the Rise
Drake University's Virtual Reality program could someday rival that of Iowa State. The recent retirement of Ken Kopecky seemed as if it would cripple the Virtual Reality program at Drake University, but the hiring of Timothy Urness, PhD, has given the Drake Mathematics and Computer Science department a huge boost. Adding to the all star cast of Dan Alexander, Luz DeAlba, Alex Kleiner, Lawrence Naylor, David Oakland and Michael Rieck, Tim Urness brings to the table experience in Scientific Visualization, Computer Graphics and Virtual Reality. It is a very exciting time for the Drake University Mathematics and Computer Science Department.
Drake Mathematics and Computer Science News
Professor DeAlba to give Stalnaker Lecture on September 18
Luz Maria DeAlba will give the annual Luther W. Stalnaker Lecture at Drake University on Tuesday, September 18. The lecture titled "Combinatorial Matrix Theory: Origins and Applications," will start at 7 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main, 2507 University Ave. A reception will follow in Levitt Hall, Old Main. The lecture and reception are free and open to the public.
Professor Baker Publishes on Mathematics Education
Professor Baker recently published a paper entitled "Schema Thematization: A Framework and an Example", by Laurel Cooley, Maria Trigueros, and Bernadette Baker. It is published in the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Vol 38, No 4, July 2007.
Professor Afrin Naz Joins Faculty
We are pleased to announce that Afrin Naz has recently joined the faculty in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Professor Naz received her Ph.D. from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of North Texas in Denton. She holds bachelors and masters degrees from Dhaka University in Bangladesh and an M.S. in Computer Science from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX. Her research interests include computer architecture, parallel and distributed systems, compilers and embedded system designs.
Math and Computer Science Students Participate in DUSCI Summer Research
Zac Oler, Jon Botts, and Maren Mann participated in the 2007 Drake Undergraduate Science Collaborative Institute (DUSCI) Summer Undergraduate Research Program. Participants in the program are advised by a faculty member and conduct research over a span of eight weeks during the summer. Zac developed a simulation and visualization of a magnetic energy system, Jon researched matrix theory, and Maren worked on molecular modeling in a virtual reality environment. Zac and Maren were advised by Professor Urness. Jon was advised by Professor DeAlba.
Professor Urness Presents Architecture Education Paper
Professor Urness presented the paper "Teaching Computer Organization/Architecture by Building a Computer" at the 2007 Workshop on Computer Architecture Education held in conjunction with the 34th International Symposium on Computer Architecture. The paper is based off of the activity he conducted as a part of teaching CS 172 during the spring semester. The activity was paid for by a grant from the Center for Digital Technology and Learning.
Drake Students Win Best Research Paper Award
Skyler Nesheim and Luong Hoang won the award for best undergraduate paper at the 40th Midwest Instruction and Computing Symposium, hosted at the University of North Dakota. Their paper, "Creating an Object-Oriented Network Simulator" was supervised by Professor Rieck. View the official Drake press release by clicking here.
Professor DeAlba honored as 2007 Stalnaker Lecturer
Professor Luz DeAlba was appointed the 2007 Stalnaker Lecturer at the annual Drake University Honors Convocation held on April, 18th. The Stalnaker Lecturer is recognized as an influential member of the faculty at Drake University, particularly in the area of scholarship. In the fall of 2007, Professor DeAlba will present her contributions in the area of matrix theory in a lecture open to the public.
Drake Students Win Math Contest
Drake University won the 13th Iowa Collegiate Mathematics Competition held at Grinnell College on March 10. There were 25 teams of undergraduate students from colleges and universities throughout Iowa competing. The students comprising the Drake team were Luong Hoang, Quentin Roper, and Zach Kertzman. The team was organized by Larry Naylor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. The competition is sponsored by the Iowa Section of the Mathematical Association of America.
Drake Mathematics and Computer Science News
Professor DeAlba to give Stalnaker Lecture on September 18
Luz Maria DeAlba will give the annual Luther W. Stalnaker Lecture at Drake University on Tuesday, September 18. The lecture titled "Combinatorial Matrix Theory: Origins and Applications," will start at 7 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main, 2507 University Ave. A reception will follow in Levitt Hall, Old Main. The lecture and reception are free and open to the public.
