Distinct Symbols Research Articles

MESCİDLERİN AYRILMAZ BİR UNSURU OLARAK EĞİTİM

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the mosque-education unity in the context of the Koran and the Sunnah. In this context, Hz. Prophet’s words and practices are evaluated and verse 18 of Suraat-Taubah is examined according to the interpretation. As the first application of the theory turned into practice in viewed at the Prophet's Mosque and Suffa example. It is a known fact that the mosques, one of the most distinctive symbols of Islam, have used for many different purposes. There are historical evidences showing that they have been used for political, military, educational, administrative and many other temporary purposes besides their main purpose which is, of course, worshiping. These varying functions emerged with the need, and ended naturally when these needs vanish. But the Quran and acts of the Holy Prophet emphasize that being education centers is an inevitable part of the mosques. The unity of worshiping and education was well understood and applied in the past unlike today. The downgrading of mosques to just temples causes waste of facilities and trained human resources. And all these move the mosques away from their missions day by day.

The Diameter of Cyclic Kautz Digraphs

A prominent problem in Graph Theory is to find extremal graphs or digraphs with restrictions in their diameter, degree and number of vertices. Here we obtain a new family of digraphs with minimal diameter, that is, given the number of vertices and degree there is no other digraph with a smaller diameter. This new family is called modified cyclic digraphs MCK(d,ℓ) and it is derived from the Kautz digraphs K(d,ℓ).It is well-known that the Kautz digraphs K(d,ℓ) have the smallest diameter among all digraphs with their number of vertices and degree. Here we define the cyclic Kautz digraphs CK(d,ℓ), whose vertices are labeled by all possible sequences a1…aℓ of length ℓ, such that each character ai is chosen from an alphabet containing d+1 distinct symbols, where the consecutive characters in the sequence are different (as in Kautz digraphs), and now also requiring that a1≠aℓ. The cyclic Kautz digraphs CK(d,ℓ) have arcs between vertices a1a2…aℓ and a2…aℓaℓ+1, with a1≠aℓ, a2≠aℓ+1, and ai≠ai+1 for i=1,…,ℓ−1. The cyclic Kautz digraphs CK(d,ℓ) are subdigraphs of the Kautz digraphs K(d,ℓ).We give the main parameters of CK(d,ℓ) (number of vertices, number of arcs, and diameter). Moreover, we construct the modified cyclic Kautz digraphs MCK(d,ℓ) to obtain the same diameter as in the Kautz digraphs, and we show that MCK(d,ℓ) are d-out-regular. Finally, we compute the number of vertices of the iterated line digraphs of CK(d,ℓ).

Exploring the semiotic meaning of the first oil city in the Middle East: Masjed Soleyman

This study aims to provide a perspective on the symbolic characteristics of oil cities by focusing on the example of the first oil city in the Middle East, Masjed Soleyman city. Studies of oil cities are generally based on their industrial characteristics rather than their symbolic meanings. However, since oil became a distinctive symbol in the Middle East, these cities need to be examined from an altered perspective. Therefore, the present study analyses the urban context of Masjed Soleyman city based on four concepts of “city as overall sign”, “image of city”, “language of city” and “interpretation/communication” as well as the derived indicators from each concept. It is concluded that given the critical importance of oil at both the national and international levels, oil production was arguably maintained or sustained by various treatments of this city's inhabitants. In the process of exploring this ancient city, the study portrays that Masjed Soleyman characteristically symbolises control, social segregation and surveillance.

Checking determinism of regular expressions with counting

In this paper, we first present characterizations of weak determinism for regular expressions with counting, based on which we develop an O(|ΣE||E|) time algorithm to check whether an expression E with counting is weakly deterministic, where ΣE is the set of distinct symbols in the expression E. Moreover, our algorithm can locate nondeterminism in subexpressions, which is useful for diagnosing purpose. Then we present a characterization of strong determinism for regular expressions with counting, and study the relations between weak determinism and strong determinism. Based on these, we give an O(|E|) time algorithm to check strong determinism, improving the previous upper bound of O(|E|3) time. Finally, historically there has been another definition of strong determinism for standard regular expressions, which we call restricted strong determinism in this paper. We extend this definition to expressions with counting, establish the relation between the two definitions, and give an O(|E|) time algorithm to check restricted strong determinism for regular expressions with counting.

