Showing papers by "Technion – Israel Institute of Technology published in 1998"

The Ubiquitin System

Abstract: The selective degradation of many short-lived proteins in eukaryotic cells is carried out by the ubiquitin system. In this pathway, proteins are targeted for degradation by covalent ligation to ubiquitin, a highly conserved small protein. Ubiquitin-mediated degradation of regulatory proteins plays important roles in the control of numerous processes, including cell-cycle progression, signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, receptor down-regulation, and endocytosis. The ubiquitin system has been implicated in the immune response, development, and programmed cell death. Abnormalities in ubiquitin-mediated processes have been shown to cause pathological conditions, including malignant transformation. In this review we discuss recent information on functions and mechanisms of the ubiquitin system. Since the selectivity of protein degradation is determined mainly at the stage of ligation to ubiquitin, special attention is focused on what we know, and would like to know, about the mode of action of ubiquitin-protein ligation systems and about signals in proteins recognized by these systems.

Online Computation and Competitive Analysis

Abstract: Preface 1. Introduction to competitive analysis: the list accessing problem 2. Introduction to randomized algorithms: the list accessing problem 3. Paging: deterministic algorithms 4. Paging: randomized algorithms 5. Alternative models for paging: beyond pure competitive analysis 6. Game theoretic foundations 7. Request - answer games 8. Competitive analysis and zero-sum games 9. Metrical task systems 10. The k-server problem 11. Randomized k-server algorithms 12. Load-balancing 13. Call admission and circuit-routing 14. Search, trading and portfolio selection 15. Competitive analysis and decision making under uncertainty Appendices Bibliography Index.

Robust Convex Optimization

Abstract: We study convex optimization problems for which the data is not specified exactly and it is only known to belong to a given uncertainty set U, yet the constraints must hold for all possible values of the data from U. The ensuing optimization problem is called robust optimization. In this paper we lay the foundation of robust convex optimization. In the main part of the paper we show that if U is an ellipsoidal uncertainty set, then for some of the most important generic convex optimization problems (linear programming, quadratically constrained programming, semidefinite programming and others) the corresponding robust convex program is either exactly, or approximately, a tractable problem which lends itself to efficientalgorithms such as polynomial time interior point methods.

DNA-templated assembly and electrode attachment of a conducting silver wire

Abstract: Recent research in the field of nanometre-scale electronics has focused on two fundamental issues: the operating principles of small-scale devices, and schemes that lead to their realization and eventual integration into useful circuits. Experimental studies on molecular1 to submicrometre2 quantum dots and on the electrical transport in carbon nanotubes3,4,5 have confirmed theoretical predictions6,7,8 of an increasing role for charging effects as the device size diminishes. Nevertheless, the construction of nanometre-scale circuits from such devices remains problematic, largely owing to the difficulties of achieving inter-element wiring and electrical interfacing to macroscopic electrodes. The use of molecular recognition processes and the self-assembly of molecules into supramolecular structures9,10 might help overcome these difficulties. In this context, DNA has the appropriate molecular-recognition11 and mechanical12,13,14,15,16 properties, but poor electrical characteristics prevent its direct use in electrical circuits. Here we describe a two-step procedure that may allow the application of DNA to the construction of functional circuits. In our scheme, hybridization of the DNA molecule with surface-bound oligonucleotides is first used to stretch it between two gold electrodes; the DNA molecule is then used as a template for the vectorial growth of a 12 µm long, 100 nm wide conductive silver wire. The experiment confirms that the recognition capabilities of DNA can be exploited for the targeted attachment of functional wires.

Private information retrieval

Abstract: Publicly accessible databases are an indispensable resource for retrieving up-to-date information. But they also pose a significant risk to the privacy of the user, since a curious database operator can follow the user's queries and infer what the user is after. Indeed, in cases where the users' intentions are to be kept secret, users are often cautious about accessing the database. It can be shown that when accessing a single database, to completely guarantee the privacy of the user, the whole database should be down-loaded; namely n bits should be communicated (where n is the number of bits in the database).In this work, we investigate whether by replicating the database, more efficient solutions to the private retrieval problem can be obtained. We describe schemes that enable a user to access k replicated copies of a database (k≥2) and privately retrieve information stored in the database. This means that each individual server (holding a replicated copy of the database) gets no information on the identity of the item retrieved by the user. Our schemes use the replication to gain substantial saving. In particular, we present a two-server scheme with communication complexity O(n1/3).