Professor Baker Publishes on Mathematics Education
Professor Baker recently published a paper entitled "Schema Thematization: A Framework and an Example", by Laurel Cooley, Maria Trigueros, and Bernadette Baker. It is published in the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Vol 38, No 4, July 2007.
Professor Afrin Naz Joins Faculty
We are pleased to announce that Afrin Naz has recently joined the faculty in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Professor Naz received her Ph.D. from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of North Texas in Denton. She holds bachelors and masters degrees from Dhaka University in Bangladesh and an M.S. in Computer Science from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX. Her research interests include computer architecture, parallel and distributed systems, compilers and embedded system designs.
Math and Computer Science Students Participate in DUSCI Summer Research
Zac Oler, Jon Botts, and Maren Mann participated in the 2007 Drake Undergraduate Science Collaborative Institute (DUSCI) Summer Undergraduate Research Program. Participants in the program are advised by a faculty member and conduct research over a span of eight weeks during the summer. Zac developed a simulation and visualization of a magnetic energy system, Jon researched matrix theory, and Maren worked on molecular modeling in a virtual reality environment. Zac and Maren were advised by Professor Urness. Jon was advised by Professor DeAlba.
Professor Urness Presents Architecture Education Paper
Professor Urness presented the paper "Teaching Computer Organization/Architecture by Building a Computer" at the 2007 Workshop on Computer Architecture Education held in conjunction with the 34th International Symposium on Computer Architecture. The paper is based off of the activity he conducted as a part of teaching CS 172 during the spring semester. The activity was paid for by a grant from the Center for Digital Technology and Learning.
Drake Students Win Best Research Paper Award
Skyler Nesheim and Luong Hoang won the award for best undergraduate paper at the 40th Midwest Instruction and Computing Symposium, hosted at the University of North Dakota. Their paper, "Creating an Object-Oriented Network Simulator" was supervised by Professor Rieck. View the official Drake press release by clicking here.
Professor DeAlba honored as 2007 Stalnaker Lecturer
Professor Luz DeAlba was appointed the 2007 Stalnaker Lecturer at the annual Drake University Honors Convocation held on April, 18th. The Stalnaker Lecturer is recognized as an influential member of the faculty at Drake University, particularly in the area of scholarship. In the fall of 2007, Professor DeAlba will present her contributions in the area of matrix theory in a lecture open to the public.
Drake Students Win Math Contest
Drake University won the 13th Iowa Collegiate Mathematics Competition held at Grinnell College on March 10. There were 25 teams of undergraduate students from colleges and universities throughout Iowa competing. The students comprising the Drake team were Luong Hoang, Quentin Roper, and Zach Kertzman. The team was organized by Larry Naylor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. The competition is sponsored by the Iowa Section of the Mathematical Association of America.
Brute Force Sorting Algorithms
The brute force sorting method is the simplest of the design strategies and in most cases the easiest to apply. The brute force approach is used for many algorithmic tasks such as finding the largest numerical value in an array and finding the sum of n numbers. Although the brute force approach is very costly as it must exhaust all items in a list, it is sometimes the only solution and therefore the cost is acceptable. Let us explore some different brute force sorting algorithms and take a closer look at their properties.
The Problem:
Given a list of n orderable items in an array, rearrange them in increasing order.
Selection Sort
Selection sort is the simplest of the sorting algorithms. It begins by scanning the entire array for the smallest element. This element then gets swapped with the element stored in the first position of the array. Then it again scans the list, starting with the second element for the next smallest element, swapping it with the element in position two. This process continues until all n elements have been arranged in increasing order. Selection Sort is a O(n^2) algorithm in all cases (best, worst, average). This means for n elements in an array it will take n^2 steps to complete the sort.