The Spectrum of Amino Acid Substitutions Resulting from Single Nucleotide Substitutions in the Coagulation Biosystem: Impact on Identification By Mass Spectrometry

INTRODUCTIONMass spectrometry (MS) is a potentially useful tool for the study of the hemostasic system and its imbalances that lead to bleeding and thrombotic disorders. By harnessing the high throughput and broad scope of MS, vast data may be available to investigators and clinicians to help predict or manage hemostatic events. Although utilizing MS to evaluate coagulation proteins appears promising, amino acid (AA) substitutions resulting from genetic variation may yield a spectrum of mass-to-charge ratios (m/z) that can impede accurate protein identification. The goals of this study were to describe 1) the proteins present in a blood sample that might be involved in or otherwise affect coagulation, 2) the realm of variations that might occur with a single nucleotide substitution (SNS) in the reference coding sequences of these proteins, and 3) the variation of peptide fragments of these proteins when only one of the nucleotides is a variant.METHODSWe obtained protein lists from the NCBI BioSystems database for the terms: Blood Clotting Cascade, Complement Cascade, Formation of Fibrin Clot, Hemostasis, Platelet Activation, Platelet Aggregation Plug Formation, Platelet Degranulation, Platelet Homeostasis, and Thrombin Signaling (e.g., http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/biosystems/198840). We linked the Symbol (gene) to the CCDS ID (consensus coding sequence, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/CCDS/CcdsBrowse.cgi ). For each nucleotide, we enumerated the effect of a SNS relative to the other three nucleotides. We then generated every peptide of length 5-20, determined the change in mass based on the average, as opposed to the monoisotopic, mass of the substituted AA, and assessed whether the peptide was unique among those in the system. Finally, we determined whether possible N-linked glycosylation sites were preserved, destroyed, or created by SNS. We considered a putative site N[^P][S|T], that is N in position 1, not P in position 2, and either a S or T in position 3.RESULTSThe proteins in the biosystems that were also in the CCDS database comprised 517 distinct Symbols and 951 distinct CCDS ID’s, comprising 2,180,352 codons. The duplicate Symbols include transcript variants, for instance, the Symbol F8 linked to CCDS ID’s 35457.1 and 44026.1, thereby diminishing the uniqueness of the peptides (transcript variants share some, if not most, of the reading frames). All of the codons were susceptible to an AA substitution; at least one variant nucleotide substation in position 1 or 2 of the codon always resulted in an AA substitution. SNS caused premature termination signals (stop codons) in 240,100 of these codons. Table 1 details the variations. A map of the N-glycosylation sites is available for each protein, although this may not affect MS directly. Of the 83,510 potential N-Linked Glycosylation sites, a SNS disrupted the putative AA sequence in 53,067 (64%). A SNS created a novel potential N-Linked Glycosylation site at 52,787 loci.Table 1Wild-type OnlyWild-type and VariantsPeptide LengthPeptidesDistinct PeptidesPeptidesDistinct PeptidesRelative Change in Mass5722,174292,48524,470,5672,464,8730.05225010717,564350,57047,911,53520,982,6410.02596815712,954355,44671,052,56231,777,1530.01727320708,344357,17793,893,42342,465,3770.012939CONCLUSIONSVariant peptides due to a single SNS per peptide greatly outnumber wild-type peptides. The ability to identify a protein based on uniqueness of one of its peptides increases as the peptide size increases, but AA variations in those peptides that arise from one SNS will require 1) increased mass resolution and 2) both a search algorithm and database that accounts for the possible variations. Patients with hemostatic or thrombotic disorders may be more likely to have a variant, and these results highlight the need to know the genetic sequence associated with proteins being analyzes by MS if this technology is to be adopted for research and clinical purposes. The inclusion of currently identified SNPs and the effect of INDELs that preserve the reading frame is ongoing. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Diplomatic Interactions and Negotiations

