Multiple Target, Multiple Type Filtering in the RFS Framework

A Multiple Target, Multiple Type Filtering (MTMTF) algorithm is developed using Random Finite Set (RFS) theory. First, we extend the standard Probability Hypothesis Density (PHD) filter for multiple types of targets, each with distinct detection properties, to develop a multiple target, multiple type filtering, N-type PHD filter, where $N\geq2$, for handling confusions among target types. In this approach, we assume that there will be confusions between detections, i.e. clutter arises not just from background false positives, but also from target confusions. Then, under the assumptions of Gaussianity and linearity, we extend the Gaussian mixture (GM) implementation of the standard PHD filter for the proposed N-type PHD filter termed the N-type GM-PHD filter. Furthermore, we analyze the results from simulations to track sixteen targets of four different types using a four-type (quad) GM-PHD filter as a typical example and compare it with four independent GM-PHD filters using the Optimal Subpattern Assignment (OSPA) metric. This shows the improved performance of our strategy that accounts for target confusions by efficiently discriminating them

Rapid turnover of T cells in acute infectious mononucleosis.

During acute infectious mononucleosis (AIM), large clones of Epstein-Barr virus-specific T lymphocytes are produced. To investigate the dynamics of clonal expansion, we measured cell proliferation during AIM using deuterated glucose to label DNA of dividing cells in vivo, analyzing cells according to CD4, CD8 and CD45 phenotype. The proportion of labeled CD8(+)CD45R0(+) T lymphocytes was dramatically increased in AIM subjects compared to controls (mean 17.5 versus 2.8%/day; p<0.005), indicating very rapid proliferation. Labeling was also increased in CD4(+)CD45R0(+) cells (7.1 versus 2.1%/day; p<0.01), but less so in CD45RA(+) cells. Mathematical modeling, accounting for death of labeled cells and changing pool sizes, gave estimated proliferation rates in CD8(+)CD45R0(+) cells of 11-130% of cells proliferating per day (mean 47%/day), equivalent to a doubling time of 1.5 days and an appearance rate in blood of about 5 x 10(9) cells/day (versus 7 x 10(7) cells/day in controls). Very rapid death rates were also observed amongst labeled cells (range 28-124, mean 57%/day),indicating very short survival times in the circulation. Thus, we have shown direct evidence for massive proliferation of CD8(+)CD45R0(+) T lymphocytes in AIM and demonstrated that rapid cell division continues concurrently with greatly accelerated rates of cell disappearance

Phonon anharmonicity and negative thermal expansion in SnSe

The anharmonic phonon properties of SnSe in the Pnma phase were investigated with a combination of experiments and first-principles simulations. Using inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and nuclear resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (NRIXS), we have measured the phonon dispersions and density of states (DOS) and their temperature dependence, which revealed a strong, inhomogeneous shift and broadening of the spectrum on warming. First-principles simulations were performed to rationalize these measurements, and to explain the previously reported anisotropic thermal expansion, in particular the negative thermal expansion within the Sn-Se bilayers. Including the anisotropic strain dependence of the phonon free energy, in addition to the electronic ground state energy, is essential to reproduce the negative thermal expansion. From the phonon DOS obtained with INS and additional calorimetry measurements, we quantify the harmonic, dilational, and anharmonic components of the phonon entropy, heat capacity, and free energy. The origin of the anharmonic phonon thermodynamics is linked to the electronic structure.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figure

Desistance and Legitimacy: The Impact of Offender Notification Meetings on Recidivism Among High Risk Offenders

Objective: Legitimacy-based approaches to crime prevention operate under the assumption that individuals — including violent offenders — are more likely to comply with the law when they believe that the law and its agents are legitimate and act in ways that seem inherently “fair” and “just.” While mounting evidence finds an association between such legitimacy-based programs and reductions in aggregate levels of crime and violence, no study has investigated whether such programs influence individual offending. This study evaluates the effectiveness of one such program — Project Safe Neighborhoods’ (PSN) Offender Notification Meetings — at reducing individual recidivism among a population of returning prisoners in Chicago. Methods: This study uses a quasi-experimental design and two types of survival analyses (Cox hazard models and competing risk models) to evaluate the effects of PSN on the subsequent recidivism of program participants relative to the control group. Results: Cox hazard models and competing risk models suggest that involvement in PSN significantly reduces the risk of subsequent incarceration. In fact, participation in PSN Offender Notification Forums is associated with a significant lengthening of the time that offenders remain on the street and out of prison. Conclusion: This study provides some of the first individual-level evidence of the efficacy of such programs on patterns of individual offending. Results suggest that interventions such as these do indeed reduce rates of recidivism in the treatment group

