Enhanced SPARQL-based design rationale retrieval

Design rationale (DR) is an important category within design knowledge, and effective reuse of it depends on its successful retrieval. In this paper, an ontology-based DR retrieval approach is presented, which allows users to search by entering normal queries such as questions in natural language. First, an ontology-based semantic model of DR is developed based on the extended issue-based information system-based DR representation in order to effectively utilize the semantics embedded in DR, and a database of ontology-based DR is constructed, which supports SPARQL queries. Second, two SPARQL query generation methods are proposed. The first method generates initial SPARQL queries from natural language queries automatically using template matching, and the other generates initial SPARQL queries automatically from DR record-based queries. In addition, keyword extension and optimization is conducted to enhance the SPARQL-based retrieval. Third, a design rationale retrieval prototype system is implemented. The experimental results show the advantages of the proposed approach

An approach for design rationale retrieval using ontology-aided indexing

Design rationale (DR) is an important part of design knowledge. Effective reuse of DR depends on its successful retrieval. In this paper, an approach for structured DR retrieval using ontology-aided indexing is presented. Firstly, an ontology-based semantic model of DR is developed based on the extended IBIS-based DR representation in order to effectively utilise the semantics embedded in DR. Then, an ontology-aided indexing method is proposed to build indexes for DR records to index the semantic concepts and relationships in DR. Furthermore, three kinds of query modes are developed to support flexible querying, among which natural language input query and DR record-based query have much more semantics and thus lead to better retrieval results. Finally, a prototype system is implemented. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach

Procedural justice and police legitimacy: untangling the effects of race/ethnicity-based situation and organizational characteristics of police agency

Sun, Ivan YihshyanIn the 21st century, law enforcement agencies have increasingly realized the importance of police-civilian contacts in shaping public evaluations of legal authorities. Empirical evidence has shown a strong linkage between procedural justice embedded in police-civilian contacts and public views of the police as legitimate institutions. Although racial disparities have been found in public perception of the police with African Americans being the most critical group of the police, studies have rarely investigated the possible influences of race/ethnicity-based situations, defined mainly by the nexus of civilian and officer race and ethnicity, on police legitimacy. Besides, prior studies have seldom taken police organizational variations, such as internal procedural justice and policing strategies, into consideration when assessing public views of police legitimacy. This dissertation attempts to address these voids in the existing literature. ☐ Using the Police-Community Interaction Survey (PCI) and the Law Enforcement Organizations Survey (LEO) of the National Police Research Platform Phase II, 2013-2015, the current study assesses the effects of the nexus of officer race and civilian race/ethnicity, as well as police internal procedural justice and policing strategies, on public perceptions of procedural justice and police legitimacy. More than 5,000 traffic stops from forty-eight police agency are included in the analysis. A large sample size and the merging of two datasets allowed the construction of a comprehensive combination of officer and civilian race and ethnicity and the test of multilevel impacts on public evaluations of the police. The primary statistical approaches include factor analysis, multivariate regression analyses, and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). ☐ The major findings of this study are: Black civilians were less likely to perceive the police procedurally just and legitimate than White civilians; this Black-White divide in perceptions widens in encounters involving Black civilians and White officers and the negative effect of this racial combination on perception of police legitimacy is partially mediated by procedural justice; Hispanic civilians perceived White officers to be more legitimate compared to their White counterparts, and procedural justice enhances such relatively positive effect. These findings highlight the importance of procedural justice in developing a health police-public relation, advance our knowledge of the complexities of race/ethnicity in shaping civilians’ perceptions of police, and inform police administrators of potential organizational reforms to enhance police legitimacy.University of Delaware, Department of Sociology and Criminal JusticePh.D

Sensing the electrical activity of single ion channels with top-down silicon nanoribbons.

Using top-down fabricated silicon nanoribbons, we measure the opening and closing of ion channels alamethicin and gramicidin A. A capacitive model of the system is proposed to demonstrate that the geometric capacitance of the nanoribbon is charged by ion channel currents. The integration of top-down nanoribbons with electrophysiology holds promise for integration of electrically active living systems with artificial electronics

Phylogeny and evolution of Lasiopodomys in subfamily Arvivolinae based on mitochondrial genomics

The species of Lasiopodomys Lataste 1887 with their related genera remains undetermined owing to inconsistent morphological characteristics and molecular phylogeny. To investigate the phylogenetic relationship and speciation among species of the genus Lasiopodomys, we sequenced and annotated the whole mitochondrial genomes of three individual species, namely Lasiopodomys brandtii Radde 1861, L. mandarinus Milne-Edwards 1871, and Neodon (Lasiopodomys) fuscus Büchner 1889. The nucleotide sequences of the circular mitogenomes were identical for each individual species of L. brandtii, L. mandarinus, and N. fuscus. Each species contained 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs, and 2 ribosomal RNAs, with mitochondrial genome lengths of 16,557 bp, 16,562 bp, and 16,324 bp, respectively. The mitogenomes and PCGs showed positive AT skew and negative GC skew. Mitogenomic phylogenetic analyses suggested that L. brandtii, L. mandarinus, and L. gregalis Pallas 1779 belong to the genus Lasiopodomys, whereas N. fuscus belongs to the genus Neodon grouped with N. irene. Lasiopodomys showed the closest relationship with Microtus fortis Büchner 1889 and M. kikuchii Kuroda 1920, which are considered as the paraphyletic species of genera Microtus. TMRCA and niche model analysis revealed that Lasiopodomys may have first appeared during the early Pleistocene epoch. Further, L. gregalis separated from others over 1.53 million years ago (Ma) and then diverged into L. brandtii and L. mandarinus 0.76 Ma. The relative contribution of climatic fluctuations to speciation and selection in this group requires further research