This article examines the role of state actors, organization agencies, and individual agents in diplomatic interactions and negotiations. States as diplomatic actors, organizations as diplomatic agencies, and individuals as diplomatic agents enter into complex and interdependent relationships. Proposing a three‐level analysis of interstate interactions and diplomatic negotiations, I argue that no diplomatic negotiation happens without interactions between parties at the state, organizational, and individual levels. The agency–structure paradigm provides a conceptual framework for understanding behavioral and structural properties of international interactions and their influence on diplomatic negotiations. Diplomatic negotiation employs specific forms of interaction, using a distinct language, protocol norms, symbols, ceremonies, and rituals. The state's “self” (as a social conception of its identity, values, and interests) affects the process of diplomatic negotiation. By managing, organizing, and improving international interactions at the actor, agency, and agent levels, negotiating parties can advance the process and effectiveness of diplomatic negotiation.

Some new results on mutually orthogonal frequency squares

Let n=λm. A frequency square F(n;λ) is an n×n array in which each of m distinct symbols appears exactly λ times in each row and column. Two such squares are said to be orthogonal if upon superposition, each of the m2 distinct ordered pairs occurs exactly λ2 times. Hedayat, Sloane and Stufken in their book Hedayat et al. (1999) provided a small table of lower bounds for the maximum number of mutually orthogonal frequency squares of type F(n;λ) (HSS Table), and posed the following research problem: Improve the lower bound for the entries in HSS Table.Laywine and Mullen in 2001 extended the table (LM Table). In this article we will give some new construction methods of mutually orthogonal frequency squares. As an application we improve the lower bounds for more than half of the entries in LM Table.

Comparative studies on Ophiopogonis and Liriopes based on the determination of 11 bioactive components using LC–MS/MS and Hierarchical clustering analysis

Radix Ophiopogonis and Radix Liriopes are two widely used herbal medicines and functional foods with similar pharmacological activities and clinical efficacies. In order to figure out whether phytoequivalence of species leads to therapeutic equivalence and consistency, in this study, a novel sensitive and selective high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method (HPLC-MS/MS) has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of 11 bioactive components (6 steroidal saponins and 5 flavonoids) and then was applied for comparing in Radix Ophiopogonis and Radix Liriopes from different habitats. Separation was performed using a C18 analytical column with gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.3‰ acetic acid (v/v) at a flow rate of 0.8mL/min. Multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) scanning was employed with switching electrospray ion source polarity between positive and negative modes in a single run. All calibration curves showed good linearity (r2>0.9915) within the test ranges. The intra-day and inter-day precision for 11 analytes were less than 3.7% and 4.2%, respectively. The recoveries were between 95.3% and 106.7%. Fifty-three batches of commercial samples from different sources were analyzed using the developed method. Hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and content analysis were performed to differentiate and classify the samples. The results demonstrated that steroidal saponins were the major components in both Liriopes species, and a low content of flavonoids could become an important symbol of distinction between Ophiopogonis and Liriopes. The developed method could successfully differentiate between Ophiopogonis and Liriopes.

