3,723 research outputs found

    Integrated Structure and Semantics for Reo Connectors and Petri Nets

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    In this paper, we present an integrated structural and behavioral model of Reo connectors and Petri nets, allowing a direct comparison of the two concurrency models. For this purpose, we introduce a notion of connectors which consist of a number of interconnected, user-defined primitives with fixed behavior. While the structure of connectors resembles hypergraphs, their semantics is given in terms of so-called port automata. We define both models in a categorical setting where composition operations can be elegantly defined and integrated. Specifically, we formalize structural gluings of connectors as pushouts, and joins of port automata as pullbacks. We then define a semantical functor from the connector to the port automata category which preserves this composition. We further show how to encode Reo connectors and Petri nets into this model and indicate applications to dynamic reconfigurations modeled using double pushout graph transformation

    Can Euroscepticism Contribute to a European Public Sphere? The Europeanization of Media Discourses about Euroscepticism across Six Countries

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    This study compares the media discourses about Euroscepticism in 2014 across six countries (United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Spain, Sweden, and Denmark). We assess the extent to which the mass media's reporting of Euroscepticism indicates the Europeanization of public spheres. Using a mixed-methods approach combining LDA topic modeling and qualitative coding, we find that approximately 70 per cent of print articles mentioning "Euroscepticism" or "Eurosceptic" are framed in a non-domestic (i.e. European) context. In five of the six cases studied, articles exhibiting a European context are strikingly similar in content, with the British case as the exception. However, coverage of British Euroscepticism drives Europeanization in other Member States. Bivariate logistic regressions further reveal three macro-level structural variables that significantly correlate with a Europeanized media discourse: newspaper type (tabloid or broadsheet), presence of a strong Eurosceptic party, and relationship to the EU budget (net contributor or receiver of EU funds).Comment: 29 pages, 2 figures, 4 tables, 2 appendice

    A generalized approach to model the spectra and radiation dose rate of solar particle events on the surface of Mars

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    For future human missions to Mars, it is important to study the surface radiation environment during extreme and elevated conditions. In the long term, it is mainly Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) modulated by solar activity that contributes to the radiation on the surface of Mars, but intense solar energetic particle (SEP) events may induce acute health effects. Such events may enhance the radiation level significantly and should be detected as immediately as possible to prevent severe damage to humans and equipment. However, the energetic particle environment on the Martian surface is significantly different from that in deep space due to the influence of the Martian atmosphere. Depending on the intensity and shape of the original solar particle spectra as well as particle types, the surface spectra may induce entirely different radiation effects. In order to give immediate and accurate alerts while avoiding unnecessary ones, it is important to model and well understand the atmospheric effect on the incoming SEPs including both protons and helium ions. In this paper, we have developed a generalized approach to quickly model the surface response of any given incoming proton/helium ion spectra and have applied it to a set of historical large solar events thus providing insights into the possible variety of surface radiation environments that may be induced during SEP events. Based on the statistical study of more than 30 significant solar events, we have obtained an empirical model for estimating the surface dose rate directly from the intensities of a power-law SEP spectra

    Magnetic behavior of EuCu2As2: Delicate balance between antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic order

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    The Eu-based compound, EuCu2As2, crystallizing in the ThCr2Si2-type tetragonal structure, has been synthesized and its magnetic behavior has been investigated by magnetization (M), heat-capacity (C) and electrical resistivity (rho) measurements as a function of temperature (T) and magnetic field (H) as well as by 151Eu Moessbauer measurements. The results reveal that Eu is divalent ordering antiferromagnetically below 15 K in the absence of magnetic field, apparently with the formation of magnetic Brillouin-zone boundary gaps. A fascinating observation is made in a narrow temperature range before antiferromagnetism sets in: That is, there is a remarkable upturn just below 20 K in the plot of magnetic susceptibility versus T even at low fields, as though the compound actually tends to order ferromagnetically. There are corresponding anomalies in the magnetocaloric effect data as well. In addition, a small application of magnetic field (around 1 kOe at 1.8 K) in the antiferromagnetic state causes spin-reorientation effect. These results suggest that there is a close balance between antiferromagnetism and ferromagnetism in this compoundComment: Phys. Rev. B, in pres

    Comparative quantitative LC–MS/MS analysis of 13 amylase/trypsin inhibitors in ancient and modern Triticum species

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    Amylase/trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) are major wheat allergens and they are also implicated in causing non-celiac gluten sensitivity and worsening other inflammatory conditions. With only few studies on ATI contents in different Triticum species available so far, we developed a targeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method based on stable isotope dilution assays to quantitate the 13 most important ATIs in a well-defined sample set of eight cultivars of common wheat and durum wheat (modern species), as well as spelt, emmer and einkorn (ancient species) grown at three locations in Germany, respectively. Only few ATIs with low contents were detected in einkorn. In contrast, spelt had the highest total ATI contents. Emmer and common wheat had similar total ATI contents, with durum wheat having lower contents than common wheat. Due to the lack of correlation, it was not possible to estimate ATI contents based on crude protein contents. The wheat species had a higher influence on ATI contents than the growing location and the heritability of this trait was high. Despite comparatively low intra-species variability, some cultivars were identified that may be promising candidates for breeding for naturally low ATI contents

