qAC 0 2] is the class of languages computable by circuits of constant depth and quasi-polynomial (2 log O(1) n) size with unbounded fan-in AND, OR, and PARITY gates. Symmetric functions are those functions that are invariant under permutations of the input variables. Thus a symmetric function f n : f0; 1g n ! f0; 1g can also be seen as a function f n : f0; 1; ; ng ! f0; 1g. We give the followin...

This paper presents the architecture of the Concept-based Vector Space Model Question Answering System (CBVSM-QAS) developed at the Nagaoka University of Technology (NUT) and used in the 4-th NTCIR workshop Question Answering Challenge (QAC) evaluation. The CBVSM-QAS runs on the factual question, which is, correspond to the subtask-1 in the NTCIR-4’s QAC. One major peculiarity of this system is...

Contextual data plays an important role in modeling search engine users’ behaviors on both query auto-completion (QAC) log and normal query (click) log. User’s recent search history on each log has been widely studied individually as the context to benefit the modeling of users’ behaviors on that log. However, there is no existing work that explores or incorporates both logs together for contex...

The choice of analogue ion of the mobile phase additive is shown to significantly affect the analysis of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) in ion-pair reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. A series of bromide-containing and dodecyl-sulfate-containing mobile phase additives are investigated using two QAC probe analytes. In all instances, the quaternary-ammonium-containing mob...

The percutaneous absorption of an organosilicon quaternary ammonium chloride (14C)-3-(trimethoxysilyl)-propyldimethyloctadecyl ammonium chloride (14C-Si-QAC) was studied in rabbits. Aqueous solution of 14C-Si-QAC was either applied to the intact, clipped back of animals for 10 days or administered by a single intravenous dose. Urine and feces were collected at 24-h intervals and tissue concentr...

This paper describes our Complex Cross-Lingual Question Answering (CCLQA) system based on the technologies used in our past NTCIR systems for QAC and CLQA. We implemented a new rule-based English question analyzer to extract English query terms, which are translated into Japanese by translation dictionaries. For DEFINITION, BIOGRAPHY, and EVENT questions, we reused our definition module for QAC...

OBJECTIVES The MBCs of three commonly used hospital biocides [containing quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), chlorhexidine gluconate and triclosan] were determined for clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, which were also screened for genes encoding Qac efflux pumps. METHODS MBCs were determined by broth microdilution for 94 clinical isolates of S. aureus, including 38 hospital-acquir...

AIMS To develop an anti-microbial filter media using an attached quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) and evaluate its performance under conditions relevant to household drinking water treatment in developing countries. METHODS AND RESULTS Silica sand was coated with dimethyloctadecyl [3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl] ammonium chloride via covalent silane chemistry. Filter columns packed with coated...

For surface disinfection in hospitals and nursing homes, preparations containing aldehydes such as formaldehyde, glutaral, or glyoxal, as well as quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), are being used. Occupational allergic contact dermatitis (OACD), including airborne dermatitis, caused by these compounds is a well-known problem in nurses and hospital cleaners (1–6). For diagnostic purposes, onl...

A set of pilot filters packed with Zeolite filter media treated with a quaternary ammonium chloride (QAC) were evaluated to verify the proof of concept of their combined antimicrobial capabilities. Escherichia coli was removed and inactivated the most (2.83 log), followed by MS-2 (2.75 log), Klebsiella terriena (2.21 log), PRD-1 (1.95 log), Chlorella vulgaris (1.92 log), and Cryptosporidium par...