On the Limitations of Provenance for Queries With Difference

The annotation of the results of database transformations was shown to be very effective for various applications. Until recently, most works in this context focused on positive query languages. The provenance semirings is a particular approach that was proven effective for these languages, and it was shown that when propagating provenance with semirings, the expected equivalence axioms of the corresponding query languages are satisfied. There have been several attempts to extend the framework to account for relational algebra queries with difference. We show here that these suggestions fail to satisfy some expected equivalence axioms (that in particular hold for queries on "standard" set and bag databases). Interestingly, we show that this is not a pitfall of these particular attempts, but rather every such attempt is bound to fail in satisfying these axioms, for some semirings. Finally, we show particular semirings for which an extension for supporting difference is (im)possible.Comment: TAPP 201

Provenance for Aggregate Queries

We study in this paper provenance information for queries with aggregation. Provenance information was studied in the context of various query languages that do not allow for aggregation, and recent work has suggested to capture provenance by annotating the different database tuples with elements of a commutative semiring and propagating the annotations through query evaluation. We show that aggregate queries pose novel challenges rendering this approach inapplicable. Consequently, we propose a new approach, where we annotate with provenance information not just tuples but also the individual values within tuples, using provenance to describe the values computation. We realize this approach in a concrete construction, first for "simple" queries where the aggregation operator is the last one applied, and then for arbitrary (positive) relational algebra queries with aggregation; the latter queries are shown to be more challenging in this context. Finally, we use aggregation to encode queries with difference, and study the semantics obtained for such queries on provenance annotated databases

Selective involvement of proteasomes and cysteine proteases in MHC class I antigen presentation.

CTL recognize peptides derived from protein Ags bound to MHC-class I molecules. Proteasomes probably participate in the generation of these peptide epitopes. We investigated the role of proteasomes in the presentation of endogenously synthesized short viral proteins. To this end, we employed proteasome and cysteine protease inhibitors and two closely related recombinant vaccinia viruses that code for 17- and 19-amino acid-long products encompassing murine CMV 9pp89 epitope. Presentation of both minigene products required processing to shorter peptides and was independent of ubiquitination. Proteasomes were necessary for processing the 17-mer product, and cysteine proteases were not required. In contrast, the 19-mer product could be processed in parallel either by proteasomes or by cysteine proteases independently. These results highlight the diversity of alternative processing pathways even for short peptidic Ags, provide evidence for the involvement of cysteine proteases in MHC class I presentation, and show that cleavage by cysteine proteases is governed by sequences flanking the epitope.S

Non-compaction of the ventricular myocardium: a cardiomyopathy in search of a pathoanatomical definition

Ventricular non-compaction is a rare cardiomyopathy characterized by numerous, excessively prominent ventricular trabeculations and deep intertrabecular recesses communicating with the ventricular cavity. The lesion is postulated to result from an intrauterine developmental arrest that stops compaction of the myocardial fiber meshwork. This cardiomyopathy affects the left ventricle, with or without concomitant right ventricular involvement. The disease is now seen with increasing frequency and it is clinically diagnosed by imaging techniques such as echocardiography or cardiac magnetic resonance. Current diagnostic criteria are considered too sensitive, particularly in black individuals. Therefore, this condition has generated considerable controversy and demands a new definition. Non-compaction cardiomyopathy shows variability of hereditary patterns, genetic heterogeneity, diversity in associated phenotypes and a wide spectrum of clinical presentation and pathophysiological findings. Non-compaction can be simply a variant of normal maturation of the ventricular myocardium with only the most severe forms producing a distinct clinical-pathological entity. Ventricular noncompaction most probably is a secondary consequence of an underlying molecular derangement produced by a pathogenetic mutation. It is likely that surgical pathologists will find this entity more frequently due to involvement in transplantation teams

