Automated data integration for developmental biological research

In an era exploding with genome-scale data, a major challenge for developmental biologists is how to extract significant clues from these publicly available data to benefit our studies of individual genes, and how to use them to improve our understanding of development at a systems level. Several studies have successfully demonstrated new approaches to classic developmental questions by computationally integrating various genome-wide data sets. Such computational approaches have shown great potential for facilitating research: instead of testing 20,000 genes, researchers might test 200 to the same effect. We discuss the nature and state of this art as it applies to developmental research

A Note on the DQ Analysis of Anisotropic Plates

Recently, Bert, Wang and Striz [1, 2] applied the differential quadrature (DQ) and harmonic differential quadrature (HDQ) methods to analyze static and dynamic behaviors of anisotropic plates. Their studies showed that the methods were conceptually simple and computationally efficient in comparison to other numerical techniques. Based on some recent work by the present author [3, 4], the purpose of this note is to further simplify the formulation effort and improve computing efficiency in applying the DQ and HDQ methods for these cases

The Power of the Interpreter in the Business Domain: A CDA Approach to the Professional Interpreter’s Mediating Role

This study explores current practices in business interpreting in China with the aim of identifying the power of the interpreter from the perspective of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Given the dramatic increase in trade and economic exchanges between China and Western countries, business dialogue interpreting is the most frequently adopte d type of interpreting in China. Cross cultural business negotiation, with its intricate nature and fluctuating dynamics, is highly relevant to its social and situational context. Universally recognized professional norms and interpreter codes of conduct a re not always applicable. This study proposes the following hypothesis: when practicing in a business scenario, the interpreter has power (defined as “control”) derived from linguistic, social, and cultural resources that are unavailable to others in the discourse. Conceptualizing the interpreted business encounter as a discursive practice, the study examines data selected from authentic, naturally occurring business interpreting events in China. The research draws on CDA theory to explore the power of the interpreter, looking at how the actual role of the interpreter deconstructs a shared fiction of interpreters as invisible, detached, and totally neutral in such discourse through the use of scarce bilingual and bicultural resources. Fairclough’s (1989) three dimensional CDA model consists of description, interpretation and explanation. The model makes empirical examination of the interpreter’s power in specific discourse possible by allowing for transcript analysis across different dimensions and levels. This research makes an innovative contribution to the field by integrating CDA theory with theories of social and Interpreting studies, such as Goffman’s (1981) participation framework and Wadensjö’s (1998) typologies. It adapts relevant methodology to examine how the interpreter’s power was established and enacted. The power of interpreter is represented in the capacity to exhibit ownership and accountability when taking individual decisions and actions to influence the development of the dialogue. This capacity is explored primarily in terms of following three categories: the variation of renditions, personal pronoun shifts, and the management of turn taking within the discursive practice of business interpreting. The results show that when performing in the context of business negotiation interpreting, the interpreter assumes a substantial role. This role disrupts a prescribed, idealized image of the interpreter as invisible and totally neutral within the activity of interpreting. Interviews with interpreters then explore their awareness of power as well as how their intervening behaviors and shifts in subject position are influenced by the situational and social context of business negotiations. The role of the interpreter within the setting of business negotiations is uncharted territory in Interpreting Studies. This study aims to improve interpreter awareness of their actual role and subject position in the domain of business. It also carries the potential to enhance the quality of pedagogical practice and the effectiveness of interpreter mediated business meetings

Effect of quantum fluctuations on structural phase transitions in SrTiO_3 and BaTiO_3

Using path-integral Monte Carol simulations and an ab initio effective Hamiltonian, we study the effects of quantum fluctuations on structural phase transitions in the cubic perovskite compounds SrTiO3 and BaTiO3. We find quantum fluctuations affect ferroelectric (FE) transitions more strongly than antiferrodistortive (AFD) ones, even though the effective mass of a single FE local mode is larger. For SrTiO3 we find that the quantum fluctuations suppress the FE transition completely, and reduce the AFD transition temperature from 130K to 110K. For BaTiO3, quantum fluctuations do not affect the order of the transition, but do reduce the transition temperature by 35-50 K. The implications of the calculations are discussed.Comment: Revtex (preprint style, 14 pages) + 2 postscript figures. A version in two-column article style with embedded figures is available at http://electron.rutgers.edu/~dhv/preprints/index.html#wz_qs

Long-Range Coulomb Effect on the Antiferromagnetism in Electron-doped Cuprates

Using mean-field theory, we illustrate the long-range Coulomb effect on the antiferromagnetism in the electron-doped cuprates. Because of the Coulomb exchange effect, the magnitude of the effective next nearest neighbor hopping parameter increases appreciably with increasing the electron doping concentration, raising the frustration to the antiferromagnetic ordering. The Fermi surface evolution in the electron-doped cuprate Nd$_{2-x}$Ce$_x$CuO$_4$ and the doping dependence of the onset temperature of the antiferromagnetic pseudogap can be reasonably explained by the present consideration.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

T-Shape Molecular Heat Pump

We report on the first molecular device of heat pump modeled by a T-shape Frenkel-Kontorova lattice. The system is a three-terminal device with the important feature that the heat can be pumped from the low-temperature region to the high-temperature region through the third terminal. The pumping action is achieved by applying a stochastic external force that periodically modulates the atomic temperature. The temperature, the frequency and the system size dependence of heat pump are briefly discussed.Comment: 6 figure

Volume integrals associated with the inhomegeneous Helmholtz equation. Part 2: Cylindrical region; rectangular region

Results are presented for volume integrals associated with the Helmholtz operator, nabla(2) + alpha(2), for the cases of a finite cylindrical region and a region of rectangular parallelepiped. By using appropriate Taylor series expansions and multinomial theorem, these volume integrals are obtained in series form for regions r r' and r 4', where r and r' are distances from the origin to the point of observation and source, respectively. When the wave number approaches zero, the results reduce directly to the potentials of variable densities