Ciliate Gene Unscrambling with Fewer Templates

One of the theoretical models proposed for the mechanism of gene unscrambling in some species of ciliates is the template-guided recombination (TGR) system by Prescott, Ehrenfeucht and Rozenberg which has been generalized by Daley and McQuillan from a formal language theory perspective. In this paper, we propose a refinement of this model that generates regular languages using the iterated TGR system with a finite initial language and a finite set of templates, using fewer templates and a smaller alphabet compared to that of the Daley-McQuillan model. To achieve Turing completeness using only finite components, i.e., a finite initial language and a finite set of templates, we also propose an extension of the contextual template-guided recombination system (CTGR system) by Daley and McQuillan, by adding an extra control called permitting contexts on the usage of templates.Comment: In Proceedings DCFS 2010, arXiv:1008.127

Numerical solutions of a class of second order boundary value problems on using Bernoulli Polynomials

The aim of this paper is to find the numerical solutions of the second order linear and nonlinear differential equations with Dirichlet, Neumann and Robin boundary conditions. We use the Bernoulli polynomials as linear combination to the approximate solutions of 2nd order boundary value problems. Here the Bernoulli polynomials over the interval [0, 1] are chosen as trial functions so that care has been taken to satisfy the corresponding homogeneous form of the Dirichlet boundary conditions in the Galerkin weighted residual method. In addition to that the given differential equation over arbitrary finite domain [a, b] and the boundary conditions are converted into its equivalent form over the interval [0, 1]. All the formulas are verified by considering numerical examples. The approximate solutions are compared with the exact solutions, and also with the solutions of the existing methods. A reliable good accuracy is obtained in all cases.Comment: 6 table

Two Refinements of the Template-Guided DNA Recombination Model of Ciliate Computing

To solve the mystery of the intricate gene unscrambling mechanism in ciliates, various theoretical models for this process have been proposed from the point of view of computation. Two main models are the reversible guided recombination system by Kari and Landweber and the template-guided recombination (TGR) system by Prescott, Ehrenfeucht and Rozenberg, based on two categories of DNA recombination: the pointer guided and the template directed recombination respectively. The latter model has been generalized by Daley and McQuillan. In this thesis, we propose a new approach to generate regular languages using the iterated TGR system with a finite initial language and a finite set of templates, that reduces the size of the template language and the alphabet compared to that of the Daley-McQuillan model. To achieve computational completeness using only finite components we also propose an extension of the contextual template-guided recombination system (CTGR system) by Daley and McQuillan, by adding an extra control called permitting contexts on the usage of templates. Then we prove that our proposed system, the CTGR system using permitting contexts, has the capability to characterize the family of recursively enumerable languages using a finite initial language and a finite set of templates. Lastly, we present a comparison and analysis of the computational power of the reversible guided recombination system and the TGR system. Keywords: ciliates, gene unscrambling, in vivo computing, DNA computing, cellular computing, reversible guided recombination, template-guided recombination

Conflict Resolution in Children and the Association Between Parenting Style and the Children’s Own Social Skills

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the associations among parenting styles, social skills and conflict resolution strategies of children with their peers. Twenty children aged 5 to 10 years and twenty parents participated in the study. The Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire and an adapted questionnaire from The Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) were used to measure parental styles and social skills of children respectively. Children were interviewed to assess their conflict resolution strategies by using six hypothetical stories taken from two different studies. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used for data analyses. The findings suggested associations among parenting styles, social skills and conflict resolution strategies. Results showed that inappropriate assertiveness was positively related with less desirable and negatively related to more desirable conflict resolution strategies. Positive aspects of parenting were positively related to children\u27s use of positive strategies and negatively related to less desirable strategies in response to conflict resolution. Less desirable aspects of parenting were negatively related with children\u27s positive way of resolving conflict. Results also showed that parenting aspects and children\u27s social skills together predicted children\u27s conflict resolution strategies in addition to their individual impacts

Integrated Framework for Interaction and Annotation of Multimodal Data

Ahmed, Afroza. MS. The University of Memphis. August 2010. Integrated Framework for Interaction and Annotation of Multimodal Data. Major Professor: Mohammed Yeasin, Ph.D. This thesis aims to develop an integrated framework and intuitive user-interface to interact, annotate, and analyze multimodal data (i.e., video, image, audio, and text data). The proposed framework has three layers: (i) interaction, (ii) annotation, and (iii) analysis or modeling. These three layers are seamlessly wrapped together using an user-friendly interface designed based on proven principles from the industry practices. The key objective is to facilitate the interaction with multimodal data at various levels of granularities. In particular, the proposed framework allows interaction with the multimodal data in three levels: (i) raw level, (ii) feature level, and (iii) semantic level. The main function of the proposed framework is to provide an efficient way to annotate the raw multimodal data to create proper ground truth meta data. The annotated data is used for visual analysis, co-analysis, and modeling of underlying concepts, such as dialog acts, continuous gestures, and spontaneous emotions. The key challenge is to integrate codes(computer programs) written using different programming languages and platforms, displaying the results, and multimodal data in one platform. This fully integrated tool achieved the stated goals and objective and is a valuable addition to the list of very few existing tools that are useful for interaction, annotation, and analysis of multimodal data

Anti-Sex Trafficking Movement of Bangladesh and the Theories of Transnational Social Movements

Using reports, interview data, and participant observation, this research examines the anti-sex trafficking movement in Bangladesh, analyzing the effects of internationalization and the growth of regional and transnational efforts to curb sex trafficking in women and children. This research examines the ability of activists of two organizations of Bangladesh to shift their engagement among national, regional, and transnational levels to take advantage provided by complex internationalism and examines the connection between current wave globalization and sex-trafficking. Results indicate that international institutions and transnational coalitions played an important role in shaping the regional networks of activists within South Asia which fostered the development of a larger regional anti-sex-trafficking movement. Results also indicate that much of the soft and hard laws growing up around sex trafficking are the results of actions by South Asian governments, international forums, and NGO activism and not exclusively by northern intervention