Construction and evaluation of classifiers for forensic document analysis

In this study we illustrate a statistical approach to questioned document examination. Specifically, we consider the construction of three classifiers that predict the writer of a sample document based on categorical data. To evaluate these classifiers, we use a data set with a large number of writers and a small number of writing samples per writer. Since the resulting classifiers were found to have near perfect accuracy using leave-one-out cross-validation, we propose a novel Bayesian-based cross-validation method for evaluating the classifiers.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-AOAS379 the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

A predicted dimer-based polymorph of 10,11-dihydrocarbamazepine (Form IV)

A novel polymorph of 10,11-dihydrocarbamazepine (form IV), which had been predicted to be thermodynamically feasible, was obtained from the vapour phase and displays an R22(8) hydrogen bonded dimer motif in contrast to the catemeric motifs in forms I–III

Investigation of advanced counterrotation blade configuration concepts for high speed turboprop systems. Task 5: Unsteady counterrotation ducted propfan analysis. Computer program user's manual

The primary objective of this study was the development of a time-marching three-dimensional Euler/Navier-Stokes aerodynamic analysis to predict steady and unsteady compressible transonic flows about ducted and unducted propfan propulsion systems employing multiple blade rows. The computer codes resulting from this study are referred to as ADPAC-AOACR (Advanced Ducted Propfan Analysis Codes-Angle of Attack Coupled Row). This report is intended to serve as a computer program user's manual for the ADPAC-AOACR codes developed under Task 5 of NASA Contract NAS3-25270, Unsteady Counterrotating Ducted Propfan Analysis. The ADPAC-AOACR program is based on a flexible multiple blocked grid discretization scheme permitting coupled 2-D/3-D mesh block solutions with application to a wide variety of geometries. For convenience, several standard mesh block structures are described for turbomachinery applications. Aerodynamic calculations are based on a four-stage Runge-Kutta time-marching finite volume solution technique with added numerical dissipation. Steady flow predictions are accelerated by a multigrid procedure. Numerical calculations are compared with experimental data for several test cases to demonstrate the utility of this approach for predicting the aerodynamics of modern turbomachinery configurations employing multiple blade rows

Bacteriophages of the Lower Urinary Tract

Phages are vital members of the microbiota, having critical roles in shaping bacterial metabolism and community structure. Although phages have been discovered in the urinary tract, such as phages that infect Escherichia coli, sampling them is challenging owing to low biomass, possible contamination when using non-invasive methods and the invasiveness of methods that reduce the potential for contamination. Phages could influence bladder health, but an understanding of the association between phage communities, bacterial populations and bladder health is in its infancy. However, evidence suggests that phages can defend the host against pathogenic bacteria and, therefore, modulation of the microbiome using phages has therapeutic potential for lower urinary tract symptoms. Furthermore, as natural predators of bacteria, phages have garnered renewed interest for their use as antimicrobial agents, for instance, in the treatment of urinary tract infections

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on State Court Proceedings: Five Key Findings

The University of Illinois System’s Institute for Government and Public Affairs and the National Center for State Courts jointly conducted the COVID-19 and the State Courts Study between August 2020 and July 2021. The first stage of the study involved focus groups of attorneys, judges, court administrators, court staff, jurors, and litigants in four states. This report describes some results of the second stage of the study, which involved nationwide surveys of judges, court personnel, and attorneys. The surveys asked participants questions about access to courts during the pandemic and their experiences with the new strategies courts adopted to continue hearing and processing cases. This report summarizes five key findings from the surveys concerning access to the courts. • • First, early in the pandemic, most attorneys thought that litigants’ access to judicial proceedings was worse than usual. • Second, attorneys reported that litigants’ experiences in courts improved after September 2020. Over time, participants believed that some early access difficulties abated. • Third, court personnel had a more positive view than did attorneys about the ability of individuals to participate in the judicial system during the pandemic. • Fourth, attorneys with practices concentrated in landlord-tenant law and criminal law perceived somewhat greater problems than did attorneys who practice in other areas of the law. • Fifth, while participants identified many benefits to online court proceedings, they also saw drawbacks. Assessing whether and under what circumstances to conduct court proceedings online after the pandemic is over will require careful consideration of benefits and downsides and balancing some competing factors.Ope

