453 research outputs found
Hypothetical Reasoning via Provenance Abstraction
Data analytics often involves hypothetical reasoning: repeatedly modifying
the data and observing the induced effect on the computation result of a
data-centric application. Previous work has shown that fine-grained data
provenance can help make such an analysis more efficient: instead of a costly
re-execution of the underlying application, hypothetical scenarios are applied
to a pre-computed provenance expression. However, storing provenance for
complex queries and large-scale data leads to a significant overhead, which is
often a barrier to the incorporation of provenance-based solutions.
To this end, we present a framework that allows to reduce provenance size.
Our approach is based on reducing the provenance granularity using user defined
abstraction trees over the provenance variables; the granularity is based on
the anticipated hypothetical scenarios. We formalize the tradeoff between
provenance size and supported granularity of the hypothetical reasoning, and
study the complexity of the resulting optimization problem, provide efficient
algorithms for tractable cases and heuristics for others. We experimentally
study the performance of our solution for various queries and abstraction
trees. Our study shows that the algorithms generally lead to substantial
speedup of hypothetical reasoning, with a reasonable loss of accuracy
Apparent Superluminal Behavior
The apparent superluminal propagation of electromagnetic signals seen in
recent experiments is shown to be the result of simple and robust properties of
relativistic field equations. Although the wave front of a signal passing
through a classically forbidden region can never move faster than light, an
attenuated replica of the signal is reproduced ``instantaneously'' on the other
side of the barrier. The reconstructed signal, causally connected to the
forerunner rather than the bulk of the input signal, appears to move through
the barrier faster than light.Comment: 8 pages, no figure
Putting Lipstick on Pig: Enabling Database-Style Workflow Provenance
Workflow provenance typically assumes that each module is a “black-box”, so that each output depends on all inputs (coarse-grained dependencies). Furthermore, it does not model the internal state of a module, which can change between repeated executions. In practice, however, an output may depend on only a small subset of the inputs (finegrained dependencies) as well as on the internal state of the module. We present a novel provenance framework that marries database-style and workflow-style provenance, by using Pig Latin to expose the functionality of modules, thus capturing internal state and fine-grained dependencies. A critical ingredient in our solution is the use of a novel form of provenance graph that models module invocations and yields a compact representation of fine-grained workflow provenance. It also enables a number of novel graph transformation operations, allowing to choose the desired level of granularity in provenance querying (ZoomIn and ZoomOut), and supporting “what-if” workflow analytic queries. We implemented our approach in the Lipstick system and developed a benchmark in support of a systematic performance evaluation. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of tracking and querying fine-grained workflow provenance
Equivalence-Invariant Algebraic Provenance for Hyperplane Update Queries
The algebraic approach for provenance tracking, originating in the semiring
model of Green et. al, has proven useful as an abstract way of handling
metadata. Commutative Semirings were shown to be the "correct" algebraic
structure for Union of Conjunctive Queries, in the sense that its use allows
provenance to be invariant under certain expected query equivalence axioms.
In this paper we present the first (to our knowledge) algebraic provenance
model, for a fragment of update queries, that is invariant under set
equivalence. The fragment that we focus on is that of hyperplane queries,
previously studied in multiple lines of work. Our algebraic provenance
structure and corresponding provenance-aware semantics are based on the sound
and complete axiomatization of Karabeg and Vianu. We demonstrate that our
construction can guide the design of concrete provenance model instances for
different applications. We further study the efficient generation and storage
of provenance for hyperplane update queries. We show that a naive algorithm can
lead to an exponentially large provenance expression, but remedy this by
presenting a normal form which we show may be efficiently computed alongside
query evaluation. We experimentally study the performance of our solution and
demonstrate its scalability and usefulness, and in particular the effectiveness
of our normal form representation
Hawking Radiation on an Ion Ring in the Quantum Regime
This paper discusses a recent proposal for the simulation of acoustic black
holes with ions. The ions are rotating on a ring with an inhomogeneous, but
stationary velocity profile. Phonons cannot leave a region, in which the ion
velocity exceeds the group velocity of the phonons, as light cannot escape from
a black hole. The system is described by a discrete field theory with a
nonlinear dispersion relation. Hawking radiation is emitted by this acoustic
black hole, generating entanglement between the inside and the outside of the
black hole. We study schemes to detect the Hawking effect in this setup.Comment: 42 pages (one column), 17 figures, published revised versio
Structurally Tractable Uncertain Data
Many data management applications must deal with data which is uncertain,
incomplete, or noisy. However, on existing uncertain data representations, we
cannot tractably perform the important query evaluation tasks of determining
query possibility, certainty, or probability: these problems are hard on
arbitrary uncertain input instances. We thus ask whether we could restrict the
structure of uncertain data so as to guarantee the tractability of exact query
evaluation. We present our tractability results for tree and tree-like
uncertain data, and a vision for probabilistic rule reasoning. We also study
uncertainty about order, proposing a suitable representation, and study
uncertain data conditioned by additional observations.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, 1 table. To appear in SIGMOD/PODS PhD Symposium
201
NMR Simulation of an Eight-State Quantum System
The propagation of excitation along a one-dimensional chain of atoms is
simulated by means of NMR. The physical system used as an analog quantum
computer is a nucleus of 133-Cs (spin 7/2) in a liquid crystalline matrix. The
Hamiltonian of migration is simulated by using a special 7-frequency pulse, and
the dynamics is monitored by following the transfer of population from one of
the 8 spin energy levels to the other.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Xenohormone transactivities are inversely associated to serum POPs in Inuit
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens
AhR transcriptional activity in serum of Inuits across Greenlandic districts
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Human exposure to lipophilic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) including polychlorinated dibenzo-<it>p</it>-dioxins/furans (PCDDs/PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticide is ubiquitous. The individual is exposed to a complex mixture of POPs being life-long beginning during critical developmental windows. Exposure to POPs elicits a number of species- and tissue-specific toxic responses, many of which involve the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). The aim of this study was to compare the actual level of integrated AhR transcriptional activity in the lipophilic serum fraction containing the actual POP mixture among Inuits from different districts in Greenland, and to evaluate whether the AhR transactivity is correlated to the bio-accumulated POPs and/or lifestyle factors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study included 357 serum samples from the Greenlandic districts: Nuuk and Sisimiut (South West Coast), Qaanaaq (North Coast) and Tasiilaq (East Coast). The bio-accumulated serum POPs were extracted by ethanol: hexane and clean-up on Florisil columns. Effects of the serum extract on the AhR transactivity was determined using the Hepa 1.12cR mouse hepatoma cell line carrying an AhR-luciferase reporter gene, and the data was evaluated for possible association to the serum levels of 14 PCB congeners, 10 organochlorine pesticide residues and/or lifestyle factors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In total 85% of the Inuit samples elicited agonistic AhR transactivity in a district dependent pattern. The median level of the AhR-TCDD equivalent (AhR-TEQ) of the separate genders was similar in the different districts. For the combined data the order of the median AhR-TEQ was Tasiilaq > Nuuk ≥ Sisimiut > Qaanaaq possibly being related to the different composition of POPs. In overall, the AhR transactivity was inversely correlated to the levels of sum POPs, age and/or intake of marine food.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>i) We observed that the proportion of dioxin like (DL) compounds in the POP mixture was the dominating factor affecting the level of serum AhR transcriptional activity even at very high level of non DL-PCBs; ii) The inverse association between the integrated serum AhR transactivity and sum of POPs might be explained by the higher level of compounds antagonizing the AhR function probably due to selective POP bioaccumulation in the food chain.</p
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