4,116 research outputs found
Hierarchy and Competition in CSCW applications: Model and case study
CSCW applications need to adapt themselves to the functional and organizational structures of people that use them. However they do not usually support division in groups with a certain hierarchical structure among them. In this paper, we propose and study a theoretical model of groupware appliations that reflects those hierarchical interactions. The proposed model is also intended to evaluate the effects in performance derived from competitive and collaborative relationships among the components of a hierarchy of groups. In order to demonstrate the above ideas, a groupware game, called Alymod, was designed and implemented using a modified version of a well-known CSCW Toolkit, namely Groupkit. Groupkit was modified in order to support group interactions in the same CSCW application. In Alymod, participants compete or collaborate within a hierarchical structure to achieve a common goal (completing gaps in a text, finishing numerical series, resolving University course examinations, etc.).Publicad
Detecting Repetitions and Periodicities in Proteins by Tiling the Structural Space
The notion of energy landscapes provides conceptual tools for understanding
the complexities of protein folding and function. Energy Landscape Theory
indicates that it is much easier to find sequences that satisfy the "Principle
of Minimal Frustration" when the folded structure is symmetric (Wolynes, P. G.
Symmetry and the Energy Landscapes of Biomolecules. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.
U.S.A. 1996, 93, 14249-14255). Similarly, repeats and structural mosaics may be
fundamentally related to landscapes with multiple embedded funnels. Here we
present analytical tools to detect and compare structural repetitions in
protein molecules. By an exhaustive analysis of the distribution of structural
repeats using a robust metric we define those portions of a protein molecule
that best describe the overall structure as a tessellation of basic units. The
patterns produced by such tessellations provide intuitive representations of
the repeating regions and their association towards higher order arrangements.
We find that some protein architectures can be described as nearly periodic,
while in others clear separations between repetitions exist. Since the method
is independent of amino acid sequence information we can identify structural
units that can be encoded by a variety of distinct amino acid sequences
Regulation of brain endothelial barrier function by microRNAs in health and neuroinflammation
Brain endothelial cells constitute the major cellular element of the highly specialized bloodâbrain barrier (BBB) and thereby contribute to CNS homeostasis by restricting entry of circulating leukocytes and blood-borne molecules into the CNS. Therefore, compromised function of brain endothelial cells has serious consequences for BBB integrity. This has been associated with early events in the pathogenesis of several disorders that affect the CNS, such as multiple sclerosis, HIV-associated neurologic disorder, and stroke. Recent studies demonstrate that brain endothelial microRNAs play critical roles in the regulation of BBB function under normal and neuroinflammatory conditions. This review will focus on emerging evidence that indicates that brain endothelial microRNAs regulate barrier function and orchestrate various phases of the neuroinflammatory response, including endothelial activation in response to cytokines as well as restoration of inflamed endothelium into a quiescent state. In particular, we discuss novel microRNA regulatory mechanisms and their contribution to cellular interactions at the neurovascular unit that influence the overall function of the BBB in health and during neuroinflammatio
Dielectric branes in non-trivial backgrounds
We present a procedure to evaluate the action for dielectric branes in
non-trivial backgrounds. These backgrounds must be capable to be taken into a
Kaluza-Klein form, with some non-zero wrapping factor. We derive the way this
wrapping factor is gauged away. Examples of this are AdS_5xS^5 and
AdS_3xS^3xT^4, where we perform the construction of different stable systems,
which stability relies in its dielectric character.Comment: 14 pages, published versio
Phase transitions in social sciences: two-populations mean field theory
A new mean field statistical mechanics model of two interacting groups of
spins is introduced and the phase transition studied in terms of their relative
size. A jump of the average magnetization is found for large values of the
mutual interaction when the relative percentage of the two populations crosses
a critical threshold. It is shown how the critical percentage depends on
internal interactions and on the initial magnetizations. The model is
interpreted as a prototype of resident-immigrant cultural interaction and
conclusions from the social sciences perspectives are drawn
A Period and a Prediction for the Of?p Spectrum Alternator HD 191612
The observational picture of the enigmatic O-type spectrum variable HD191612
has been sharpened substantially. A symmetrical, low-amplitude light curve with
a period near 540 d has recently been reported from Hipparcos photometry. This
period satisfies all of the spectroscopy since at least 1982, including
extensive new observations during 2003 and 2004, and it has predicted the next
transition during September--October 2004. Measurements of the H alpha
equivalent width reveal a sharp emission peak in the phase diagram, in contrast
to the apparently sinusoidal light curve. The He II absorption-line strength is
essentially constant, while He I varies strongly, possibly filled in by
emission in the O6 state, thus producing the apparent spectral-type variations.
The O8 state appears to be the "normal" one. Two intermediate O7 observations
have been obtained, which fall at the expected phases, but these are the only
modern observations of the transitions so far. The period is too long for
rotation or pulsation; although there is no direct evidence as yet for a
companion, a model in which tidally induced oscillations drive an enhanced wind
near periastron of an eccentric orbit appears promising. Further observations
during the now predictable transitions may provide a critical test. Ultraviolet
and X-ray observations during both states will likely also prove illuminating.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 1 table; scheduled for the 2004 December 10 issue
of ApJL, Vol. 617, No. 1. ApJ
Constraining the Kahler Moduli in the Heterotic Standard Model
Phenomenological implications of the volume of the Calabi-Yau threefolds on
the hidden and observable M-theory boundaries, together with slope stability of
their corresponding vector bundles, constrain the set of Kaehler moduli which
give rise to realistic compactifications of the strongly coupled heterotic
string. When vector bundles are constructed using extensions, we provide simple
rules to determine lower and upper bounds to the region of the Kaehler moduli
space where such compactifications can exist. We show how small these regions
can be, working out in full detail the case of the recently proposed Heterotic
Standard Model. More explicitely, we exhibit Kaehler classes in these regions
for which the visible vector bundle is stable. On the other hand, there is no
polarization for which the hidden bundle is stable.Comment: 28 pages, harvmac. Exposition improved, references and one figure
added, minor correction
Building Cooperative Networks
We study the cooperation problem in the framework of evolutionary game theory
using the prisoner's dilemma as metaphor of the problem. Considering the
growing process of the system and individuals with imitation capacity, we show
conditions that allow to form highly cooperative networks of any size and
topology. Introducing general considerations of real systems, we reduce the
required conditions for cooperation to evolve approaching the benefit-cost
ratio r to the theoretical minimum r=1, when the mean connectivity of the
individuals is increased. Through the paper, we distinguish different
mechanisms that allow the system to maintain high levels of cooperation when
the system grows by incorporation of defectors. These mechanisms require
heterogeneity among individuals for cooperation to evolve. However, the
required conditions and heterogeneities are drastically reduced as compared to
those required for static networks.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figure
- âŠ