The intimate dance of diplomacy: in praise of practice

Those who study international relations pay little attention to those who practise them. But the terms of scholarly explanation-the great abstractions of state, interest, power and so on-are always embodied in human representatives, and their interactions mediated through human relationships. The daily experience, lived and felt, of diplomats thus offers a valuable perspective on how international relations work. Two recent studies by Iver Neumann capture this world through an anthropology of the diplomatic tribe. They illuminate the highly distinctive conventions, rituals and symbols of this world, showing how diplomats are recruited and socialized, where and how they perform their roles and how they communicate -and how these practices evolve in the face of social and technological change. Diplomats emerge as indispensable specialists in creating, asserting and agreeing meaning, and diplomatic conduct as a critical variable in explaining international outcomes. Taking the perspective of practice seriously can build a better political science of international relations, balancing first-person understanding with third-person explanation, impersonal forces with human stories, and contextual facts with their rhetorical construction. It can also help bridge the gap between theory and practice. This points to an exciting agenda for future research.

A [formula omitted]-step approach to the maximum number of distinct squares and runs in strings

Fraenkel and Simpson conjectured in 1998 that the number of distinct squares in a string is at most its length. Kolpakov and Kucherov conjectured in 1999 that the number of runs in a string is also at most its length. Since then, both conjectures attracted the attention of many researchers and many results have been presented, including asymptotic lower bounds for both, asymptotic upper bounds for runs, and universal upper bounds for distinct squares in terms of the length. In this survey we point to the combined role played by the length and the number of distinct symbols of the string in both problems. Let us denote σd(n), respectively ρd(n), the maximum number of distinct primitively rooted squares, respectively runs, over all strings of length n containing exactly d distinct symbols. We study both functions σd(n) and ρd(n) and revisit earlier results and conjectures with the (d,n)-parameterized approach. The parameterized approach reveals regularities for both σd(n) and ρd(n) which have been computationally verified for all known values. In addition, the approach provides a computationally efficient framework. We were able to determine all previously known ρ2(n) values for n≤60 in a matter of hours, confirming the results reported by Kolpakov and Kucherov, and were able to extend the computations up to n=74. Similarly, we were able to extend the computations up to n=70 for σ2(n). We point out that σ2(33)<σ3(33); that is, among all strings of length 33, no binary string achieves the maximum number of distinct primitively rooted squares, and that σ2(n)≤2n−85 for n≥70. The computations also reveal the existence of unexpected binary run-maximal string of length 66 containing a quadruple of identical symbols aaaa.

Obadiah's ‘Day of the Lord': A Semiotic Reading

The semiotics of Yuri Lotman employs a theoretical contradiction. A symbol, by definition, must be both repeatable and unrepeatable within the same semiotic system. This paradox precludes the possibility of a perfectly static symbol in poetry. Every symbol, by nature of its syntagmatic axis, must develop as the surrounding semiotic system unfolds. This article demonstrates that when Lotmanian semiotics is applied to the poetry of Obadiah, it becomes evident that Obadiah's use of ‘day’ originally appears to be two distinct symbols as determined by their differing syntagmatic values. Yet as the system develops, the apparently separate usages of the symbol are drawn together in a heightened state of tension before their fusion into a single unified sign for the ‘day of the Lord’ within the system.

Lung sounds: how doctors draw crackles and wheeze

BackgroundThe content of medical records is a potential source of miscommunication between clinicians. Doctors’ written entries have been criticised for their illegibility and ambiguity, but no studies have examined doctors’...

On the open problem of Ginsburg concerning semilinear sets and related problems

In his 1966 book, “The Mathematical Theory of Context-Free Languages”, S. Ginsburg posed the following open problem: Find a decision procedure for determining if an arbitrary semilinear set is a finite union of stratified linear sets. It turns out that this problem (which remains open) is equivalent to the problem of synchronizability of multitape machines. Given an n-tape automaton M of a given type (e.g., nondeterministic pushdown automaton (NPDA), nondeterministic finite automaton (NFA), etc.) with a one-way read-only head per tape and a right end marker on each tape, we say that M is 0-synchronized (or aligned) if for every n-tuple x=(x1,…,xn) that is accepted, there is an accepting computation on x such that at any time during the computation, all heads except those that have reached the end marker are on the same position (i.e., aligned). One of our main contributions is to show that Ginsburgʼs problem is equivalent to deciding for an arbitrary n-tape NFA M accepting L(M)⊆a1⁎×⋯×an⁎ (where n⩾1 and a1,…,an are distinct symbols) whether there exists an equivalent 0-synchronized n-tape NPDA M′. Ginsburgʼs problem is decidable if M′ is required to be an NFA, and we will generalize this decidability over bounded inputs.It is known that if the inputs are unrestricted, the problem is undecidable. We also show several other related decidability and undecidability results.It may appear, as one of the referees suggested in an earlier version of this paper, that our main result can be written in first order logic. We explain why this is not the case in the Introduction.