Molecular Biology and Pathogenicity of Mycoplasmas

Abstract: The recent sequencing of the entire genomes of Mycoplasma genitalium and M. pneumoniae has attracted considerable attention to the molecular biology of mycoplasmas, the smallest self-replicating organisms. It appears that we are now much closer to the goal of defining, in molecular terms, the entire machinery of a self-replicating cell. Comparative genomics based on comparison of the genomic makeup of mycoplasmal genomes with those of other bacteria, has opened new ways of looking at the evolutionary history of the mycoplasmas. There is now solid genetic support for the hypothesis that mycoplasmas have evolved as a branch of gram-positive bacteria by a process of reductive evolution. During this process, the mycoplasmas lost considerable portions of their ancestors’ chromosomes but retained the genes essential for life. Thus, the mycoplasmal genomes carry a high percentage of conserved genes, greatly facilitating gene annotation. The significant genome compaction that occurred in mycoplasmas was made possible by adopting a parasitic mode of life. The supply of nutrients from their hosts apparently enabled mycoplasmas to lose, during evolution, the genes for many assimilative processes. During their evolution and adaptation to a parasitic mode of life, the mycoplasmas have developed various genetic systems providing a highly plastic set of variable surface proteins to evade the host immune system. The uniqueness of the mycoplasmal systems is manifested by the presence of highly mutable modules combined with an ability to expand the antigenic repertoire by generating structural alternatives, all compressed into limited genomic sequences. In the absence of a cell wall and a periplasmic space, the majority of surface variable antigens in mycoplasmas are lipoproteins. Apart from providing specific antimycoplasmal defense, the host immune system is also involved in the development of pathogenic lesions and exacerbation of mycoplasma induced diseases. Mycoplasmas are able to stimulate as well as suppress lymphocytes in a nonspecific, polyclonal manner, both in vitro and in vivo. As well as to affecting various subsets of lymphocytes, mycoplasmas and mycoplasma-derived cell components modulate the activities of monocytes/macrophages and NK cells and trigger the production of a wide variety of up-regulating and down-regulating cytokines and chemokines. Mycoplasma-mediated secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1 (IL-1), and IL-6, by macrophages and of up-regulating cytokines by mitogenically stimulated lymphocytes plays a major role in mycoplasma-induced immune system modulation and inflammatory responses.

A security architecture for the Internet protocol

Abstract: In this paper we present the design, rationale, and implementation of a security architecture for protecting the secrecy and integrity of Internet traffic at the Internet Protocol (IP) layer. The design includes three components: (1) a security policy for determining when, where, and how security measures are to be applied; (2) a modular key management protocol, called MKMP, for establishing shared secrets between communicating parties and meta-information prescribed by the security policy; and (3) the IP Security Protocol, as it is being standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force, for applying security measures using information provided through the key management protocol. Effectively, these three components together allow for the establishment of a secure channel between any two communicating systems over the Internet. This technology is a component of IBM's firewall product and is now being ported to other IBM computer platforms.

The ubiquitin–proteasome pathway: on protein death and cell life

Abstract: The discovery of the ubiquitin pathway and its many substrates and functions has revolutionized our concept of intracellular protein degradation. From an unregulated, non‐specific terminal scavenger process, it has become clear that proteolysis of cellular proteins is a highly complex, temporally controlled and tightly regulated process which plays important roles in a broad array of basic cellular processes. It is carried out by a complex cascade of enzymes and displays a high degree of specificity towards its numerous substrates. Among these are cell cycle and growth regulators, components of signal transduction pathways, enzymes of house keeping and cell‐specific metabolic pathways, and mutated or post‐translationally damaged proteins. The system is also involved in processing major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigens. For many years it has been thought that activity of the system is limited to the cytosol and probably to the nucleus. However, recent experimental evidence has demonstrated that membrane‐anchored and even secretory pathway‐compartmentalized proteins are also targeted by the system. These proteins must be first translocated in a retrograde manner into the cytosol, as components of the pathway have not been identified in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen. With the multiple cellular targets, it is not surprising that the system is involved in the regulation of many basic cellular processes such as cell cycle and division, differentiation and development, the response to stress and extracellular modulators, morphogenesis of neuronal networks, modulation of cell surface receptors, ion channels and the secretory pathway, DNA repair, regulation of the immune and inflammatory responses, biogenesis of organelles and apoptosis. One would also predict that aberrations in such a complex system may be implicated in the pathogenesis of many diseases, both inherited and acquired. Recent evidence shows that this is indeed the case. Degradation of a protein by the ubiquitin system involves two distinct …

Paraoxonase inhibits high-density lipoprotein oxidation and preserves its functions. A possible peroxidative role for paraoxonase.

