Analyzing government regulations using structural and domain information

Government regulations, by extending laws with specific guidance for corporate and public actions, provide an important societal benefit. Ideally, they should be intelligible to ordinary citizens as well as rule makers, but the volume of regulations coupled with heavy referencing between provisions limit their accessibility. Apart from the difficulties in locating and understanding a particular regulation, users often must consult and reconcile multiple authoritative sources. For example, US companies frequently must comply with overlapping federal, state, and local regulations; in addition, some nonprofit organizations publish their own codes of practice. The problem is exacerbated in the European Union, where regulators must harmonize legislation across countries with different languages and traditions. To address the difficulties encountered in comparing regulatory documents with multiple authoritative sources, the Regnet project is developing a relatedness analysis system that exploits such document's unique computational properties.     

Assessment of Aspergillus fumigatus in Guinea Pig Bronchoalveolar Lavages and Pulmonary Tissue by Culture and Realtime Polymerase Chain Reaction Studies

In this study we pursued a diagnostic target in Aspergillus fumigatus (AF) by using qualitative Realtime PCR combined with proprietary DNA primers and a hydrolysis probe specific for this fungal target. Qualitative Realtime PCR is a diagnostic tool that utilizes Realtime PCR technology and detects the presence or absence target specific DNA within a predetermined detection range. Respiratory tissue and fluids from experimentally infected guinea pigs were tested by extracting DNA from the samples which were amplified and detected using AF specific DNA primers and probe. This study included qualitative evaluations of all specimens for the presence of the DNA of AF. The findings in the tissues after AF infection were compared to the numbers of spores in aerosolized samples used to inoculate the animals. Results demonstrated that the specific probe and primer set could detect the presence or absence of AF DNA in the sample. The qualitative detection limit of the assay ranged from 6 × 10(4) copies to 6 copies. Since blood cultures are rarely positive for Aspergillosis, our data indicate that qualitative Realtime PCR, in combination with the appropriate DNA primers and probe can serve as an effective diagnostic tool in the early detection of fungal infections.     

Management of complex structural engineering objects in a relational framework

To structure the development of an integrated building design environment, the global representation of the design data may best be organized in terms of hierarchies of objects. In structural engineering design we deal with large sets of independent but interrelated objects. These objects are specified by data. For an engineering design data base the system must be able to model the objects composing the design as well as to manage effectively the design data. The data base management system therefore needs to have some knowledge of the intended use of the data, and must provide an abstraction mechanism to represent and manipulate objects. Much recent research in engineering data bases focuses on object management for specific tasks but gives little attention to the shareability of the underlying information. This paper describes an architecture for the management of complex engineering objects in a sharable, relational framework. Potential application of this approach to object management for structural engineering analysis and design is discussed.     

Solution speciation controls mercury isotope fractionation of Hg(II) sorption to goethite

The application of Hg isotope signatures as tracers for environmental Hg cycling requires the determination of isotope fractionation factors and mechanisms for individual processes. Here, we investigated Hg isotope fractionation of Hg(II) sorption to goethite in batch systems under different experimental conditions. We observed a mass-dependent enrichment of light Hg isotopes on the goethite surface relative to dissolved Hg (ε(202)Hg of -0.30‰ to -0.44‰) which was independent of the pH, chloride and sulfate concentration, type of surface complex, and equilibration time. Based on previous theoretical equilibrium fractionation factors, we propose that Hg isotope fractionation of Hg(II) sorption to goethite is controlled by an equilibrium isotope effect between Hg(II) solution species, expressed on the mineral surface by the adsorption of the cationic solution species. In contrast, the formation of outer-sphere complexes and subsequent conformation changes to different inner-sphere complexes appeared to have insignificant effects on the observed isotope fractionation. Our findings emphasize the importance of solution speciation in metal isotope sorption studies and suggest that the dissolved Hg(II) pool in soils and sediments, which is the most mobile and bioavailable, should be isotopically heavy, as light Hg isotopes are preferentially sequestered during binding to both mineral phases and natural organic matter.     

ECG to identify individuals

The electrocardiogram (ECG also called EKG) trace expresses cardiac features that are unique to an individual. The ECG processing followed a logical series of experiments with quantifiable metrics. Data filters were designed based upon the observed noise sources. Fiducial points were identified on the filtered data and extracted digitally for each heartbeat. From the fiducial points, stable features were computed that characterize the uniqueness of an individual. The tests show that the extracted features are independent of sensor location, invariant to the individual's state of anxiety, and unique to an individual.