Optical Light Curve of the Type Ia Supernova 1998bu in M96 and the Supernova Calibration of the Hubble Constant

We present the UBVRI light curves of the Type Ia supernova SN 1998bu which appeared in the nearby galaxy M96 (NGC 3368). M96 is a spiral galaxy in the Leo I group which has a Cepheid-based distance. Our photometry allows us to calculate the absolute magnitude and reddening of this supernova. These data, when combined with measurements of the four other well-observed supernovae with Cepheid based distances, allow us to calculate the Hubble constant with respect to the Hubble flow defined by the distant Calan/Tololo Type Ia sample. We find a Hubble constant of 64.0 +/- 2.2(internal) +/- 3.5(external) km/s/Mpc, consistent with most previous estimates based on Type Ia supernovae. We note that the two well-observed Type Ia supernovae in Fornax, if placed at the Cepheid distance to the possible Fornax spiral NGC 1365, are apparently too faint with respect to the Calan/Tololo sample calibrated with the five Type Ia supernovae with Cepheid distances to the host galaxies.Comment: AAS LaTeX, 20 pages, 4 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. Figure 1 (finding chart) not include

Bacteriophages of the Urinary Microbiome

Bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) play a significant role in microbial community dynamics. Within the human gastrointestinal tract, for instance, associations amongst bacteriophages (phages), microbiota stability, and human health have been discovered. In contrast to the gastrointestinal tract, the phages associated with the urinary microbiota are largely unknown. Preliminary metagenomic surveys of the urinary virome indicate a rich diversity of novel lytic phage sequences, at an abundance far outnumbering eukaryotic viruses. These surveys, however, exclude the lysogenic phages residing within the bacteria of the bladder. To characterize this phage population, we examined 181 genomes representative of the phylogenetic diversity of bacterial species within the female urinary microbiota and found 457 phage sequences, 226 of which were predicted with high confidence. Phages were prevalent within the bladder bacteria: 86% of the genomes examined contained at least one phage sequence. Most of these phages are novel, exhibiting no discernible sequence homology to public data repositories. The presence of phages with substantial sequence similarity within the microbiota of different women supports the existence of a core community of phages within the bladder. Furthermore, the observed variation between the phage populations of women with and without overactive bladder symptoms suggests that phages may contribute to urinary health. To complement our bioinformatic analyses, viable phages were cultivated from the bacterial isolates for characterization; a novel coliphage was isolated, which is obligately lytic in the laboratory strain E. coli C. Sequencing of bacterial genomes facilitates a comprehensive cataloguing of the urinary virome while also revealing phage-host interactions.Importance Bacteriophages are abundant within the human body. But while some niches have been well surveyed, the phage population within the urinary microbiome is largely unknown. Our study is the first survey of the lysogenic phage population within the urinary microbiota. Most notably, the abundance of prophage exceeds that of the bacteria. Furthermore, many of the prophage sequences identified exhibited no recognizable sequence homology to data repositories. This suggests a rich diversity of uncharacterized phage species present in the bladder. Additionally, we observed a variation in the abundance of phages between bacteria isolated from asymptomatic \u27healthy\u27 individuals and those with urinary symptoms thus suggesting that, like phages within the gut, phages within the bladder may contribute to urinary health

Some aspects of the iodine metabolism of the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera (phaeophyceae)

We are grateful to the Total Foundation (Paris) and to the MASTS pooling initiative (Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland, funded by the Scottish Funding Council and contributing institutions; grant reference HR09011), both for their funding support to FCK. We thank Prof. Matt Edwards (SDSU department of Biology) and his students for help in collecting specimens and for the use of equipment.Peer reviewedPostprin

1972 Ruby Yearbook

A digitized copy of the 1972 Ruby, the Ursinus College yearbook.https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/ruby/1075/thumbnail.jp