On Coordinating Personalized Web Services using COOPS

This paper presents CooPS, which is a method for Coordinating Personalized Services. These services are primarily offered to mobile users. Very little has been done so far regarding first, personalizing Web services for the benefit of mobile users and second, providing the methodological support to designers who specify the operations of personalization. Various obstacles still exist such as lack of techniques for modeling and specifying the integration of personalization into Web services, and existing approaches for Web services composition typically facilitate orchestration only, while neglecting contextual information on users and Web services

Epigenetic transgenerational inheritance, gametogenesis and germline development

One of the most important developing cell types in any biological system is the gamete (sperm and egg). The transmission of phenotypes and optimally adapted physiology to subsequent generations is in large part controlled by gametogenesis. In contrast to genetics, the environment actively regulates epigenetics to impact the physiology and phenotype of cellular and biological systems. The integration of epigenetics and genetics is critical for all developmental biology systems at the cellular and organism level. The current review is focused on the role of epigenetics during gametogenesis for both the spermatogenesis system in the male and oogenesis system in the female. The developmental stages from the initial primordial germ cell through gametogenesis to the mature sperm and egg are presented. How environmental factors can influence the epigenetics of gametogenesis to impact the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of phenotypic and physiological change in subsequent generations is reviewed.Summary sentenceHow environmental factors can influence the epigenetics of gametogenesis to impact the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of phenotypic and physiological change in subsequent generations is reviewed

Environmentally Induced Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance and the Weismann Barrier: The Dawn of Neo-Lamarckian Theory

For the past 120 years, the Weismann barrier and associated germ plasm theory of heredity have been a doctrine that has impacted evolutionary biology and our concepts of inheritance through the germline. Although August Weismann in his 1872 book was correct that the sperm and egg were the only cells to transmit molecular information to the subsequent generation, the concept that somatic cells do not impact the germline (i.e., the Weismann barrier) is incorrect. However, the doctrine or dogma of the Weismann barrier still influences many scientific fields and topics. The discovery of epigenetics, and more recently environmentally induced epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of phenotypic variation and pathology, have had significant impacts on evolution theory and medicine today. Environmental epigenetics and the concept of epigenetic transgenerational inheritance refute aspects of the Weismann barrier and require a re-evaluation of both inheritance theory and evolution theory

Role of epigenetic transgenerational inheritance in generational toxicology

Many environmental toxicants have been shown to be associated with the transgenerational inheritance of increased disease susceptibility. This review describes the generational toxicity of some of these chemicals and their role in the induction of epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease. Epigenetic factors include DNA methylation, histone modifications, retention of histones in sperm, changes to chromatin structure, and expression of non-coding RNAs. For toxicant-induced epigenetic transgenerational inheritance to occur, exposure to a toxicant must result in epigenetic changes to germ cells (sperm or eggs) since it is the germ cells that carry molecular information to subsequent generations. In addition, the epigenetic changes induced in transgenerational generation animals must cause alterations in gene expression in these animals' somatic cells. In some cases of generational toxicology, negligible changes are seen in the directly exposed generations, but increased disease rates are seen in transgenerational descendants. Governmental policies regulating toxicant exposure should take generational effects into account. A new approach that takes into consideration generational toxicity will be needed to protect our future populations

Database and database application security

This paper focuses on the emerging importance of database and application security, textbooks and other supplementary materials to teach these topics and where to place these topics in a curriculum. The paper emphasizes 1) the growing concerns of database technologies and database applications, 2) existing books and supporting materials, and 3) and Zayed University\u27s approach to teaching these topics. At Zayed, we incorporate database and database application security in two different courses. © 2009 ACM

Environmental induced transgenerational inheritance impacts systems epigenetics in disease etiology

Environmental toxicants have been shown to promote the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease through exposure specific epigenetic alterations in the germline. The current study examines the actions of hydrocarbon jet fuel, dioxin, pesticides (permethrin and methoxychlor), plastics, and herbicides (glyphosate and atrazine) in the promotion of transgenerational disease in the great grand-offspring rats that correlates with specific disease associated differential DNA methylation regions (DMRs). The transgenerational disease observed was similar for all exposures and includes pathologies of the kidney, prostate, and testis, pubertal abnormalities, and obesity. The disease specific DMRs in sperm were exposure specific for each pathology with negligible overlap. Therefore, for each disease the DMRs and associated genes were distinct for each exposure generational lineage. Observations suggest a large number of DMRs and associated genes are involved in a specific pathology, and various environmental exposures influence unique subsets of DMRs and genes to promote the transgenerational developmental origins of disease susceptibility later in life. A novel multiscale systems biology basis of disease etiology is proposed involving an integration of environmental epigenetics, genetics and generational toxicology

Epigenome-wide association study of systemic effects of obesity susceptibility in human twins