Abstract: HDL levels are inversely related to the risk of developing atherosclerosis. In serum, paraoxonase (PON) is associated with HDL, and was shown to inhibit LDL oxidation. Whether PON also protects HDL from oxidation is un- known, and was determined in the present study. In hu- mans, we found serum HDL PON activity and HDL sus- ceptibility to oxidation to be inversely correlated ( r 2 5 0.77, n 5 15). Supplementing human HDL with purified PON in- hibited copper-induced HDL oxidation in a concentration- dependent manner. Adding PON to HDL prolonged the ox- idation lag phase and reduced HDL peroxide and aldehyde formation by up to 95%. This inhibitory effect was most pronounced when PON was added before oxidation initia- tion. When purified PON was added to whole serum, essen- tially all of it became HDL-associated. The PON-enriched HDL was more resistant to copper ion-induced oxidation than was control HDL. Compared with control HDL, HDL from PON-treated serum showed a 66% prolongation in the lag phase of its oxidation, and up to a 40% reduction in per- oxide and aldehyde content. In contrast, in the presence of various PON inhibitors, HDL oxidation induced by either copper ions or by a free radical generating system was markedly enhanced. As PON inhibited HDL oxidation, two major functions of HDL were assessed: macrophage choles- terol efflux, and LDL protection from oxidation. Compared with oxidized untreated HDL, oxidized PON-treated HDL caused a 45% increase in cellular cholesterol efflux from J-774 A.1 macrophages. Both HDL-associated PON and purified PON were potent inhibitors of LDL oxidation. Searching for a possible mechanism for PON-induced inhibition of HDL oxidation revealed PON (2 paraoxonase U/ml)-mediated hydrolysis of lipid peroxides (by 19%) and of cholesteryl linoleate hydroperoxides (by 90%) in oxidized HDL. HDL-associated PON, as well as purified PON, were also able to substantially hydrolyze (up to 25%) hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), a major reactive oxygen species produced under oxidative stress during atherogenesis. Finally, we an- alyzed serum PON activity in the atherosclerotic apolipo- protein E-deficient mice during aging and development of atherosclerotic lesions. With age, serum lipid peroxidation and lesion size increased, whereas serum PON activity de- creased. We thus conclude that HDL-associated PON possesses peroxidase-like activity that can contribute to the protective effect of PON against lipoprotein oxidation. The presence of PON in HDL may thus be a major contributor to the anti- atherogenicity of this lipoprotein. ( J. Clin. Invest. 1998. 101: 1581-1590.) Key words: paraoxonaseHDLLDLlipid peroxidationapolipoprotein E deficient mice

Interacting multiple model methods in target tracking: a survey

Abstract: The Interacting Multiple Model (IMM) estimator is a suboptimal hybrid filter that has been shown to be one of the most cost-effective hybrid state estimation schemes. The main feature of this algorithm is its ability to estimate the state of a dynamic system with several behavior modes which can "switch" from one to another. In particular, the IMM estimator can be a self-adjusting variable-bandwidth filter, which makes it natural for tracking maneuvering targets. The importance of this approach is that it is the best compromise available currently-between complexity and performance: its computational requirements are nearly linear in the size of the problem (number of models) while its performance is almost the same as that of an algorithm with quadratic complexity. The objective of this work is to survey and put in perspective the existing IMM methods for target tracking problems. Special attention is given to the assumptions underlying each algorithm and its applicability to various situations.

