Knowledge visualizations: a tool to achieve optimized operational decision making and data integration

The overabundance of data created by modern information systems (IS) has led to a breakdown in cognitive decision-making. Without authoritative source data, commanders’ decision-making processes are hindered as they attempt to paint an accurate shared operational picture (SOP). Further impeding the decision-making process is the lack of proper interface interaction to provide a visualization that aids in the extraction of the most relevant and accurate data. Utilizing the DSS to present visualizations based on OLAP cube integrated data allow decision-makers to rapidly glean information and build their situation awareness (SA). This yields a competitive advantage to the organization while in garrison or in combat. Additionally, OLAP cube data integration enables analysis to be performed on an organization’s data-flows. This analysis is used to identify the critical path of data throughout the organization. Linking a decision-maker to the authoritative data along this critical path eliminates the many decision layers in a hierarchal command structure that can introduce latency or error into the decision-making process. Furthermore, the organization has an integrated SOP from which to rapidly build SA, and make effective and efficient decisions.http://archive.org/details/knowledgevisuali1094545877Outstanding ThesisOutstanding ThesisMajor, United States Marine CorpsCaptain, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Sexual dimorphism in socioeconomic differences regarding the risk factors, symptomatology and management of patients with stable coronary artery disease in Poland

Background: Relationships between socioeconomic status (SES) and the risk factors, applied treatment and outcomes of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) have been demonstrated in Western European countries, however analogous evidence is missing from Eastern and Central European countries. The aim of the study was to investigate SES gradients regarding the risk factors, symptoms and management of patients with stable CAD in Poland, separately in men and women. Methods: We analyzed the data of 2,593 participants of the RECENT study. SES was assessed based on the level of education attainment: university, secondary school or primary school. Results: Socioeconomic differences in risk profile were most markedly seen in women: lower the education, higher body mass index (p < 0.01), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.05), resting heart rate (p < 0.01), and greater prevalence of heart failure (p < 0.05) and dyslipidemia (p < 0.05). Importantly, smoking habit was the most frequent in women who graduated from univer­sity (p < 0.01). In men, socioeconomic gradients were only seen within resting heart rate (p < 0.01), LDL cholesterol level (p < 0.05) and smoking habit (p < 0.05). In both genders, better education was associated with less severe symptoms of angina and more frequent use of statins (p < 0.05). Conclusions: SES stratified based on education level differentiates patients with stable CAD in Poland regarding their risk profile, symptom control and the use of statins. Sexual dimorphism is found mainly within SES gradients regarding the prevalence of risk factors

Congenital hyperinsulinism and novel KDM6A duplications - resolving pathogenicity with genome and epigenetic analyses

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Oxford University Press via the DOI in this recordData availability: Restrictions apply to the availability of some or all data generated or analyzed during this study to preserve patient confidentiality or because they were used under license. The corresponding author will on request detail the restrictions and any conditions under which access to some data may be provided. The KDM6A variants reported in this study were uploaded to Decipher database (https://www.deciphergenomics.org/). Sequencing data can be used to identify individuals and are therefore available only through collaboration to experienced teams working on approved studies examining the mechanisms, cause, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes and other beta cell disorders. Requests for collaboration will be considered by a steering committee following an application to the Genetic Beta Cell Research Bank (https://www.diabetesgenes.org/current-research/genetic-beta-cell-research-bank/). Contact by email should be directed to S. Flanagan ([email protected]). We used the Genome Reference Consortium Human Build 37 (GRCh37) to annotate genetic data (accession number GCF_000001405.13). Details of this assembly are provided at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/assembly/GCF_000001405.13/CONTEXT: Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia (HI) can be the presenting feature of Kabuki syndrome (KS), which is caused by loss-of-function variants in KMT2D or KDM6A. As these genes play a critical role in maintaining methylation status in chromatin, individuals with pathogenic variants have a disease-specific epigenomic profile -an episignature. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the pathogenicity of three novel partial KDM6A duplications identified in three individuals presenting with neonatal-onset HI without typical features of KS at the time of genetic testing. METHODS: Three different partial KDM6A duplications were identified by routine targeted next generation sequencing for HI and initially classified as variants of uncertain significance (VUS) as their location, and hence their impact on the gene, was not known. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was undertaken to map the breakpoints of the duplications with DNA methylation profiling performed in two individuals to investigate the presence of a KS-specific episignature. RESULTS: WGS confirmed the duplication in proband 1 as pathogenic as it caused a frameshift in the normal copy of the gene leading to a premature termination codon. The duplications identified in probands 2 and 3 did not alter the reading frame and therefore their significance remained uncertain after WGS. Subsequent DNA methylation profiling identified a KS-specific episignature in proband 2 but not in proband 3. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm a role for KDM6A partial gene duplications in the etiology of KS and highlight the importance of performing in-depth molecular genetic analysis to properly assess the clinical significance of VUS's in the KDM6A gene.Wellcome TrustNational Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE)Foundation for Paediatric ResearchDiabetes UKBreakthrough T1

