Configurational entropy is an important factor in the free energy change of many macromolecular recognition and binding processes, and has been intensively studied. Despite great progresses that have been made, the global sampling remains to be a grand challenge in computational analysis of relevant processes. Here we propose and demonstrate an entropy estimation method that is based on physica...

The consequences of prematurity and prenatal cocaine exposure on early neurobehavior and physical growth were examined longitudinally in a sample of 20 cocaine-exposed and 20 non-exposed preterm neonates. The magnitude of the difference in physical growth acceleration related to prenatal cocaine exposure increased with increasing birth gestational age, whereas growth rate differences in irritab...

Proceeding from a homogeneous and isotropic Friedmann universe a conceptional problem concerning light propagation in an expanding universe is brought up. As a possible solution of this problem it is suggested that light waves do not scale with R(t). With the aid of a Generalized Equivalence Principle a cosmologic model with variable “constants” c, H, and G is constructed. It is shown that with...

The increasing potential to interconnect and combine the computational power of devices with different capabilities and purposes leads to new security issues. While security is nowadays defined as the possibility to prevent “negative things from happening”, security of the future focuses on the potential of new vulnerabilities in software being exploited due to the increased exchange of mobile ...

There are some well-known conceptional and technical issues related to a common setting of simulation paradigm, i.e., EPT (expected polynomial time) simulator versus SPT (strict polynomial time) adversary. In fact, it has been shown that this setting is essential for achieving constant-round black-box zero-knowledge protocols. Many suggestions and results have been proposed to deal with these i...

Although coordination of multiple activities is a fundamental goal of object-oriented concurrent programming languages, there is only limited support for its specification and abstraction at the language level. This leads to a mismatch between conceptional designs, using high-level abstractions, and the implementation, using the low-level coordination constructs. Often coordination is hard-wire...

In this study, the mediator effects of self-esteem and humor style on the relationship between shyness and loneliness in Chinese college students were investigated. The participants were 525 students, with age range of 19–23, who were attending two different Chinese colleges in Xi’an and Fujian. Data were collected by using the Cheek and Buss shyness scale, Rosenberg self-esteem scale, humor st...

There are two basic low energy features of strong interactions, which should be explained by QCD: confinement and spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry. While the latter can be more or less explained in terms of instantons [1], confinement is much less understood. Recently, however, much evidence has been accumulated for the idea that confinement is realized as a dual Meissner effect [2], at ...

The widely used PRODY indicator by Hausmann, Hwang and Rodrik (2007) [What you Export Matters; Journal of Economic Growth: 12, 1–25] allows the calculation of product sophistication and factor intensities at high levels of disaggregation. In this paper I deal with its measurement, its conceptional limitations, its sensitivity to subjective decision making, its alternatives, and how to reap the ...

An introductory programming course should offer students problem solving analysis and design experience as well as exposure to the basic ideas of algorithmic thinking. Many introductory programming courses, unfortunately, tend to concentrate on the syntax of a programming language at the expense of developing problem solving skills. Coupled to this are the ever-increasing complexity of modern p...