Adolescent Sleep Patterns, Circadian Timing, and Sleepiness at a Transition to Early School Days

Abstract: Study Objectives: This study examined effects on adolescent sleep patterns, sleepiness, and circadian phase of a school transition requiring an earlier start. Design and Setting: Adolescents were evaluated in 9th and 10th grades; school start time in 9th grade was 0825 and in 10th grade was 0720. Assessments at each point included 2 weeks of actigraphy and sleep diaries at home, followed by a 22-hour laboratory evaluation, including evening saliva samples every 30 minutes in dim light for determination of dim-light salivary melatonin onset phase (DLSMO), overnight sleep monitoring, and multiple sleep latency test (MSLT). Participants: Twenty-five females and 15 males, ages 14 to 16.2 were enrolled; 32 completed the study in 9th grade and 26 completed in 10th grade. Interventions: Participants kept their own schedules, except that laboratory nights were scheduled based upon school-night sleep pattems. Measurements and Results: According to actigraphy, students woke earlier on school days in 10th than in 9th grade, but they did not go to sleep earlier and they slept less. DLSMO phase was later in 10th grade (mean = 2102) than 9th grade (mean = 2024). Sleep latency on MSLT overall was shorter in 10th (mean = 8.5 minutes) than in 9th (mean = 11. 4 minutes), particularly on the first test of the moming at 0830 (5.1 vs 10.9 minutes). Two REM episodes on MSLT occurred in 16% of participants in 10th grade; one REM episode occurred in 48%. When those with REM sleep on one or both morning MSLTs (n=11) were compared to those without morning REM, significant differences included shorter sleep latency on the first test, less slow wave sleep the night before, and later DLSMO phase in those who had morning REM. Conclusions: Early start time was associated with significant sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness. The occurrence of REM sleep on MSLT indicates that clinicians should exercise caution in interpreting MSLT REM sleep in adolescents evaluated on their usual schedules. Psychosocial influences and changes in bioregulatory systems controlling sleep may limit teenagers' capacities to make adequate adjustments to an early school schedule.

Triangle mesh compression

Abstract: A method for compressing a mesh having a plurality of vertices, each vertex characterized by a degree equal to the number of edges incident thereon, including arranging substantially all of the vertices in a consecutive order, generating a topology list including the degrees of the vertices in the consecutive order, and providing a coded stream of signals including the topology list

Universal prediction

Abstract: This paper consists of an overview on universal prediction from an information-theoretic perspective. Special attention is given to the notion of probability assignment under the self-information loss function, which is directly related to the theory of universal data compression. Both the probabilistic setting and the deterministic setting of the universal prediction problem are described with emphasis on the analogy and the differences between results in the two settings.

The SELF-PRUNING gene of tomato regulates vegetative to reproductive switching of sympodial meristems and is the ortholog of CEN and TFL1

Abstract: Vegetative and reproductive phases alternate regularly during sympodial growth in tomato. In wild-type 'indeterminate' plants, inflorescences are separated by three vegetative nodes. In 'determinate' plants homozygous for the recessive allele of the SELF-PRUNING (SP) gene, sympodial segments develop progressively fewer nodes until the shoot is terminated by two consecutive inflorescences. We show here that the SP gene is the tomato ortholog of CENTRORADIALIS and TERMINAL FLOWER1, genes which maintain the indeterminate state of inflorescence meristems in Antirrhinum and Arabidopsis respectively. The sp mutation results in a single amino acid change (P76L), and the mutant phenotype is mimicked by overexpressing the SP antisense RNA. Ectopic and overexpression of the SP and CEN transgenes in tomato rescues the 'indeterminate' phenotype, conditions the replacement of flowers by leaves in the inflorescence and suppresses the transition of the vegetative apex to a reproductive shoot. The SELF-PRUNING gene is expressed in shoot apices and leaves from very early stages, and later in inflorescence and floral primordia as well. This expression pattern is similar to that displayed by the tomato ortholog LEAFY and FLORICAULA. Comparison of the sympodial, day-neutral shoot system of tomato and the monopodial, photoperiod-sensitive systems of Arabidopsis and Antirrhinum suggests that flowering genes that are required for the processing of floral induction signals in Arabidopsis and Antirrhinum are required in tomato to regulate the alternation between vegetative and reproductive cycles in sympodial meristems.

A physiological strain index to evaluate heat stress

Abstract: A physiological strain index (PSI), based on rectal temperature (Tre) and heart rate (HR), capable of indicating heat strain online and analyzing existing databases, has been developed. The index r...

