From Linked Data to Relevant Data -- Time is the Essence

The Semantic Web initiative puts emphasis not primarily on putting data on the Web, but rather on creating links in a way that both humans and machines can explore the Web of data. When such users access the Web, they leave a trail as Web servers maintain a history of requests. Web usage mining approaches have been studied since the beginning of the Web given the log's huge potential for purposes such as resource annotation, personalization, forecasting etc. However, the impact of any such efforts has not really gone beyond generating statistics detailing who, when, and how Web pages maintained by a Web server were visited.Comment: 1st International Workshop on Usage Analysis and the Web of Data (USEWOD2011) in the 20th International World Wide Web Conference (WWW2011), Hyderabad, India, March 28th, 201

Achievable efficiencies for probabilistically cloning the states

We present an example of quantum computational tasks whose performance is enhanced if we distribute quantum information using quantum cloning. Furthermore we give achievable efficiencies for probabilistic cloning the quantum states used in implemented tasks for which cloning provides some enhancement in performance.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Specification analysis in regime-switching continuous-time diffusion models for market volatility

We examine model specification in regime-switching continuous-time diffusions for modeling S&P 500 Volatility Index (VIX). Our investigation is carried out under two nonlinear diffusion frameworks, the NLDCEV and the CIRCEV frameworks, and our focus is on the nonlinearity in regime-dependent drift and diffusion terms, the switching components, and the endogeneity in regime changes. While we find strong evidence of regime-switching effects, models with a switching diffusion term capture the VIX dynamics considerably better than models with only a switching drift, confirming the presence and importance of volatility regimes. Strong evidence of nonlinear endogeneity in regime changes is also detected. Meanwhile, we find significant nonlinearity in the regime-dependent diffusion specification, suggesting that the nonlinearity in the VIX dynamics cannot be accounted for by regime-switching effects alone. Finally, we find that models based on the CIRCEV specification are significantly closer to the true data generating process of VIX than models based on the NLDCEV specification uniformly across all regime-switching specifications

Transcriptional responses of Biomphalaria pfeifferi and Schistosoma mansoni following exposure to niclosamide, with evidence for a synergistic effect on snails following exposure to both stressors.

BackgroundSchistosomiasis is one of the world's most common NTDs. Successful control operations often target snail vectors with the molluscicide niclosamide. Little is known about how niclosamide affects snails, including for Biomphalaria pfeifferi, the most important vector for Schistosoma mansoni in Africa. We used Illumina technology to explore how field-derived B. pfeifferi, either uninfected or harboring cercariae-producing S. mansoni sporocysts, respond to a sublethal treatment of niclosamide. This study afforded the opportunity to determine if snails respond differently to biotic or abiotic stressors, and if they reserve unique responses for when presented with both stressors in combination. We also examined how sporocysts respond when their snail host is treated with niclosamide.Principal findingsCercariae-producing sporocysts within snails treated with niclosamide express ~68% of the genes in the S. mansoni genome, as compared to 66% expressed by intramolluscan stages of S. mansoni in snails not treated with niclosamide. Niclosamide does not disable sporocysts nor does it seem to provoke from them distinctive responses associated with detoxifying a xenobiotic. For uninfected B. pfeifferi, niclosamide treatment alone increases expression of several features not up-regulated in infected snails including particular cytochrome p450s and heat shock proteins, glutathione-S-transferases, antimicrobial factors like LBP/BPI and protease inhibitors, and also provokes strong down regulation of proteases. Exposure of infected snails to niclosamide resulted in numerous up-regulated responses associated with apoptosis along with down-regulated ribosomal and defense functions, indicative of a distinctive, compromised state not achieved with either stimulus alone.Conclusions/significanceThis study helps define the transcriptomic responses of an important and under-studied schistosome vector to S. mansoni sporocysts, to niclosamide, and to both in combination. It suggests the response of S. mansoni sporocysts to niclosamide is minimal and not reflective of a distinct repertoire of genes to handle xenobiotics while in the snail host. It also offers new insights for how niclosamide affects snails