Zdolnosci retencyjne gleb plowych przyleglych do odkrywek wegla brunatnego KWB "Konin"

Obiektem badań były gleby płowe położone w sąsiedztwie wyrobisk kopalnianych węgla brunatnego KWB KONIN. Analizowano ich zdolności retencyjne w świetle dostępnej wody dla roślin, na tle ilości i rozkładu opadów atmosferycznych w okresie wegetacji. Uzyskane wyniki wskazują, iż wodna pojemność tych gleb w profilu glebowym do głębokości 1,5 m jest wyższa od możliwości wypełnienia mezo- i mikroporów wodą opadową. Kilkakrotne pomiary wilgotności gleb w układzie profilowym (do 1,5 m) wykazały brak zmian wilgotności w ciągu całego okresu wegetacyjnego już na głębokości około 1,0 m. Powyższy fakt oraz gospodarka opadowo-wodna tych gleb, a także brak w zasięgu profilu glebowego (co najmniej do głębokości 2,5-3,0 m) tzw. wody wolnej (grawitacyjnej), wyklucza możliwość ich odwodnienia działalnością kopalnictwa odkrywkowego. A zatem o zaopatrzeniu w wodę dostępną uprawianych na tym terenie roślin decyduje zapas wody glebowej, zretencjonowany w warstwie od 0 do 1,0 m.The object of studies were lessive soils situated in the neighbourhood of the KWB KONIN brown coal open cast workings. Their retention potentials were analyzed considering the water available for plants set against the background of the quantity and distribution of atmospheric precipitation during vegetation period. Obtained results indicate that the water capacity of these soils in the soil profile down to the depth of 1.5 m is higher than the possibility of filling of mezo- and micropores with rainwater. Multiple measurements of soil water content in the profile system (down to 1.5 m) revealed lack of moisture changes throughout the entire vegetation period already at the depth of 1.0 m. The above finding and the rainwater economies of these spoils as well as the absence of so called free (gravitational) water within the soil profile (at least to the depth of 2.5- 3.0 m) excludes the possibility of drainage of these soils by opencast mining. Therefore, it may be concluded that it is the water stored in the layer 0-1.0 m that plays the decisive role in the supply of available water to crop plants cultivated on this area

Odwodnieniowa degradacja produktywnosci piaszczystych gleb murszowatych

Przedstawiono specyficzne właściwości piaszczystych gleb murszowatych, które łatwo i szybko ulegają odwodnieniowej degradacji produktywności. Wśród gleb, które mogą podlegać takiej degradacji, stanowią one zdecydowaną przewagę, zwłaszcza na terenie Niżu Środkowopolskiego. Gleby te wyróżniają się specyficzną budową poziomu murszasto-próchnicznego. Wyjaśniono istotę odwodnieniowej degradacji produktywności oraz przebieg tej degradacji w zależności od szybkości odwodnienia, użytkowania (trwałe użytki zielone, grunty orne), zawartości substancji organicznej w poziomie darniowym lub w poziomie ornym, uprawy, zagospodarowania itp.The paper presents specific properties of sandy mucky soils, which can easily and quickly undergo drainage degradation of their productivity. These soils are predominat among soils, which can undergo such degradation, especially in the region of the Central Polish Lowland. Such soils are distinguished for their specific structure of the muckous- humus horizon. An attempt was made to elucidate the nature of drainage degradation of productivity as well as the course of the degradation depending on: the rate of drainage, type of utilization (permanent grasslands, arable land), content of organic matter in the turf or arable layer, type of cultivation, management etc

Using Turbulence Scintillation To Assist Object Ranging From A Single Camera Viewpoint

Image distortions caused by atmospheric turbulence are often treated as unwanted noise or errors in many image processing studies. Our study, however, shows that in certain scenarios the turbulence distortion can be very helpful in enhancing image processing results. This paper describes a novel approach that uses the scintillation traits recorded on a video clip to perform object ranging with reasonable accuracy from a single camera viewpoint. Conventionally, a single camera would be confused by the perspective viewing problem, where a large object far away looks the same as a small object close by. When the atmospheric turbulence phenomenon is considered, the edge or texture pixels of an object tend to scintillate and vary more with increased distance. This turbulence induced signature can be quantitatively analyzed to achieve object ranging with reasonable accuracy. Despite the inevitable fact that turbulence will cause random blurring and deformation of imaging results, it also offers convenient solutions to some remote sensing and machine vision problems, which would otherwise be difficult