Protecting data privacy in private information retrieval schemes

Abstract: Private information retrieval (PIR) schemes allow a user to retrieve the ith bit of an n-bit data string x, replicated in k?2 databases (in the information-theoretic setting) or in k?1 databases (in the computational setting), while keeping the value of i private. The main cost measure for such a scheme is its communication complexity. In this paper we introduce a model of symmetrically-private information retrieval (SPIR), where the privacy of the data, as well as the privacy of the user, is guaranteed. That is, in every invocation of a SPIR protocol, the user learns only a single physical bit of x and no other information about the data. Previously known PIR schemes severely fail to meet this goal. We show how to transform PIR schemes into SPIR schemes (with information-theoretic privacy), paying a constant factor in communication complexity. To this end, we introduce and utilize a new cryptographic primitive, called conditional disclosure of secrets, which we believe may be a useful building block for the design of other cryptographic protocols. In particular, we get a k-database SPIR scheme of complexity O(n1/(2k?1)) for every constant k?2 and an O(logn)-database SPIR scheme of complexity O(log2n·loglogn). All our schemes require only a single round of interaction, and are resilient to any dishonest behavior of the user. These results also yield the first implementation of a distributed version of (n1)-OT (1-out-of-n oblivious transfer) with information-theoretic security and sublinear communication complexity.

Paraoxonase Active Site Required for Protection Against LDL Oxidation Involves Its Free Sulfhydryl Group and Is Different From That Required for Its Arylesterase/Paraoxonase Activities Selective Action of Human Paraoxonase Allozymes Q and R

Abstract: Human serum paraoxonase (PON 1) exists in 2 major polymorphic forms (Q and R), which differ in the amino acid at position 191 (glutamine and arginine, respectively). These PON allozymes hydrolyze organophosphates and aromatic esters, and both also protect LDL from copper ion-induced oxidation. We have compared purified serum PONs of both forms and evaluated their effects on LDL oxidation, in respect to their arylesterase/paraoxonase activities. Copper ion-induced LDL oxidation, measured by the production of peroxides and aldehydes after 4 hours of incubation, were reduced up to 61% and 58%, respectively, by PON Q, but only up to 46% and 38%, respectively, by an equivalent concentration of PON R. These phenomena were PON-concentration dependent. Recombinant PON Q and PON R demonstrated similar patterns to that shown for the purified serum allozymes. PON Q and PON R differences in protection of LDL against oxidation were further evaluated in the presence of glutathione peroxidase (GPx). GPx (0.1 U/mL) alone reduced copper ion-induced LDL oxidation by 20% after 4 hours of incubation. The addition of PON R to the above system resulted in an additive inhibitory effect on LDL oxidation, whereas PON Q had no such additive effect. The 2 PON allozymes also differed by their ability to inhibit initiation, as well as propagation, of LDL oxidation. PON Q was more efficient in blocking LDL oxidation if added when oxidation was initiated, whereas PON R was more potent when added 1 hour after the initiation of LDL oxidation. These data suggest that the 2 allozymes act on different substrates. Both PON allozymes were also able to reduce the oxidation of phospholipids and cholesteryl ester. PON Q arylesterase activity was reduced after 4 hours of LDL oxidation by only 28%, whereas the arylesterase activity of PON R was reduced by up to 55%. Inactivation of the calcium-dependent PON arylesterase activity by using the metal chelator EDTA, or by calcium ion removal on a Chelex column, did not alter PON's ability to inhibit LDL oxidation. However, blockage of the PON free sulfhydryl group at position 283 with p-hydroxymercuribenzoate inhibited both its arylesterase activity and its protection of LDL from oxidation. Recombinant PON mutants in which the PON free sulfhydryl group was replaced by either alanine or serine were no longer able to protect against LDL oxidation, even though they retained paraoxonase and arylesterase activities. Overall, these studies demonstrate that PON's arylesterase/paraoxonase activities and the protection against LDL oxidation do not involve the active site on the enzyme in exactly the same way, and PON's ability to protect LDL from oxidation requires the cysteine residue at position 283.

Serpent: A Proposal for the Advanced Encryption Standard

Abstract: We propose a new block cipher as a candidate for the Advanced Encryption Standard. Its design is highly conservative, yet still allows a very efficient implementation. It uses S-boxes similar to those of DES in a new structure that simultaneously allows a more rapid avalanche, a more efficient bitslice implementation, and an easy analysis that enables us to demonstrate its security against all known types of attack. With a 128-bit block size and a 256-bit key, it is as fast as DES on the market leading Intel Pentium/MMX platforms (and at least as fast on many others); yet we believe it to be more secure than three-key triple-DES.