Diffusion copulas: Identification and estimation

We propose a new semiparametric approach for modelling nonlinear univariate diffusions, where the observed process is a nonparametric transformation of an underlying parametric diffusion (UPD). This modelling strategy yields a general class of semiparametric Markov diffusion models with parametric dynamic copulas and nonparametric marginal distributions. We provide primitive conditions for the identification of the UPD parameters together with the unknown transformations from discrete samples. Likelihood-based estimators of both parametric and nonparametric components are developed and we analyse their asymptotic properties. Kernel-based drift and diffusion estimators are also proposed and shown to be normally distributed in large samples. A simulation study investigates the finite sample performance of our estimators in the context of modelling US short-term interest rates. We also present a simple application of the proposed method for modelling the CBOE volatility index data

Social isolation and loneliness as risk factors for hospital admissions for respiratory disease among older adults

Rising hospital admissions due to respiratory disease (RD) are a major challenge to hospitals. This study explored modifiable social risk factors among 4478 older adults from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Data were linked with administrative hospital records and mortality registry data (follow-up 9.6 years) and analysed using survival analysis accounting for competing risks. Living alone and social disengagement but not social contact or loneliness were associated with an increased risk of RD admissions, independent of socio-demographic, health and behaviour factors. Providing support for disengaged adults living alone who are at risk of RD admissions should be explored

The in vivo transcriptome of Schistosoma mansoni in the prominent vector species Biomphalaria pfeifferi with supporting observations from Biomphalaria glabrata.

BackgroundThe full scope of the genes expressed by schistosomes during intramolluscan development has yet to be characterized. Understanding the gene products deployed by larval schistosomes in their snail hosts will provide insights into their establishment, maintenance, asexual reproduction, ability to castrate their hosts, and their prolific production of human-infective cercariae. Using the Illumina platform, the intramolluscan transcriptome of Schistosoma mansoni was investigated in field-derived specimens of the prominent vector species Biomphalaria pfeifferi at 1 and 3 days post infection (d) and from snails shedding cercariae. These S. mansoni samples were derived from the same snails used in our complementary B. pfeifferi transcriptomic study. We supplemented this view with microarray analyses of S. mansoni from B. glabrata at 2d, 4d, 8d, 16d, and 32d to highlight robust features of S. mansoni transcription, even when a different technique and vector species was used.Principal findingsTranscripts representing at least 7,740 (66%) of known S. mansoni genes were expressed during intramolluscan development, with the greatest number expressed in snails shedding cercariae. Many transcripts were constitutively expressed throughout development featuring membrane transporters, and metabolic enzymes involved in protein and nucleic acid synthesis and cell division. Several proteases and protease inhibitors were expressed at all stages, including some proteases usually associated with cercariae. Transcripts associated with G-protein coupled receptors, germ cell perpetuation, and stress responses and defense were well represented. We noted transcripts homologous to planarian anti-bacterial factors, several neural development or neuropeptide transcripts including neuropeptide Y, and receptors that may be associated with schistosome germinal cell maintenance that could also impact host reproduction. In at least one snail the presence of larvae of another digenean species (an amphistome) was associated with repressed S. mansoni transcriptional activity.Conclusions/significanceThis in vivo study, emphasizing field-derived snails and schistosomes, but supplemented with observations from a lab model, provides a distinct view from previous studies of development of cultured intramolluscan stages from lab-maintained organisms. We found many highly represented transcripts with suspected or unknown functions, with connection to intramolluscan development yet to be elucidated