Bubble Sort
Bubble Sort begins by comparing the first two elements in the array. If element two is less than element one, the elements are swapped. Next, elements two and three are compared and swapped if need be. This process continues until the array is sorted. Essentially Bubble Sort compares adjacent elements and swaps them if they are out of order. After a few iterations the algorithm will "Bubble Up" the largest element to the last position. Bubble Sort is also a O(n^2) algorithm for all cases (best, worst, average). An example of the worst case would be a decreasing array.
The Problem:
Given a list of n orderable items in an array, rearrange them in increasing order.
Selection Sort
Selection sort is the simplest of the sorting algorithms. It begins by scanning the entire array for the smallest element. This element then gets swapped with the element stored in the first position of the array. Then it again scans the list, starting with the second element for the next smallest element, swapping it with the element in position two. This process continues until all n elements have been arranged in increasing order. Selection Sort is a O(n^2) algorithm in all cases (best, worst, average). This means for n elements in an array it will take n^2 steps to complete the sort.
Bubble Sort
Bubble Sort begins by comparing the first two elements in the array. If element two is less than element one, the elements are swapped. Next, elements two and three are compared and swapped if need be. This process continues until the array is sorted. Essentially Bubble Sort compares adjacent elements and swaps them if they are out of order. After a few iterations the algorithm will "Bubble Up" the largest element to the last position. Bubble Sort is also a O(n^2) algorithm for all cases (best, worst, average). An example of the worst case would be a decreasing array.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
MIT Model Could Improve Some Drugs' Effectiveness
MIT researchers have developed a computer modeling approach that could improve a class of drugs based on antibodies, molecules key to the immune system. The model can predict structural changes in an antibody that will improve its effectiveness.
The team has already used the model to create a new version of cetuximab, a drug commonly used to treat colorectal cancer, that binds to its target with 10 times greater affinity than the original molecule.
The work, which will appear Sept. 23 in an advance publication of Nature Biotechnology, results from a collaboration using both laboratory experiments and computer simulations, between MIT Professors Dane Wittrup and Bruce Tidor.
"New and better methods for improving antibody development represent critical technologies for medicine and biotechnology," says Wittrup, who holds appointments in MIT's Department of Biological Engineering and Department of Chemical Engineering. Tidor holds appointments in Biological Engineering and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Antibodies, which are part of nature's own defense system against pathogens, are often used for diagnostics and therapeutics. Starting with a specific antibody, the MIT model looks at many possible amino-acid substitutions that could occur in the antibody. It then calculates which substitutions would result in a structure that would form a stronger interaction with the target.
"Combining information about protein (antibody) structure with calculations that address the underlying atomic interactions allows us to make rational choices about which changes should be made to a protein to improve its function," said Shaun Lippow, lead author of the Nature Biotechnology paper.
"Protein modeling can reduce the cost of developing antibody-based drugs," Lippow added, "as well as enable the design of additional protein-based products such as enzymes for the conversion of biomass to fuel." Lippow conducted the research as part of his thesis work in chemical engineering at MIT, and is now a member of the protein engineering group at Codon Devices in Cambridge, Mass.
"Making drugs out of huge, complicated molecules like antibodies is incredibly hard," said Janna Wehrle, who oversees computational biology grants at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, which partially supported the research. "Dr. Tidor's new computational method can predict which changes in an antibody will make it work better, allowing chemists to focus their efforts on the most promising candidates. This is a perfect example of how modern computing can be harnessed to speed up the development of new drugs."
Traditionally, researchers have developed antibody-based drugs using an evolutionary approach. They remove antibodies from mice and further evolve them in the laboratory, screening for improved efficacy. This can lead to improved binding affinities but the process is time-consuming, and it restricts the control that researchers have over the design of antibodies.
In contrast, the MIT computational approach can quickly calculate a huge number of possible antibody variants and conformations, and predict the molecules' binding affinity for their targets based on the interactions that occur between atoms.
Using the new approach, researchers can predict the effectiveness of mutations that might never arise by natural evolution.
"The work demonstrates that by building on the physics underlying biological molecules, you can engineer improvements in a very precise way," said Tidor.
The team also used the model with an anti-lysozyme antibody called D44.1, and they were able to achieve a 140-fold improvement in its binding affinity. The authors expect the model will be useful with other antibodies as well.