Informed-source coding-on-demand (ISCOD) over broadcast channels

Abstract: We present the informed source coding on-demand (ISCOD) approach for efficiently supplying non-identical data from a central server to multiple caching clients through a broadcast channel. The key idea underlying ISCOD is the joint exploitation of the data already cached by each client, the server's full awareness of client cache contents and client requests, and the fact that each client only needs to be able to derive the items requested by it rather than all the items ever transmitted or even the union of the items requested by the different clients. We present a set of two-phase ISCOD algorithms. The server uses these algorithms to assemble ad-hoc error correction sets based its knowledge of every client's cache content and of the items requested by it; next, it uses error-correction codes to construct the data that is actually transmitted. Each client uses its cached data and the received supplemental data to derive the items that it has requested. This technique achieves a reduction of up to tens of percents in the amount of data that must be transmitted in order for every client to be able to derive the data requested by it. Finally, we define k-partial cliques in a directed graph, and cast the two phase approach in terms of partial clique covers. As a byproduct of this work, bounds and a close approximation for the expected cardinality of the maximum matching in a random graph have been derived and are outlined.

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway: The complexity and myriad functions of proteins death

Abstract: Our perception of intracellular protein degradation has changed dramatically during the recent decade. From a scavenger, unregulated, and nonspecific “end point” process, it has become clear that proteolysis of cellular proteins is a highly complex, temporally controlled, and tightly regulated process that plays major roles in a variety of basic pathways during cell life and death. Two major proteolytic cascades have been described. Caspases are involved in programmed cell death (apoptosis), whereas the degradation of most short-lived regulatory cellular proteins is mediated by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Among these are regulators of cell cycle and division such as mitotic and G1 cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, growth regulators such as c-Fos and c-Jun, tumor suppressors such as p53, surface receptors such as the growth hormone receptor, and ion channels, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) for example. The system is also involved in selective proteolysis of abnormal/mutated proteins and in the processing of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-restricted antigens. The discovery that the system is involved in the degradation of c-myc and in the two-step proteolytic activation of NF-κB, for example, signaled the “entry” of ubiquitin-mediated degradation into the area of transcriptional regulation. Via the degradation of short-lived and key regulatory proteins, the system appears to play important roles in a variety of basic cellular processes. Among these are regulation of cell cycle and division, involvement in the cellular response to stress and to extracellular modulators, morphogenesis of neuronal networks, modulation of cell surface receptors, ion channels and the secretory pathway, DNA repair, biogenesis of organelles, and regulation of the immune and inflammatory responses. Recent evidence indicates that the system is involved in apoptosis as well. With such a broad range of substrates and processes, it is not surprising that aberrations in the process recently have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases, both inherited and acquired. Among these are muscle degeneration that follows denervation or prolonged immobilization, certain forms of Alzheimer’s disease, male sterility, and Angelman’s syndrome (for recent reviews of the ubiquitin system, see refs. 1–4).

Efficient search for approximate nearest neighbor in high dimensional spaces

Abstract: We address the problem ofdesigning data structures that allow efficient search f or approximate nearest neighbors. More specifically, given a database consisting ofa set ofvectors in some high dimensional Euclidean space, we want to construct a space-efficient data structure that would allow us to search, given a query vector, for the closest or nearly closest vector in the database. We also address this problem when distances are measured by the L1 norm and in the Hamming cube. Significantly improving and extending recent results ofKleinberg, we construct data structures whose size is polynomial in the size ofthe database and search algorithms that run in time nearly linear or nearly quadratic in the dimension. (Depending on the case, the extra factors are polylogarithmic in the size ofthe database.)

Catalytic Abatement of Water Pollutants

Abstract: The paper reviews solid-catalyzed oxidation and reduction processes for the treatment of wastewater that contains small concentrations of toxic compounds and for which separation is not economical while biological treatment is not feasible. Specifically, the objectives are (1) to understand the interactions between catalytic materials and various pollutants, (2) to provide a database for catalyst selection, and (3) to assess the potential of these processes for commercialization. The review suggests the following well-investigated solutions: (1) Supported metal (Ru/CeO2, Pt/CeO2, and Ru/C) and metal oxides (CuO−ZnO−CoO, MnO2/CeO2, CoO/Bi2O3, and V2O5/Al2O3) are the most promising catalysts for the destruction of refractory organic compounds with nearly 100% selectivity to CO2; (2) CoO/CeO2 and MnO2/CeO2 are the most active catalysts for ammonia oxidation at temperatures of 263−400 °C; (3) activated carbon, preferably in the presence of copper ions, is an active catalyst for the oxidation of cyanides and ...