Astronomy in the Cloud: Using MapReduce for Image Coaddition

In the coming decade, astronomical surveys of the sky will generate tens of terabytes of images and detect hundreds of millions of sources every night. The study of these sources will involve computation challenges such as anomaly detection and classification, and moving object tracking. Since such studies benefit from the highest quality data, methods such as image coaddition (stacking) will be a critical preprocessing step prior to scientific investigation. With a requirement that these images be analyzed on a nightly basis to identify moving sources or transient objects, these data streams present many computational challenges. Given the quantity of data involved, the computational load of these problems can only be addressed by distributing the workload over a large number of nodes. However, the high data throughput demanded by these applications may present scalability challenges for certain storage architectures. One scalable data-processing method that has emerged in recent years is MapReduce, and in this paper we focus on its popular open-source implementation called Hadoop. In the Hadoop framework, the data is partitioned among storage attached directly to worker nodes, and the processing workload is scheduled in parallel on the nodes that contain the required input data. A further motivation for using Hadoop is that it allows us to exploit cloud computing resources, e.g., Amazon's EC2. We report on our experience implementing a scalable image-processing pipeline for the SDSS imaging database using Hadoop. This multi-terabyte imaging dataset provides a good testbed for algorithm development since its scope and structure approximate future surveys. First, we describe MapReduce and how we adapted image coaddition to the MapReduce framework. Then we describe a number of optimizations to our basic approach and report experimental results comparing their performance.Comment: 31 pages, 11 figures, 2 table

Current status and developing recommendations of tailings dam failure

This is the final version of the article. Available from Hindawi Publishing Corporation via the DOI in this record.Tailings dam failure accidents with limited emergency response time and huge potential threats, can often lead to heavy casualties and serious financial losses. In recent years, the decreasing trend of tailings dam failure accidents evidences the development of modern technology and safety management. However, the frequency of major tailings dam failure accidents has increased, rather than decreased. The 2015 Samarco Accident in Brazil and the 2014 Mount Polley Accident in Canada, along with their disastrous consequences, once again sounded the alarm for the tailings ponds safety. China is now facing a complicated safety situation, with 8869 tailings ponds all over the country, including 1425 “Overhead Tailings Ponds” which represents the tailings ponds that located within 1 km upstream of residential area, workshops, schools or other important facilities. Based on a large amount of relevant research literatures, focusing on three main aspects of accident prevention and control which include safety monitoring, early-warning and emergency preparation, safety management codes and standards, the current status and frontier progress were reviewed in this paper. Furthermore, the relevant problems in China were discussed and several improvement recommendations were put forward, which could provide a reference for the tailings pond accident prevention theoretical research and technological innovation. The result shows: (1) the safety monitoring standards in China are relatively strict. However, the monitoring instruments are lack of the stability, reliability and practicability. Thus the development of specific devices and new technologies is urgently needed. (2) The current early-warning method is lack of diversity and reliability. And further interdisciplinary application of information technology is becoming the developing trend. (3) The emergency management and decision-making should be based on sufficient scientific proof. However the relevant research is limited by test methods and simulating algorithms. (4) China now has built a complete system of safety management codes and standards. But with shortcomings of safety level classification, life-cycle management, change management process, accident investigation and so on, there is still a long way to go

The Design and Construction of Public Service Building in Developing Rural Regions During the Post COVID-19 Period: Cased on a Chinese Village Centre

The spread of COVID-19 has caused an increasing demand for public medical room. Cases of Chinese Huoshenshan Hospital and mobile cabin hospitals proved the effectiveness of constructing emergent medical buildings. However, these cases, usually with strict requirements on technology and infrastructure, are hard to implement in developing rural regions. Therefore, there is an urgent need for adapting industrial construction to the rural situation. This research introduced an adaptive approach for rural projects delivery during COVID-19. It is based on a longitudinal case study, recording and analysing the construction process of a village centre in Jiangsu, China, from 2019 to 2020. By comparing the construction process of actual operation and traditional method, the advantages in a shorter building period and lower labour density were verified. This research pointed out neglected risks in developing countries and provided a practical construction approach in these areas. It supported the prevention of COVID-19 global wide