    New excitations in bcc 4^{4}He - an inelastic neutron scattering study

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    We report neutron scattering measurements on bcc solid 4^{4}% He. We studied the phonon branches and the recently discovered ''optic-like'' branch along the main crystalline directions. In addition, we discovered another, dispersionless "optic-like'' branch at an energy around 1 meV (\sim~11K). The properties of the two "optic-like" branches seem different. Since one expects only 3 acoustic phonon branches in a monoatomic cubic crystal, these new branches must represent different type of excitations. One possible interpretation involves localized excitations unique to a quantum solid.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted by PRB, Rapid Communication

    Future challenges and chances in the diagnosis and management of invasive mould infections in cancer patients.

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    Diagnosis, treatment, and management of invasive mould infections (IMI) are challenged by several risk factors, including local epidemiological characteristics, the emergence of fungal resistance and the innate resistance of emerging pathogens, the use of new immunosuppressants, as well as off-target effects of new oncological drugs. The presence of specific host genetic variants and the patient's immune system status may also influence the establishment of an IMI and the outcome of its therapy. Immunological components can thus be expected to play a pivotal role not only in the risk assessment and diagnosis, but also in the treatment of IMI. Cytokines could improve the reliability of an invasive aspergillosis diagnosis by serving as biomarkers as do serological and molecular assays, since they can be easily measured, and the turnaround time is short. The use of immunological markers in the assessment of treatment response could be helpful to reduce overtreatment in high risk patients and allow prompt escalation of antifungal treatment. Mould-active prophylaxis could be better targeted to individual host needs, leading to a targeted prophylaxis in patients with known immunological profiles associated with high susceptibility for IMI, in particular invasive aspergillosis. The alteration of cellular antifungal immune response through oncological drugs and immunosuppressants heavily influences the outcome and may be even more important than the choice of the antifungal treatment. There is a need for the development of new antifungal strategies, including individualized approaches for prevention and treatment of IMI that consider genetic traits of the patients. Anticancer and immunosuppressive drugs may alter the ability of the immune system to fight invasive mould infections and may be more important than the choice of the antifungal treatment. Individualized approaches for prevention and treatment of invasive mold infections are needed

    Metodologias de aplicação de AIB no enraizamento de estacas semilenhosas de Sapium glandulatum (Vell.) Pax.

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    A espécie Sapium glandulatum, conhecida vulgarmente como leiteiro, é uma das espécies nativas potencialmente recomendada para a recuperação de áreas degradadas, devido principalmente ao seu caráter pioneiro, além de possivelmente possuir características medicinais, uma vez que a família Euphorbiaceae, a qual pertence, é rica em compostos fenólicos. Em abril/ 2000 e dezembro/2000 foram conduzidos experimentos em casa-de-vegetação para verificar o efeito da aplicação de diferentes concentrações de ácido indolilbutírico (AIB), em solução concentrada (10 segundos de imersão), solução diluída (16 horas de imersão) e em talco, associadas ou não ao ácido bórico, no enraizamento de estacas semilenhosas de Sapium glandulatum. As estacas foram confeccionadas a partir de brotações do ano, coletadas de plantas matrizes localizadas no município de Bocaiúva do Sul -PR, mantendo- as com comprimento de cerca de 10 cm e 2 folhas apicais reduzidas à metade. Os tratamentos utilizados foram: 0, 4000, 6000 e 8000 mg L-1 de AIB, sozinhos e em associação com 150 mg L-1 de ácido bórico (solução concentrada), 0, 200 e 400 mg L-1 de AIB, sozinhos e em associação com 150 mg L-1 ácido bórico (solução diluída) e 0, 4000, 6000 e 8000 mg L-1 de AIB, na forma de talco. Pelos resultados obtidos foi possível concluir que, após 70 dias em casa-de-vegetação, a melhor época para coleta das estacas correspondeu à instalação realizada em dezembro/2000 (verão), onde o tratamento com 8000 mg L-1 de AIB, em solução concentrada, proporcionou o maior percentual de enraizamento (14%), porém não diferindo significativamente dos demais tratamentos. A utilização da solução diluída não se mostrou promissora para a indução do sistema radicial devido à alta mortalidade das estacas. Os tratamentos com AIB veiculados em talco não superaram os resultados obtidos pelos melhores tratamentos para estacas enraizadas em solução concentrada, não sendo um método recomendável para o aumento da indução radicial de Sapium glandulatum. Pelo exposto, pode-se considerar que estacas de brotações do ano desta espécie não são indicadas para sua propagação vegetativa, de acordo com os tratamentos realizados
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