Anatomy of the pig heart: comparisons with normal human cardiac structure.

Abstract: Transgenic technology has potentially solved many of the immunological difficulties of using pig organs to support life in the human recipient. Nevertheless, other problems still remain. Knowledge of cardiac anatomy of the pig (Sus scrofa) is limited despite the general acceptance in the literature that it is similar to that of man. A qualitative analysis of porcine and human cardiac anatomy was achieved by gross examination and dissection of hearts with macrophotography. The porcine organ had a classic ‘Valentine heart’ shape, reflecting its location within the thorax and to the orientation of the pig's body (unguligrade stance). The human heart, in contrast, was trapezoidal in silhouette, reflecting man's orthograde posture. The morphologically right atrium of the pig was characterised by the tubular shape of its appendage (a feature observed on the left in the human heart). The porcine superior and inferior caval veins opened into the atrium at right angles to one another, whereas in man the orifices were directly in line. A prominent left azygous vein (comparable to the much reduced left superior caval or oblique vein in man) entered on the left side of the pig heart and drained via the coronary sinus. The porcine left atrium received only 2 pulmonary veins, whereas 4 orifices were generally observed in man. The sweep between the inlet and outlet components of the porcine right ventricle was less marked than in man, and a prominent muscular moderator band was situated in a much higher position within the porcine right ventricle compared with that of man. The apical components of both porcine ventricles possessed very coarse trabeculations, much broader than those observed in the human ventricles. In general, aortic-mitral fibrous continuity was reduced in the outlet component of the porcine left ventricle, with approximately two-thirds of the aortic valve being supported by left ventricular musculature. Several potentially significant differences exist between porcine and human hearts. It is important that these differences are considered as the arguments continue concerning the use of transgenic pig hearts for xenotransplantation.

Range imaging with adaptive color structured light

Abstract: In range sensing with time-multiplexed structured light, there is a trade-off between accuracy, robustness and the acquisition period. In this paper a novel structured light method is described. Adaptation of the number and form of the projection patterns to the characteristics of the scene takes place as part of the acquisition process. Noise margins are matched to the actual noise level, thus reducing the number of projection patterns to the necessary minimum. Color is used for light plane labeling. The dimension of the pattern space are thus increased without raising the number of projection patterns. It is shown that the color of an impinging light plane can be identified from the image of the illuminated scene, even with colorful scenes. Identification is local and does not rely on spatial color sequences. The suggested approach has been implemented and the theoretical results are supported by experiments.

Export performance: a conceptualization and empirical assessment

Abstract: Export performance has been a central construct in the study of export marketing. Several studies have attempted to identify organizational and managerial antecedents of export performance and asse...

Approximating Minimum Feedback Sets and Multicuts in Directed Graphs

Abstract: This paper deals with approximating feedback sets in directed graphs. We consider two related problems: the weighted feedback vertex set (FVS) problem, and the weighted feedback edge set (FES) problem. In the {FVS} (resp. FES) problem, one is given a directed graph with weights (each of which is at least one) on the vertices (resp. edges), and is asked to find a subset of vertices (resp. edges) with minimum total weight that intersects every directed cycle in the graph. These problems are among the classical NP-hard problems and have many applications. We also consider a generalization of these problems: subset-fvs and subset-fes, in which the feedback set has to intersect only a subset of the directed cycles in the graph. This subset consists of all the cycles that go through a distinguished input subset of vertices and edges, denoted by X . This generalization is also NP-hard even when |X|=2 . We present approximation algorithms for the subset-fvs and subset-fes problems. The first algorithm we present achieves an approximation factor of O(log 2 |X|) . The second algorithm achieves an approximation factor of O(min{log τ * log log τ * , log n log log n)} , where τ * is the value of the optimum fractional solution of the problem at hand, and n is the number of vertices in the graph. We also define a multicut problem in a special type of directed networks which we call circular networks, and show that the subset-fes and subset-fvs problems are equivalent to this multicut problem. Another contribution of our paper is a combinatorial algorithm that computes a (1+ɛ) approximation to the fractional optimal feedback vertex set. Computing the approximate solution is much simpler and more efficient than general linear programming methods. All of our algorithms use this approximate solution.