The current study was designed to use an epigenome-wide association approach (EWAS) to identify potential systemic DNA methylation alterations that are associated with obesity using 22 discordant twin pairs. Buccal cells (from a cheek swab) were used as a non-obesity relevant purified marker cell for the epigenetic analysis. Analysis of differential DNA methylation regions (DMRs) was used to identify epigenetic associations with metabolic and dietary measures related to obesity with discordant twins. An edgeR analysis provided a DMR signature with p < 1e-04, but statistical significance was reduced due to low sample size and known multiple origins of obesity. A weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed and identified modules (p < 0.005) of epigenetic sites that correlated with different metabolic and dietary measures. The DMR and WGCNA epigenetic sites were near genes (e.g., CIDEC, SPP1, ZFPG9, and POMC) with previously identified obesity associated pathways (e.g., metabolism, cholesterol, and fat digestion). Observations demonstrate the feasibility of identifying systemic epigenetic biomarkers for obesity, which can be further investigated for clinical relevance in future research with larger sample sizes. The availability of a systemic epigenetic biomarker for obesity susceptibility may facilitate preventative medicine and clinical management of the disease early in life

Enterprise 2.0: Research challenges and opportunities

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015. Blending Web 2.0 technologies with enterprise information systems is setting up the stage for a new generation of information systems that will help enterprises open up new communication channels with their stakeholders. Contrary to traditional enterprises with top-down command flow and bottom-up feedback flow, the same flows in Enterprise 2.0 cross all levels and in all directions bringing people together in the development of creative and innovative ideas. The power of Web 2.0 technologies stems from their ability to capture real-world phenomena such as collaboration, competition, and partnership that can be converted into useful and structured information sources from which enterprises can draw information about markets’ trends, consumers’ habits, suppliers’ strategies, etc. This paper discusses the research efforts that our international research group has put into the topic of Enterprise 2.0 (aka Social Enterprise). In particular, our research group advocates that existing practices for managing enterprise information systems need to be re-visited in a way that permits to capture social relations that arise inside and outside the enterprise, to establish guidelines and techniques to assist IT practitioners integrate social relations into their design, development, and maintenance efforts of these information systems, and last but not least to identify and tackle challenges that prevent capturing social relations

Design and experimental implementation of voltage control scheme using the coefficient diagram method based PID controller for two-level boost converter with photovoltaic system

Introduction. Currently, in the solar energy systems and a variety of electrical applications, the power converters are essential part. The main challenge for similar systems is controller design. In the literature, the PID controller has proved its effectiveness in many industrial applications, but determining its parameters remains one of the challenges in control theory field. The novelty of the work resides in the design and experimental implementation of a two-level boost DC-DC converter controlled by a PID controller for photovoltaic (PV) maximum power extraction. Purpose. Analysis and control of the two-level boost topology with renewable energy source and design of the PID controller parameters using simple and accurate method. Methods. PID coefficients are optimized using Coefficient Diagram Method (CDM) in the MATLAB environment. Results. A mathematical model of a two-level boost converter with PID controller and PV energy source was developed and analyzed. The model allows to design the controller parameters of the proposed system. Practical value. A prototype steered by the proposed CDM-PID controller was tested using an Arduino embedded board. A comparison between the simulation results and the experimental one is presented. The obtained results illustrate that the experimental results match the simulation closely, and the proposed CDM-PID controller provides a fast and precise results.Вступ. В даний час перетворювачі потужності є невід’ємною частиною сонячних енергетичних систем та різних електричних пристроїв. Основною проблемою для таких систем є проектування контролера. У літературі ПІД-регулятор довів свою ефективність у багатьох промислових застосуваннях, але визначення його параметрів залишається однією з проблем у галузі теорії управління. Новизна роботи полягає у розробці та експериментальній реалізації дворівневого підвищувального перетворювача постійного струму, керованого ПІД-регулятором, для отримання максимальної потужності фотоелектричних пристроїв. Мета. Аналіз та управління дворівневою топологією підвищення з використанням відновлюваного джерела енергії та розрахунок параметрів ПІД-регулятора простим та точним методом. Методи. Коефіцієнти ПІД оптимізуються за допомогою методу діаграми коефіцієнтів (CDM) у середовищі MATLAB. Отримані результати. Розроблено та проаналізовано математичну модель дворівневого підвищувального перетворювача з ПІД-регулятором та фотоелектричним джерелом енергії. Модель дозволяє спроєктувати параметри контролера пропонованої системи. Практична цінність. Прототип, керований пропонованим контролером CDM-PID, протестували з використанням вбудованої плати Arduino. Наведено порівняння результатів моделювання з експериментальними даними. Отримані результати показують, що експериментальні результати близько відповідають моделюванню, а пропонований CDM-ПІД-регулятор забезпечує швидкі та точні результати