Plotting symbols

Choose distinct symbols that overlap without ambiguity and communicate relationships in data.

Hegemonic Influence of Trade Globalisation : The Implication on the Survival of Nigerian Businesses

The 1972 indigenisation policy was planned to encourage the growth of indigenous Nigerian businesses. This paper takes a clue from this policy to engage a discourse on the hegemonic influences of trademarks of multinational companies and its implication on the growth of indigenous Nigerian businesses. Trademark is a distinctive sign, mark or symbol which is used to brand a product or service. Despite the fact that a trademark section exists under Nigerian commercial law, and used in indigenous businesses, their operational trademark existences were rarely recognized in consumption decision. On the other hand, trademarks of the products/ service of multinational companies continue to dominate and circulate the consumer behaviour. With the use of magazines, trade journals and books, examples were drawn for analysis.

Asociaciones conceptuales con el lema ‘tiempo’, su aparición y tratamiento en la fraseología española y alemana

Las diferencias en la consideración y la percepción de la realidad de los distintos grupos de hablantes se plasman en su lengua, dando lugar a símbolos y asociaciones conceptuales distintos de los de otras culturas, incluso aunque exista una herencia y una tradición comunes, como es el caso del alemán y del español. Precisamente es la fraseología la que recoge esos símbolos y asociaciones y los utiliza para aludir, a veces de forma metafórica, a una realidad concreta. En la creación fraseológica intervienen, por un lado, conceptualizaciones de carácter universal, que generalmente se basan en factores biológicos y psicológicos, y, por otro, conceptualizaciones de carácter particular que se basan en elementos culturales privativos de una sociedad, de un pueblo o de una cultura determinados.En este artículo se revisan algunas de los conceptos a los que se asocia la idea de tiempo y que han quedado plamados en la fraseología alemana y española a través de los tiempos. El tiempo se asocia con los conceptos de destrucción, medicina, oportunidad, paciencia, cambio, aprovechamiento y justicia, verdad, consejo, entre otros. Los fraseologismos y paremias que ejemplifican cada uno de estos conceptos demuestran que, pese a las diferencias, que sin duda existen, entre la cultura alemana y la española, la percepción del tiempo, sus asociaciones conceptuales y la influencia de éste en la vida y el comportamiento de las personas, son muy similares.

A computational framework for determining run-maximal strings

We investigate the function @rd(n)=max{r(x)|x is a (d,n)-string}, where r(x) denotes the number of runs in a string x and (d,n)-string denotes a string of length n with exactly d distinct symbols. The notion of an r-cover is presented and discussed with emphasis on the recursive computational determination of @rd(n). This notion is used as a key element of a computational framework for an efficient computation of the maximum number of runs. In particular, we were able to determine all previously known @r2(n) values for n=<60 in a matter of hours, confirming the results reported by Kolpakov and Kucherov, and were able to extend the computations up to and including n=74. Noticeably, these computations reveal the unexpected existence of a binary run-maximal string of length 66 containing aaaa.

Identifying the status of genetic lesions in cancer clinical trial documents using machine learning.