CARDIAC AND OPERANT BEHAVIOR RESPONSE OF STARLINGS (Sturnus vulgaris) TO DISTRESS AND ALARM SOUNDS

A variety of auditory stimuli have been used for many years as a means of repelling nuisance birds from problem areas (Boudreau, 1968; Bremond et al., 1968; Frings and Jumber, 1954; Langowski et al., 1969; Nelson and Seubert 1966; Pearson and Corner, 1967; Thompson et al., 1966, 1968a, b). This approach to alleviating bird problems is ap- pealing because wild birds are considered very sensitive to sound stimuli of biological origin, and such stimuli are harmless to both target and nontarget species. The harmless aspect is an important advantage in dealing with wildlife related problems because of the increased public concern about the safety and environmental impact of the use of chemicals to alleviate some types of problems. The major limitation to the use of auditory stimuli to effectively repel birds is that, regardless of the strength of the communication signal, there is a decrement in physiological and behavioral response with repeated stimulation, resulting in habitua- tion and loss of repellent ability. In addition, the effectiveness of sound stimuli is in- fluenced by environmental and behavioral facts such as light intensity and flock behavior (Thompson et al., 1966, 1968a). Because of these limiting factors there is a need to compare the fright producing ability of different auditory stimuli to identify the strongest stimuli for field application. To facilitate this, we developed laboratory methodology to compare repellency strength of prerecorded sound stimuli. The methodology is illustrated in the present starling study by measuring (1) heart rate (HR) as a second order function of telemetered electrocar- diogram (ECG), and (2) keypecking rate (KPR) as an operant response in a switchback experimental design for four treatments. The switchback design was used to minimize error due to between-bird-variation in slope of the habituation curve and also to reduce the number of birds required for sensitive comparisons of stimuli

CARDIAC AND OPERANT BEHAVIOR RESPONSE OF STARLINGS (Sturnus vulgaris) TO DISTRESS AND ALARM SOUNDS

A variety of auditory stimuli have been used for many years as a means of repelling nuisance birds from problem areas (Boudreau, 1968; Bremond et al., 1968; Frings and Jumber, 1954; Langowski et al., 1969; Nelson and Seubert 1966; Pearson and Corner, 1967; Thompson et al., 1966, 1968a, b). This approach to alleviating bird problems is ap- pealing because wild birds are considered very sensitive to sound stimuli of biological origin, and such stimuli are harmless to both target and nontarget species. The harmless aspect is an important advantage in dealing with wildlife related problems because of the increased public concern about the safety and environmental impact of the use of chemicals to alleviate some types of problems. The major limitation to the use of auditory stimuli to effectively repel birds is that, regardless of the strength of the communication signal, there is a decrement in physiological and behavioral response with repeated stimulation, resulting in habitua- tion and loss of repellent ability. In addition, the effectiveness of sound stimuli is in- fluenced by environmental and behavioral facts such as light intensity and flock behavior (Thompson et al., 1966, 1968a). Because of these limiting factors there is a need to compare the fright producing ability of different auditory stimuli to identify the strongest stimuli for field application. To facilitate this, we developed laboratory methodology to compare repellency strength of prerecorded sound stimuli. The methodology is illustrated in the present starling study by measuring (1) heart rate (HR) as a second order function of telemetered electrocar- diogram (ECG), and (2) keypecking rate (KPR) as an operant response in a switchback experimental design for four treatments. The switchback design was used to minimize error due to between-bird-variation in slope of the habituation curve and also to reduce the number of birds required for sensitive comparisons of stimuli

A Framework For Product Design Based On Semantic Attribution Process

Existing brands already have certain products that generate a particular experience in customer minds. Every time a customer’s interacts with of brand’s products and related touchpoints, the customer form an idea about the brand. This is how a brand experience is 9constructed in the mind of the customer. Understanding how customers perceive and respond to certain products along the experience, helps designers to better align product design with brand value, in order to guarantee a consistent brand experience. While current literature provide in deep research into customer–brand and customer-product interaction, there is a distinct lack of any substantive assessment of how customer´s interaction with branded product impact on the brand experience. To do so, this paper presents a operational hypothesis to comprehend customer responses to certain branded product. The framework combines general brand experience assessment scales and product cantered experience approaches