Distance dependent extensions of the Chinese restaurant process

In this paper we consider the clustering of text documents using the Chinese Restau- rant Process (CRP) and extensions that take time-correlations into account. To this pur- pose, we implement and test the Distance Dependent Chinese Restaurant Process (DD- CRP) for mixture models on both generated and real-world data. We also propose and im- plement a novel clustering algorithm, the Av- eraged Distance Dependent Chinese Restau- rant Process (ADDCRP), to model time- correlations, that is faster per iteration and attains similar performance as the fully dis- tance dependent CRP

North American Climate in CMIP5 Experiments: Part III: Assessment of Twenty-First-Century Projections

In part III of a three-part study on North American climate in phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) models, the authors examine projections of twenty-first-century climate in the representative concentration pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) emission experiments. This paper summarizes and synthesizes results from several coordinated studies by the authors. Aspects of North American climate change that are examined include changes in continental-scale temperature and the hydrologic cycle, extremes events, and storm tracks, as well as regional manifestations of these climate variables. The authors also examine changes in the eastern North Pacific and North Atlantic tropical cyclone activity and North American intraseasonal to decadal variability, including changes in teleconnections to other regions of the globe. Projected changes are generally consistent with those previously published for CMIP3, although CMIP5 model projections differ importantly from those of CMIP3 in some aspects, including CMIP5 model agreement on increased central California precipitation. The paper also highlights uncertainties and limitations based on current results as priorities for further research. Although many projected changes in North American climate are consistent across CMIP5 models, substantial intermodel disagreement exists in other aspects. Areas of disagreement include projections of changes in snow water equivalent on a regional basis, summer Arctic sea ice extent, the magnitude and sign of regional precipitation changes, extreme heat events across the northern United States, and Atlantic and east Pacific tropical cyclone activity

MMB & DFT 2014 : Proceedings of the International Workshops ; Modeling, Analysis and Management of Social Networks and their Applications (SOCNET 2014) & Demand Modeling and Quantitative Analysis of Future Generation Energy Networks and Energy-Efficient Systems (FGENET 2014)

At present, a comprehensive set of measurement, modeling, analysis, simulation, and performance evaluation techniques are employed to investigate complex networks. A direct transfer of the developed engineering methodologies to related analysis and design tasks in next-generation energy networks, energy-efficient systems and social networks is enabled by a common mathematical foundation. The International Workshop on "Demand Modeling and Quantitative Analysis of Future Generation Energy Networks and Energy-Efficient Systems" (FGENET 2014) and the International Workshop on "Modeling, Analysis and Management of Social Networks and their Applications" (SOCNET 2014) were held on March 19, 2014, at University of Bamberg in Germany as satellite symposia of the 17th International GI/ITG Conference on "Measurement, Modelling and Evaluation of Computing Systems" and "Dependability and Fault-Tolerance" (MMB & DFT 2014). They dealt with current research issues in next-generation energy networks, smart grid communication architectures, energy-efficient systems, social networks and social media. The Proceedings of MMB & DFT 2014 International Workshops summarizes the contributions of 3 invited talks and 13 reviewed papers and intends to stimulate the readers’ future research in these vital areas of modern information societies.Gegenwärtig wird eine reichhaltige Klasse von Verfahren zur Messung, Modellierung, Analyse, Simulation und Leistungsbewertung komplexer Netze eingesetzt. Die unmittelbare Übertragung entwickelter Ingenieurmethoden auf verwandte Analyse- und Entwurfsaufgaben in Energienetzen der nächsten Generation, energieeffizienten Systemen und sozialen Netzwerken wird durch eine gemeinsame mathematische Basis ermöglicht. Die Internationalen Workshops "Demand Modeling and Quantitative Analysis of Future Generation Energy Net-works and Energy-Efficient Systems" (FGENET 2014) und "Modeling, Analysis and Management of Social Networks and their Applications" (SOCNET 2014) wurden am 19. März 2014 als angegliederte Symposien der 17. Internationalen GI/ITG Konferenz "Measurement, Modelling and Evaluation of Computing Systems" und "Dependability and Fault-Tolerance" (MMB & DFT 2014) an der Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg in Deutschland veranstaltet. Es wurden aktuelle Forschungsfragen in Energienetzen der nächsten Generation, Smart Grid Kommunikationsarchitekturen, energieeffizienten Systemen, sozialen Netzwerken und sozialen Medien diskutiert. Der Tagungsband der Internationalen Workshops MMB & DFT 2014 fasst die Inhalte von 3 eingeladenen Vorträgen und 13 begutachteten Beiträgen zusammen und beabsichtigt, den Lesern Anregungen für ihre eigenen Forschungen auf diesen lebenswichtigen Gebieten moderner Informationsgesellschaften zu vermitteln