Entropy creation inside black holes points to observer complementarity

Heating processes inside large black holes can produce tremendous amounts of entropy. Locality requires that this entropy adds on space-like surfaces, but the resulting entropy (10^10 times the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy in an example presented in the companion paper) exceeds the maximum entropy that can be accommodated by the black hole's degrees of freedom. Observer complementarity, which proposes a proliferation of non-local identifications inside the black hole, allows the entropy to be accommodated as long as individual observers inside the black hole see less than the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. In the specific model considered with huge entropy production, we show that individual observers do see less than the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy, offering strong support for observer complementarity.Comment: 13 pages. This is a companion paper to arXiv:0801.4415; Added reference

States’ Support of Non-Highway Modes of Transportation: Investigation and Synthesis

The objective of this study was to determine how Kentucky and other selected states support and assist non-highway transportation modes and to identify leading and innovative initiatives. For the purposes of this study, the non-highway modes are aviation, public transportation, rail, and waterways. This summary will briefly discuss the rationale, objectives, and methodology for this study. It also provides an overview of the outcomes of the study and the modal matrices

Effects of CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e on Growth Rate, C:N:P, and Fatty Acid Composition of Seven Marine Phytoplankton Species

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary substrate for photosynthesis by the phytoplankton that form the base of the marine food web and mediate biogeochemical cycling of C and nutrient elements. Specific growth rate and elemental composition (C:N:P) were characterized for 7 cosmopolitan coastal and oceanic phytoplankton species (5 diatoms and 2 chlorophytes) using low density, nutrient-replete, semi-continuous culture experiments in which CO2 was manipulated to 4 levels ranging from post-bloom/glacial maxima (ppm) to geological maxima levels (\u3e2900 ppm). Specific growth rates at high CO2 were from 19 to 60% higher than in low CO2 treatments in 4 species and 44% lower in 1 species; there was no significant change in 2 species. Higher CO2 availability also resulted in elevated C:P and N:P molar ratios in Thalassiosira pseudonana (~60 to 90% higher), lower C:P and N:P molar ratios in 3 species (~20 to 50% lower), and no change in 3 species. Carbonate system-driven changes in growth rate did not necessarily result in changes in elemental composition, or vice versa. In a subset of 4 species for which fatty acid composition was examined, elevated CO2 did not affect the contribution of polyunsaturated fatty acids to total fatty acids significantly. These species show relatively little sensitivity between present day CO2 and predicted ocean acidification scenarios (year 2100). The results, however, demonstrate that CO2 availability at environmentally and geologically relevant scales can result in large changes in phytoplankton physiology, with potentially large feedbacks to ocean biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem structure

Revisiting Neurofibromatosis type 2 diagnostic criteria to exclude LZTR1 related schwannomatosis

OBJECTIVE: To determine the specificity of the current clinical diagnostic criteria for neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) relative to the requirement for unilateral vestibular schwannoma (VS) and at least 2 other NF2-related tumors. METHODS: We interrogated our Manchester NF2 database, which contained 205 individuals meeting NF2 criteria who initially presented with a unilateral VS. Of these, 83 (40.7%) went on to develop a contralateral VS. We concentrated our genetic analysis on a group of 70 who initially fulfilled NF2 criteria with a unilateral vestibular schwannoma and at least 2 additional nonintradermal schwannomas. RESULTS: Overall, 5/70 (7%) individuals with unilateral VS and at least 2 other schwannomas had a pathogenic or likely pathogenic LZTR1 mutation. Twenty of the 70 subsequently developed bilateral disease. Of the remaining 50, 5 (10%) had a germline LZTR1 mutation, equivalent to the number (n = 5) with a germline NF2 mutation. CONCLUSIONS: The most common etiology for unilateral VS and 2 additional NF2-associated tumors in this cohort was mosaic NF2. Germline LZTR1 and germline NF2 mutations were equally common in our cohort. This indicates that LZTR1 must be considered when making a diagnosis of NF2 in the presence of unilateral VS in individuals without a germline NF2 mutation

Diving in at the deep end : the value of alternative in-situ approaches for systematic library search

OPAC interfaces, still the dominant access point to library catalogs, support systematic search but are problematic for open-ended exploration and generally unpopular with visitors. As a result, libraries start subscribing to simplified search paradigms as exemplified by web-search systems. This is a problem considering that systematic search is a crucial skill in the light of today’s abundance of digital information. Inspired by novel approaches to facilitating search, we designed CollectionDiver, an installation for supporting systematic search in public libraries. The CollectionDiver combines tangible and large display direct-touch interaction with a visual representation of search criteria and filters. We conducted an in-situ qualitative study to compare participants’ search approaches on the CollectionDiver with those on the OPAC interface. Our findings show that while both systems support a similar search process, the CollectionDiver (1) makes systematic search more accessible, (2) motivates proactive search approaches by (3) adding transparency to the search process, and (4) facilitates shared search experiences. We discuss the CollectionDiver’s design concepts to stimulate new ideas toward supporting engaging approaches to systematic search in the library context and beyond.Postprin