New Approximability Results for the Robust k-Median Problem

We consider a robust variant of the classical $k$-median problem, introduced by Anthony et al. \cite{AnthonyGGN10}. In the \emph{Robust $k$-Median problem}, we are given an $n$-vertex metric space $(V,d)$ and $m$ client sets $\set{S_i \subseteq V}_{i=1}^m$. The objective is to open a set $F \subseteq V$ of $k$ facilities such that the worst case connection cost over all client sets is minimized; in other words, minimize $\max_{i} \sum_{v \in S_i} d(F,v)$. Anthony et al.\ showed an $O(\log m)$ approximation algorithm for any metric and APX-hardness even in the case of uniform metric. In this paper, we show that their algorithm is nearly tight by providing $\Omega(\log m/ \log \log m)$ approximation hardness, unless ${\sf NP} \subseteq \bigcap_{\delta >0} {\sf DTIME}(2^{n^{\delta}})$. This hardness result holds even for uniform and line metrics. To our knowledge, this is one of the rare cases in which a problem on a line metric is hard to approximate to within logarithmic factor. We complement the hardness result by an experimental evaluation of different heuristics that shows that very simple heuristics achieve good approximations for realistic classes of instances.Comment: 19 page

A system for production of defective interfering particles in the absence of infectious influenza A virus

<div><p>Influenza A virus (IAV) infection poses a serious health threat and novel antiviral strategies are needed. Defective interfering particles (DIPs) can be generated in IAV infected cells due to errors of the viral polymerase and may suppress spread of wild type (wt) virus. The antiviral activity of DIPs is exerted by a DI genomic RNA segment that usually contains a large deletion and suppresses amplification of wt segments, potentially by competing for cellular and viral resources. DI-244 is a naturally occurring prototypic segment 1-derived DI RNA in which most of the PB2 open reading frame has been deleted and which is currently developed for antiviral therapy. At present, coinfection with wt virus is required for production of DI-244 particles which raises concerns regarding biosafety and may complicate interpretation of research results. Here, we show that cocultures of 293T and MDCK cell lines stably expressing codon optimized PB2 allow production of DI-244 particles solely from plasmids and in the absence of helper virus. Moreover, we demonstrate that infectivity of these particles can be quantified using MDCK-PB2 cells. Finally, we report that the DI-244 particles produced in this novel system exert potent antiviral activity against H1N1 and H3N2 IAV but not against the unrelated vesicular stomatitis virus. This is the first report of DIP production in the absence of infectious IAV and may spur efforts to develop DIPs for antiviral therapy.</p></div

Software Cost Estimation using Single Layer Artificial Neural Network

The most challenging task of software project management is the cost estimation. Cost estimation is to accurately assess required assets and schedules for software improvement ventures and it includes a number of things under its wide umbrella, for example, estimation of the size of the software product to be produced, estimation of the effort required, and last but not the least estimating the cost of the project. The overall project life cycle is impacted by the accurate prediction of the software development cost. The COCOMO model makes employments of single layer feed forward neural system while being actualized and prepared to utilize the perceptron learning algorithm. To test and prepare the system the COCOMO dataset is actualized. This paper has the goal of creating the quantitative measure in not only the current model but also in our proposed model

Cyclic oxidation behaviour of low alloy steel And aisi 304 steel inair at 900oc

The oxidation behaviour of Low alloy steel its German designation (20mnmoni55) and AISI 304 steel has been studied in air under cyclic conditions at 900°C for 50 hr cyclic. Oxidation kinetics was established by thermogravimetric technique. Each cycle consisted of 1 hour heating at 900°C followed by 20 min of cooling in air. Low alloy steel sample followed somewhat linear rate of oxidation with more weight gain while AISI 304 sample followed the non-linear rate law of oxidation with less weight gain. The microstructural feature and phase transformation of oxide scales were characterise by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray (FESEM/EDAX) techniques

Stimulation in vitro of galactocerebroside galactosidase by N‐decanoyl 2‐amino‐2‐methylpropanol

Amides resembling ceramide (fatty acyl sphingosine) were synthesized and tested in vitro for their effects on the rat brain β‐galactosidase which hydrolyzes galactosyl ceramide. The N‐decanoyl derivative of 2‐amino‐2‐methyl‐1‐propanol was most effective, giving a 34% stimulation at 0.15 mM concentration and a 60% stimulation at maximal levels. Addition of a hydroxyl group in the 3 position reduced the degree of stimulation, as did increasing or decreasing the length of the fatty acid portion. Omission of the branched methyl group resulted in inhibition instead of stimulation. Kinetic analysis indicates that the stimulator does not affect the binding of substrate to enzyme, but does speed the rate of hydrolytic action. Stimulation was also observed with the cerebrosidase in spleen and kidney. It is suggested that the stimulators act on an enzyme site other than the substrate‐active site.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141447/1/lipd0056.pd

Fortification of milk with phytosterol and its effect on sensory and physicochemical properties

peer-reviewedPhytosterols are a group of lipophilic steroid alcohols found in plants, which have been shown to lower cholesterol when supplemented in the diet. A commercial phytosterol preparation was added to milk in the form of an oil-in-water emulsion. For the preparation of an emulsion, diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono- and diglycerides was used as an emulsifier and butteroil was used as a source of fat. Three emulsion formulations, i.e. A (8% phytosterols), B (10% phytosterols) and C (12% phytosterols), were prepared in which the levels of emulsifier (6.5%) and butteroil (10%) were kept constant, and each emulsion was added to milk at a rate of 5% (w/w). Based on sensory evaluation, B-emulsion formulation was selected for fortification of milk. The phytosterol content of the fortified milk determined by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography was 410.8 mg/100 g. No significant loss in the initial content of phytosterol was observed after 1 week of storage. Sensory and physicochemical analyses indicated that significant differences were not observed between control and fortified milk samples up to 7 days of refrigerated storage. The present study suggests that it is feasible to add phytosterol as a functional ingredient in milk in the form of water-soluble emulsion to enhance health benefits of consumers. Two servings of such fortified milk per day provide almost the entire recommended daily requirement of phytosterol

The parameterized complexity of some geometric problems in unbounded dimension

We study the parameterized complexity of the following fundamental geometric problems with respect to the dimension $d$: i) Given $n$ points in \Rd, compute their minimum enclosing cylinder. ii) Given two $n$-point sets in \Rd, decide whether they can be separated by two hyperplanes. iii) Given a system of $n$ linear inequalities with $d$ variables, find a maximum-size feasible subsystem. We show that (the decision versions of) all these problems are W[1]-hard when parameterized by the dimension $d$. %and hence not solvable in ${O}(f(d)n^c)$ time, for any computable function $f$ and constant $c$ %(unless FPT=W[1]). Our reductions also give a $n^{\Omega(d)}$-time lower bound (under the Exponential Time Hypothesis)