RESSIST: a research object-based recommender system

The scientific method is a methodological approach to the process of inquiry { in which empirically grounded theory of nature is constructed and verified [14]. It is a hard, exhaustive and dedicated multi-stage procedure that a researcher must perform to achieve valuable knowledge. Trying to help researchers during this process, a recommender system, intended as a researcher assistant, is designed to provide them useful tools and information for each stage of the procedure. A new similarity measure between research objects and a representational model, based on domain spaces, to handle them in dif ferent levels are created as well as a system to build them from OAI-PMH (and RSS) resources. It tries to represents a sound balance between scientific insight into individual scientific creative processes and technical implementation using innovative technologies in information extraction, document summarization and semantic analysis at a large scale.

Peptide design by artificial neural networks and computer-based evolutionary search

A technique for systematic peptide variation by a combination of rational and evolutionary approaches is presented. The design scheme consists of five consecutive steps: (i) identification of a “seed peptide” with a desired activity, (ii) generation of variants selected from a physicochemical space around the seed peptide, (iii) synthesis and testing of this biased library, (iv) modeling of a quantitative sequence-activity relationship by an artificial neural network, and (v) de novo design by a computer-based evolutionary search in sequence space using the trained neural network as the fitness function. This strategy was successfully applied to the identification of novel peptides that fully prevent the positive chronotropic effect of anti-β1-adrenoreceptor autoantibodies from the serum of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. The seed peptide, comprising 10 residues, was derived by epitope mapping from an extracellular loop of human β1-adrenoreceptor. A set of 90 peptides was synthesized and tested to provide training data for neural network development. De novo design revealed peptides with desired activities that do not match the seed peptide sequence. These results demonstrate that computer-based evolutionary searches can generate novel peptides with substantial biological activity.

Creating a Web-accessible, point-of-care, team-based information system (PoinTIS): the librarian as publisher*

The Internet has created new opportunities for librarians to develop information systems that are readily accessible at the point of care. This paper describes the multiyear process used to justify, fund, design, develop, promote, and evaluate a rehabilitation prototype of a point-of-care, team-based information system (PoinTIS) and train health care providers to use this prototype for their spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury patient care and education activities. PoinTIS is a successful model for librarians in the twenty-first century to serve as publishers of information created or used by their parent organizations and to respond to the opportunities for information dissemination provided by recent technological advances.

A computer-based systematic survey reveals the predominance of small inverted-repeat elements in wild-type rice genes.

Several recent reports indicate that mobile elements are frequently found in and flanking many wild-type plant genes. To determine the extent of this association, we performed computer-based systematic searches to identify mobile elements in the genes of two "model" plants, Oryza sativa (domesticated rice) and Arabidopsis thaliana. Whereas 32 common sequences belonging to nine putative mobile element families were found in the noncoding regions of rice genes, none were found in Arabidopsis genes. Five of the nine families (Gaijin, Castaway, Ditto, Wanderer, and Explorer) are first described in this report, while the other four were described previously (Tourist, Stowaway, p-SINE1, and Amy/LTP). Sequence similarity, structural similarity, and documentation of past mobility strongly suggests that many of the rice common sequences are bona fide mobile elements. Members of four of the new rice mobile element families are similar in some respects to members of the previously identified inverted-repeat element families, Tourist and Stowaway. Together these elements are the most prevalent type of transposons found in the rice genes surveyed and form a unique collection of inverted-repeat transposons we refer to as miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements or MITEs. The sequence and structure of MITEs are clearly distinct from short or long interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs or LINEs), the most common transposable elements associated with mammalian nuclear genes. Mobile elements, therefore, are associated with both animal and plant genes, but the identity of these elements is strikingly different.

Efficiency of a conductive cement-based anodic system for the application of cathodic protection, cathodic prevention and electrochemical chloride extraction to control corrosion in reinforced concrete structures

This article describes the research carried out regarding the application of cathodic protection (CP) and cathodic prevention (CPrev), in some cases with a pre-treatment of electrochemical chloride extraction (ECE), on representative specimens of reinforced concrete structures, using an anodic system consisting of a graphite-cement paste applied as a coating on the surface. The aim of this research is to find out the competence of this anode for the aforementioned electrochemical treatments. The efficiency of this anode has been clearly demonstrated, as well as its capability to apply a combined process of ECE and after CP.

Shape Effect of Electrochemical Chloride Extraction in Structural Reinforced Concrete Elements Using a New Cement-Based Anodic System

This article shows the research carried out by the authors focused on how the shape of structural reinforced concrete elements treated with electrochemical chloride extraction can affect the efficiency of this process. Assuming the current use of different anode systems, the present study considers the comparison of results between conventional anodes based on Ti-RuO2 wire mesh and a cement-based anodic system such as a paste of graphite-cement. Reinforced concrete elements of a meter length were molded to serve as laboratory specimens, to closely represent authentic structural supports, with circular and rectangular sections. Results confirm almost equal performances for both types of anode systems when electrochemical chloride extraction is applied to isotropic structural elements. In the case of anisotropic ones, such as rectangular sections with no uniformly distributed rebar, differences in electrical flow density were detected during the treatment. Those differences were more extreme for Ti-RuO2 mesh anode system. This particular shape effect is evidenced by obtaining the efficiencies of electrochemical chloride extraction in different points of specimens.

Computer-based patient monitoring systems /

Prepared under contract no. HSM 110-70-406.

Computer-based guidelines for concrete pavements.

"February 2005."

Computer-based guidelines for concrete pavements.

"February 2005."