Hurricane Sandy’s flood frequency increasing from year 1800 to 2100

Coastal flood hazard varies in response to changes in storm surge climatology and the sea level. Here we combine probabilistic projections of the sea level and storm surge climatology to estimate the temporal evolution of flood hazard. We find that New York City’s flood hazard has increased significantly over the past two centuries and is very likely to increase more sharply over the 21st century. Due to the effect of sea level rise, the return period of Hurricane Sandy’s flood height decreased by a factor of ∼3× from year 1800 to 2000 and is estimated to decrease by a further ∼4.4× from 2000 to 2100 under a moderate-emissions pathway. When potential storm climatology change over the 21st century is also accounted for, Sandy’s return period is estimated to decrease by ∼3× to 17× from 2000 to 2100

Enterprise across the digital divide: information systems and rural microenterprise in Botswana

This paper focuses on the role of information and information-handling technologies within the many rural microenterprises that currently lack access to ICTs. On the basis of field research in Botswana, it finds that poor rural entrepreneurs rely heavily on informal, social and local information systems. While highly appropriate in many ways, these systems can also be constrained and insular. Priorities for breaking this insularity will be greater access to shared telephone services. ICTs may play a supplementary role. They will need to be based in intermediary organizations that can provide complementary inputs of finance, skills, knowledge and other resources. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Astroglial Connexins Inactivation Increases Relapse of Depressive-like Phenotype after Antidepressant Withdrawal

Studies suggest that astrocytic connexins (Cx) have an important role in the regulation of high brain functions through their ability to establish fine-tuned communication with neurons within the tripartite synapse. In light of these properties, growing evidence suggests a role of Cx in psychiatric disorders such as major depression but also in the therapeutic activity of antidepressant drugs. However, the real impact of Cx on treatment response and the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain yet to be clarified. On this ground, the present study was designed to evaluate the functional activity of Cx in a mouse model of depression based on chronic corticosterone exposure and to determine to which extent their pharmacological inactivation influences the antidepressantlike activity of venlafaxine (VENLA). On the one hand, our results indicate that depressed mice have impaired Cx-based gap-junction and hemichannel activities. On the other hand, while VENLA exerts robust antidepressant-like activity in depressed mice; this effect is abolished by the pharmacological inhibition of Cx with carbenoxolone (CBX). Interestingly, the combination of VENLA and CBX is also associated with a higher rate of relapse after treatment withdrawal. To our knowledge, this study is one of the first to develop a model of relapse, and our results reveal that Cx-mediated dynamic neuroglial interactions play a critical role in the efficacy of monoaminergic antidepressant drugs, thus providing new targets for the treatment of depression

Unmasking Pandemic Echoes: An In-Depth Review of Long COVID's Unabated Cardiovascular Consequences beyond 2020.

At the beginning of 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as a new pandemic, leading to a worldwide health crisis and overwhelming healthcare systems due to high numbers of hospital admissions, insufficient resources, and a lack of standardized therapeutic protocols. Multiple genetic variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been detected since its first public declaration in 2020, some of them being considered variants of concern (VOCs) corresponding to several pandemic waves. Nevertheless, a growing number of COVID-19 patients are continuously discharged from hospitals, remaining symptomatic even months after their first episode of COVID-19 infection. Long COVID-19 or 'post-acute COVID-19 syndrome' emerged as the new pandemic, being characterized by a high variability of clinical manifestations ranging from cardiorespiratory and neurological symptoms such as chest pain, exertional dyspnoea or cognitive disturbance to psychological disturbances, e.g., depression, anxiety or sleep disturbance with a crucial impact on patients' quality of life. Moreover, Long COVID is viewed as a new cardiovascular risk factor capable of modifying the trajectory of current and future cardiovascular diseases, altering the patients' prognosis. Therefore, in this review we address the current definitions of Long COVID and its pathophysiology, with a focus on cardiovascular manifestations. Furthermore, we aim to review the mechanisms of acute and chronic cardiac injury and the variety of cardiovascular sequelae observed in recovered COVID-19 patients, in addition to the potential role of Long COVID clinics in the medical management of this new condition. We will further address the role of future research for a better understanding of the actual impact of Long COVID and future therapeutic directions