223 research outputs found
Randomized Algorithms for the Loop Cutset Problem
We show how to find a minimum weight loop cutset in a Bayesian network with
high probability. Finding such a loop cutset is the first step in the method of
conditioning for inference. Our randomized algorithm for finding a loop cutset
outputs a minimum loop cutset after O(c 6^k kn) steps with probability at least
1 - (1 - 1/(6^k))^c6^k, where c > 1 is a constant specified by the user, k is
the minimal size of a minimum weight loop cutset, and n is the number of
vertices. We also show empirically that a variant of this algorithm often finds
a loop cutset that is closer to the minimum weight loop cutset than the ones
found by the best deterministic algorithms known
Emergence of hyperons in failed supernovae: trigger of the black hole formation
We investigate the emergence of strange baryons in the dynamical collapse of
a non-rotating massive star to a black hole by the neutrino-radiation
hydrodynamical simulations in general relativity. By following the dynamical
formation and collapse of nascent proto-neutron star from the gravitational
collapse of a 40Msun star adopting a new hyperonic EOS table, we show that the
hyperons do not appear at the core bounce but populate quickly at ~0.5-0.7 s
after the bounce to trigger the re-collapse to a black hole. They start to show
up off center owing to high temperatures and later prevail at center when the
central density becomes high enough. The neutrino emission from the accreting
proto-neutron star with the hyperonic EOS stops much earlier than the
corresponding case with a nucleonic EOS while the average energies and
luminosities are quite similar between them. These features of neutrino signal
are a potential probe of the emergence of new degrees of freedom inside the
black hole forming collapse.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
Greedy D-Approximation Algorithm for Covering with Arbitrary Constraints and Submodular Cost
This paper describes a simple greedy D-approximation algorithm for any
covering problem whose objective function is submodular and non-decreasing, and
whose feasible region can be expressed as the intersection of arbitrary (closed
upwards) covering constraints, each of which constrains at most D variables of
the problem. (A simple example is Vertex Cover, with D = 2.) The algorithm
generalizes previous approximation algorithms for fundamental covering problems
and online paging and caching problems
An Extension of the Nemhauser–Trotter Theorem to Generalized Vertex Cover with Applications
Information Gathering in Ad-Hoc Radio Networks with Tree Topology
We study the problem of information gathering in ad-hoc radio networks
without collision detection, focussing on the case when the network forms a
tree, with edges directed towards the root. Initially, each node has a piece of
information that we refer to as a rumor. Our goal is to design protocols that
deliver all rumors to the root of the tree as quickly as possible. The protocol
must complete this task within its allotted time even though the actual tree
topology is unknown when the computation starts. In the deterministic case,
assuming that the nodes are labeled with small integers, we give an O(n)-time
protocol that uses unbounded messages, and an O(n log n)-time protocol using
bounded messages, where any message can include only one rumor. We also
consider fire-and-forward protocols, in which a node can only transmit its own
rumor or the rumor received in the previous step. We give a deterministic
fire-and- forward protocol with running time O(n^1.5), and we show that it is
asymptotically optimal. We then study randomized algorithms where the nodes are
not labelled. In this model, we give an O(n log n)-time protocol and we prove
that this bound is asymptotically optimal
On the Computational Complexity of Measuring Global Stability of Banking Networks
Threats on the stability of a financial system may severely affect the
functioning of the entire economy, and thus considerable emphasis is placed on
the analyzing the cause and effect of such threats. The financial crisis in the
current and past decade has shown that one important cause of instability in
global markets is the so-called financial contagion, namely the spreading of
instabilities or failures of individual components of the network to other,
perhaps healthier, components. This leads to a natural question of whether the
regulatory authorities could have predicted and perhaps mitigated the current
economic crisis by effective computations of some stability measure of the
banking networks. Motivated by such observations, we consider the problem of
defining and evaluating stabilities of both homogeneous and heterogeneous
banking networks against propagation of synchronous idiosyncratic shocks given
to a subset of banks. We formalize the homogeneous banking network model of
Nier et al. and its corresponding heterogeneous version, formalize the
synchronous shock propagation procedures, define two appropriate stability
measures and investigate the computational complexities of evaluating these
measures for various network topologies and parameters of interest. Our results
and proofs also shed some light on the properties of topologies and parameters
of the network that may lead to higher or lower stabilities.Comment: to appear in Algorithmic
Putative role of the adenosine A3 receptor in the antiproliferative action of N6-(2-isopentenyl)adenosine
We tested a panel of naturally occurring nucleosides for their affinity towards adenosine receptors. Both N6-(2-isopentenyl)adenosine (IPA) and racemic zeatin riboside were shown to be selective human adenosine A3 receptor (hA3R) ligands with affinities in the high nanomolar range (Ki values of 159 and 649 nM, respectively). These values were comparable to the observed Ki value of adenosine on hA3R, which was 847 nM in the same radioligand binding assay. IPA also bound with micromolar affinity to the rat A3R. In a functional assay in Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with hA3R, IPA and zeatin riboside inhibited forskolin-induced cAMP formation at micromolar potencies. The effect of IPA could be blocked by the A3R antagonist VUF5574. Both IPA and reference A3R agonist 2-chloro-N6-(3-iodobenzyl)adenosine-5′-N-methylcarboxamide (Cl-IB-MECA) have known antitumor effects. We demonstrated strong and highly similar antiproliferative effects of IPA and Cl-IB-MECA on human and rat tumor cell lines LNCaP and N1S1. Importantly, the antiproliferative effect of low concentrations of IPA on LNCaP cells could be fully blocked by the selective A3R antagonist MRS1523. At higher concentrations, IPA appeared to inhibit cell growth by an A3R-independent mechanism, as was previously reported for other A3R agonists. We used HPLC to investigate the presence of endogenous IPA in rat muscle tissue, but we could not detect the compound. In conclusion, the antiproliferative effects of the naturally occurring nucleoside IPA are at least in part mediated by the A3R
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