BackgroundMany cancer clinical trials now specify the particular status of a genetic lesion in a patient's tumor in the inclusion or exclusion criteria for trial enrollment. To facilitate search and identification of gene-associated clinical trials by potential participants and clinicians, it is important to develop automated methods to identify genetic information from narrative trial documents.MethodsWe developed a two-stage classification method to identify genes and genetic lesion statuses in clinical trial documents extracted from the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Physician Data Query (PDQ) cancer clinical trial database. The method consists of two steps: 1) to distinguish gene entities from non-gene entities such as English words; and 2) to determine whether and which genetic lesion status is associated with an identified gene entity. We developed and evaluated the performance of the method using a manually annotated data set containing 1,143 instances of the eight most frequently mentioned genes in cancer clinical trials. In addition, we applied the classifier to a real-world task of cancer trial annotation and evaluated its performance using a larger sample size (4,013 instances from 249 distinct human gene symbols detected from 250 trials).ResultsOur evaluation using a manually annotated data set showed that the two-stage classifier outperformed the single-stage classifier and achieved the best average accuracy of 83.7% for the eight most frequently mentioned genes when optimized feature sets were used. It also showed better generalizability when we applied the two-stage classifier trained on one set of genes to another independent gene. When a gene-neutral, two-stage classifier was applied to the real-world task of cancer trial annotation, it achieved a highest accuracy of 89.8%, demonstrating the feasibility of developing a gene-neutral classifier for this task.ConclusionsWe presented a machine learning-based approach to detect gene entities and the genetic lesion statuses from clinical trial documents and demonstrated its use in cancer trial annotation. Such methods would be valuable for building information retrieval tools targeting gene-associated clinical trials.

On multiple pattern avoiding set partitions

We study classes of set partitions determined by the avoidance of multiple patterns, applying a natural notion of partition containment that has been introduced by Sagan. We say that two sets S and T of patterns are equivalent if for each n the number of partitions of size n avoiding all the members of S is the same as the number of those that avoid all the members of T.Our goal is to classify the equivalence classes among two-element pattern sets of several general types. First, we focus on pairs of patterns {σ,τ}, where σ is a pattern of size three with at least two distinct symbols and τ is an arbitrary pattern of size k that avoids σ. We show that pattern-pairs of this type determine a small number of equivalence classes; in particular, the classes have on average exponential size in k. We provide a (sub-exponential) upper bound for the number of equivalence classes, and provide an explicit formula for the generating function of all such avoidance classes, showing that in all cases this generating function is rational.Next, we study partitions avoiding a pair of patterns of the form (1212,τ), where τ is an arbitrary pattern. Note that partitions avoiding 1212 are exactly the non-crossing partitions. We provide several general equivalence criteria for pattern-pairs of this type, and show that these criteria account for all the equivalences observed when τ has size at most six.In the last part of the paper, we perform a full classification of the equivalence classes of all the pairs {σ,τ}, where σ and τ have size four.

Optimal and efficient semi-Latin squares

An (n×n)/ksemi-Latin square is an n×n square array in which nk distinct symbols (representing treatments) are placed in such a way that there are exactly k symbols in each cell (row–column intersection) and each symbol occurs once in each row and once in each column. Semi-Latin squares form a class of row–column designs generalising Latin squares, and have applications in areas including the design of agricultural experiments, consumer testing, and via their duals, human–machine interaction. In the present paper, new theoretical and computational methods are developed to determine optimal or efficient (n×n)/k semi-Latin squares for values of n and k for which such semi-Latin squares were previously unknown. The concept of subsquares of uniform semi-Latin squares is studied, new applications of the DESIGN package for GAP are developed, and exact algebraic computational techniques for comparing efficiency measures of binary equireplicate block designs are described. Applications include the complete enumeration of the (4×4)/k semi-Latin squares for k=2,…,10, and the determination of those that are A-, D-, and E-optimal, the construction of efficient (6×6)/k semi-Latin squares for k=4,5,6, and counterexamples to a long-standing conjecture of R.A. Bailey and to a similar conjecture of D. Bedford and R.M. Whitaker.