The reproductive inhibitory effects of levonorgestrel, quinestrol, and EP-1 in Brandt’s vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii)

Background Rodent pests can inflict devastating impacts on agriculture and the environment, leading to significant economic damage associated with their high species diversity, reproductive rates and adaptability. Fertility control methods could indirectly control rodent pest populations as well as limit ecological consequences and environmental concerns caused by lethal chemical poisons. Brandt’s voles, which are common rodent pests found in the grasslands of middle-eastern Inner Mongolia, eastern regions of Mongolia, and some regions of southern Russia, were assessed in the present study. Methods We evaluated the effects of a 2-mg/kg dose of levonorgestrel and quinestrol and a 1:1 mixture of the two (EP-1) on reproductive behavior as well as changes in the reproductive system, reproductive hormone levels, and toxicity in Brandt’s voles. Results Our results revealed that all three fertility control agents can cause reproductive inhibition at a dosage of 2 mg/kg. However, quinestrol caused a greater degree of toxicity, as determined by visible liver damage and reduced expression of the detoxifying molecule CYP1A2. Of the remaining two fertility control agents, EP-1 was superior to levonorgestrel in inhibiting the secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone and causing reproductive inhibition. We believe that these findings could help promote the use of these fertility control agents and, in turn, reduce the use of chemical poisons and limit their detrimental ecological and environmental impacts

Regulation of HIF-1α and p53 in stress responses in the subterranean rodents Lasiopodomys mandarinus and Lasiopodomys brandtii (Rodentia: Cricetidae)

The response mechanism and interaction patterns of HIF-1α and p53 in animals in an hypoxic environment are crucial for their hypoxic tolerance and adaptation. Many studies have shown that underground rodents have better hypoxic adaptation characteristics. However, the mechanism by which HIF-1α and p53 in underground rodents respond to hypoxic environments compared with in ground rodents remains unclear. Further, whether a synergy between HIF-1α and p53 enables animals tolerate extremely hypoxic environments is unclear. We studied HIF-1α and p53 expression in the brain tissue and cell apoptosis in the hippocampal CA1 region during 6 hours of acute hypoxia (5% oxygen) in Lasiopodomys mandarinus (Milne-Edwards, 1871) and Lasiopodomys brandtii (Radde, 1861), two closely related small rodents with different life characteristics (underground and aboveground, respectively), using a comparative biology method to determine the mechanisms underlying their adaptation to this environment. Our results indicate that HIF-1α and p53 expression is more rapid in L. mandarinus than in L. brandtii under acute hypoxic environments, resulting in a significant synergistic effect in L. mandarinus. Correlation analysis revealed that HIF-1α expression and the apoptotic index of the hippocampal CA1 regions of the brain tissues of L. mandarinus and L. brandtii, both under hypoxia, were significantly negatively and positively correlated, respectively. Long-term existence in underground burrow systems could enable better adaptation to hypoxia in L. mandarinus than in L. brandtii. We speculate that L. mandarinus can quickly eliminate resulting damage via the synergistic effect of p53 and HIF-1α in response to acute hypoxic environments, helping the organism quickly return to a normal state after the stress

Differential responses of Lasiopodomys mandarinus and Lasiopodomys brandtii to chronic hypoxia: a cross-species brain transcriptome analysis

Abstract Background Subterranean rodents have evolved many features to adapt to their hypoxic environment. The brain is an organ that is particularly vulnerable to damage caused by exposure to hypoxic conditions. To investigate the mechanisms of adaption to a hypoxic underground environment, we carried out a cross-species brain transcriptome analysis by RNA sequencing and identified genes that are differentially expressed between the subterranean vole Lasiopodomys mandarinus and the closely related above-ground species Lasiopodomys brandtii under chronic hypoxia [10.0% oxygen (O2)] and normoxia (20.9% O2). Results A total of 355 million clean reads were obtained, including 69,611 unigenes in L. mandarinus and 69,360 in L. brandtii. A total of 235 and 92 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by comparing the hypoxic and control groups of L. mandarinus and L. brandtii, respectively. A Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that upregulated DEGs in both species had similar functions in response to hypoxia, whereas downregulated DEGs in L. mandarinus were enriched GO terms related to enzymes involved in aerobic reactions. In the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis, upregulated DEGs in L. mandarinus were associated with angiogenesis and the increased O2 transport capacity of red blood cells, whereas downregulated DEGs were associated with immune responses. On the other hand, upregulated DEGs in L. brandtii were associated with cell survival, vascular endothelial cell proliferation, and neuroprotection, while downregulated genes were related to the synaptic transmission by neurons. Conclusions L. mandarinus actively adapts its physiological functions to hypoxic conditions, for instance by increasing O2 transport capacity and modulating O2 consumption. In contrast, L. brandtii reacts passively to hypoxia by decreasing overall activity in order to reduce O2 consumption. These results provide insight into hypoxia adaptation mechanisms in subterranean rodents that may be applicable to humans living at high altitudes or operating in other O2-poor environments