A Scalable Parallel Algorithm for Reachability Analysis of Very Large Circuits

This paper presents a scalable method for parallelizing symbolic reachability analysis on a distributed-memory environment of workstations. We have developed an adaptive partitioning algorithm that significantly reduces space requirements. The memory balance is maintained by dynamically repartitioning the state space throughout the computation. A compact BDD representation allows coordination by shipping BDDs from one machine to another. This representation allows for different variable orders in the sending and receiving processes. The algorithm uses a distributed termination protocol, with none of the memory modules preserving a complete image of the set of reachable states. No external storage is used on the disk. Rather, we make use of the network, which is much faster.We implemented our method on a standard, loosely-connected environment of workstations, using a high-performance model checker. Initial performance evaluation of several large circuits shows that our method can handle models too large to fit in the memory of a single node. The partitioning algorithm achieves reduction in space, which is linear in the number of workstations employed. A corresponding decrease in space requirements is measured throughout the reachability analysis. Our results show that the relatively slow network does not become a bottleneck, and that computation time is kept reasonably small.     

Copolymer 1 acts against the immunodominant epitope 82-100 of myelin basic protein by T cell receptor antagonism in addition to major histocompatibility complex blocking

The synthetic random amino acid copolymer Copolymer 1 (Cop 1, Copaxone, glatiramer acetate) suppresses experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, slows the progression of disability, and reduces relapse rate in multiple sclerosis (MS). Cop 1 binds to various class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules and inhibits the T cell responses to several myelin antigens. In this study we attempted to find out whether, in addition to MHC blocking, Cop 1, which is immunologically cross-reactive with myelin basic protein (MBP), inhibits the response to this autoantigen by T cell receptor (TCR) antagonism. Two experimental systems, "prepulse assay" and "split APC assay," were used to discriminate between competition for MHC molecules and TCR antagonism. The results in both systems using T cell lines/clones from mouse and human origin indicated that Cop 1 is a TCR antagonist of the 82-100 epitope of MBP. In contrast to the broad specificity of the MHC blocking induced by Cop 1, its TCR antagonistic activity was restricted to the 82-100 determinant of MBP and could not be demonstrated for proteolipid protein peptide or even for other MBP epitopes. Yet, it was shown for all the MBP 82-100-specific T cell lines/clones tested that were derived from mice as well as from an MS patient. The ability of Cop 1 to act as altered peptide and induce TCR antagonistic effect on the MBP p82-100 immunodominant determinant response elucidates further the mechanism of Cop 1 therapeutic activity in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and MS.     

Rituximab chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy for relapsed indolent lymphoma: half of patients respond to a four-dose treatment program

PURPOSE: The CD20 antigen is expressed on more than 90% of B-cell lymphomas. It is appealing for targeted therapy, because it does not shed or modulate. A chimeric monoclonal antibody more effectively mediates host effector functions and is itself less immunogenic than are murine antibodies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a multiinstitutional trial of the chimeric anti-CD20 antibody, IDEC-C2B8. Patients with relapsed low grade or follicular lymphoma received an outpatient treatment course of IDEC-C2B8 375 mg/m2 intravenously weekly for four doses. RESULTS: From 31 centers, 166 patients were entered. Of this intent-to-treat group, 48% responded. With a median follow-up duration of 11.8 months, the projected median time to progression for responders is 13.0 months. Serum antibody levels were sustained longer after the fourth infusion than after the first, and were higher in responders and in patients with lower tumor burden. The majority of adverse events occurred during the first infusion and were grade 1 or 2; fever and chills were the most common events. Only 12% of patients had grade 3 and 3% grade 4 toxicities. A human antichimeric antibody was detected in only one patient. CONCLUSION: The response rate of 48% with IDEC-C2B8 is comparable to results with single-agent cytotoxic chemotherapy. Toxicity was mild. Attention needs to be paid to the rate of antibody infusion, with titration according to toxicity. Further investigation of this agent is warranted, including its use in conjunction with standard chemotherapy.     

Young children use motive information to make trait inferences

The present study investigates children's capacity to understand traits in a psychologically meaningful way. Participants included 18 individuals in each of 4 age groups: kindergarten (ages 5-6), 2nd grade (ages 7-8), 5th grade (ages 10-11), and adult. They heard a series of 6 short stories in which a main character performs an action based on a particular motive (positive, negative, or incidental) that results in either a positive or a negative emotional consequence for another character. Participants evaluated each main character and predicted the character's behavior and mental states in different social contexts. Participants in all age groups, even the 5- to 6-year-olds, made trait inferences that were influenced by motive information. These results provide evidence that young children are capable of more sophisticated reasoning about traits than has been suggested previously.     

Self-Balancing System for Medical and Physiological Instrumentation

There is a need in medical and physiological instrumentation for a system that can automatically correct baseline shifts. Some cases where this need arises are discussed. A self-balancing system that can be used as a general-purpose unit has been developed and is described. It consists of a binary counter, a digital to analog converter, and logic circuits. The described system automatically balances dc shifts in signals with a range of 6 V. Balancing time is less than 15 ms. The system is designed to work with tape or chart recorders with input range of ± 1 to ± 3 V. Some design parameters of this system are discussed briefly.     

Managing value-at-risk for a bond using bond put options

This paper studies a strategy that minimizes the Value-at-Risk (VaR) of a position in a zero-coupon bond by buying a percentage of a put option, subject to a fixed budget available for hedging. We elaborate a formula for determining the optimal strike price for this put option in case of a Vasicek stochastic interest rate model. We demonstrate the relevance of searching the optimal strike price, since moving away from the optimum implies a loss, either due to an increased VaR or due to an increased hedging expenditure. In this way, we extend the results of [Ahn, Boudoukh, Richardson, and Whitelaw (1999). Journal of Finance, 54, 359–375] who minimize VaR for a position in a share. In addition, we look at the alternative risk measure Tail Value-at-Risk.     

Soil surface illumination at micro-relief scale and soil BRDF data collected by a hyperspectral camera

The results of the paper draw attention to the fact that the hyperspectral image of soil surface at micro-relief scale may display variation in the soil spectral shape due to illumination conditions of the surface. The image of an extremely rough cultivated soil surface, very deeply ploughed, was obtained by a hyperspectral camera, in the range of 0.4–1.0 μm with 0.67–0.74 nm spectral resolution. It was found that the soil reflectance spectra of the studied surface, illuminated by the direct sunbeams, are clearly convex with distinct absorption features. Furthermore, the soil normalized reflectance spectra were used to distinguish the subtlety of the analysed shaded soil spectra shape. They show that depressions caused by the absorption features of O₂ and H₂O, contained in the atmosphere above directly illuminated soil fragments, transform into peaks, if the same soil is deeply shaded.     

Approximating the average daily surface albedo with respect to soil roughness and latitude

The present study explores the diurnal variations in blue-sky albedo (α) of soils under clear sky conditions with respect to surface roughness. Three roughness levels of ploughed and unploughed soil surfaces, developed from the same loessial material, were examined. The relation between α of the surfaces and the solar zenith angle, determined during the experiment, enabled us to predict the diurnal α variation of the surfaces throughout the year at a given latitude, between 75° S and 75° N. The optimal time (T _O) for measuring the soil albedo by an instantaneous observation was considered as the best represented time for the daily averaged value within an error lower than ±2%. It was found that the T _O, falling at different times depending on the soil surface roughness, limits the possibilities of data achievement by remote-sensing satellites along one of their sun-synchronous orbits.