The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Wittrup and Tidor also co-teach a class focusing on connecting fundamental molecular and cellular events to biological function through the use of mathematical models and computer simulations.
The team has already used the model to create a new version of cetuximab, a drug commonly used to treat colorectal cancer, that binds to its target with 10 times greater affinity than the original molecule.
The work, which will appear Sept. 23 in an advance publication of Nature Biotechnology, results from a collaboration using both laboratory experiments and computer simulations, between MIT Professors Dane Wittrup and Bruce Tidor.
"New and better methods for improving antibody development represent critical technologies for medicine and biotechnology," says Wittrup, who holds appointments in MIT's Department of Biological Engineering and Department of Chemical Engineering. Tidor holds appointments in Biological Engineering and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Antibodies, which are part of nature's own defense system against pathogens, are often used for diagnostics and therapeutics. Starting with a specific antibody, the MIT model looks at many possible amino-acid substitutions that could occur in the antibody. It then calculates which substitutions would result in a structure that would form a stronger interaction with the target.
"Combining information about protein (antibody) structure with calculations that address the underlying atomic interactions allows us to make rational choices about which changes should be made to a protein to improve its function," said Shaun Lippow, lead author of the Nature Biotechnology paper.
"Protein modeling can reduce the cost of developing antibody-based drugs," Lippow added, "as well as enable the design of additional protein-based products such as enzymes for the conversion of biomass to fuel." Lippow conducted the research as part of his thesis work in chemical engineering at MIT, and is now a member of the protein engineering group at Codon Devices in Cambridge, Mass.
"Making drugs out of huge, complicated molecules like antibodies is incredibly hard," said Janna Wehrle, who oversees computational biology grants at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, which partially supported the research. "Dr. Tidor's new computational method can predict which changes in an antibody will make it work better, allowing chemists to focus their efforts on the most promising candidates. This is a perfect example of how modern computing can be harnessed to speed up the development of new drugs."
Traditionally, researchers have developed antibody-based drugs using an evolutionary approach. They remove antibodies from mice and further evolve them in the laboratory, screening for improved efficacy. This can lead to improved binding affinities but the process is time-consuming, and it restricts the control that researchers have over the design of antibodies.
In contrast, the MIT computational approach can quickly calculate a huge number of possible antibody variants and conformations, and predict the molecules' binding affinity for their targets based on the interactions that occur between atoms.
Using the new approach, researchers can predict the effectiveness of mutations that might never arise by natural evolution.
"The work demonstrates that by building on the physics underlying biological molecules, you can engineer improvements in a very precise way," said Tidor.
The team also used the model with an anti-lysozyme antibody called D44.1, and they were able to achieve a 140-fold improvement in its binding affinity. The authors expect the model will be useful with other antibodies as well.
The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Wittrup and Tidor also co-teach a class focusing on connecting fundamental molecular and cellular events to biological function through the use of mathematical models and computer simulations.
Bat and Mouse Game
This image by MIT researchers, based on a computer model of a bat in flight, won first place in the Informational Graphics category of the 2007 International Science and Technology Visualization Challenge.
"When viewed in slow motion, bat flight is beautiful and complex. The goal of this illustration is to capture that beauty while also adding scientific merit," David J. Willis, a research scientist in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, told Science magazine. The competition is sponsored by Science, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Science Foundation.
Willis created the winning image with Professor Jaime Peraire of aeronautics and astronautics and several colleagues from Brown University led by Professor Kenneth Breuer.
For the contest, illustrators, photographers, computer programmers, and graphics specialists from around the world were invited to submit visualizations that would intrigue, explain and educate. More than 200 entries were received from 23 countries, representing every continent except the Arctic and Antarctica.
"Breakthroughs in science and engineering are often portrayed in movies and literature as 'ah-ha!' moments. What these artists and communicators have given us are similar experiences, showing us how bats fly or how nicotine becomes physically addictive," said Jeff Nesbit, director of NSF's Office of Legislative and Public Affairs. "We look at their visualizations, and we understand."
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