An investigation of supervector regression for forensic voice comparison on small data

International audienceThe present paper deals with an observer design for a nonlinear lateral vehicle model. The nonlinear model is represented by an exact Takagi-Sugeno (TS) model via the sector nonlinearity transformation. A proportional multiple integral observer (PMIO) based on the TS model is designed to estimate simultaneously the state vector and the unknown input (road curvature). The convergence conditions of the estimation error are expressed under LMI formulation using the Lyapunov theory which guaranties bounded error. Simulations are carried out and experimental results are provided to illustrate the proposed observer

How to increase the potential policy impact of environmental science research

This article highlights eight common issues that limit the policy impact of environmental science research. The article also discusses what environmental scientists can do to resolve these issues, including (1) optimising the directness of their study so that it examines similar processes/populations/environments/ecosystems to that of policy interest; (2) using the most powerful study design possible, to increase confidence in the identified causal mechanisms; (3) selecting a sufficient sample size, to reduce the chance of false positives/negatives and increase policy-makers’ confidence in extrapolation of the findings; (4) minimizing the risk of bias through randomization of study units to treatment and control groups (reducing the risk of selection bias), blinding of study units and investigators (reducing the risk of performance and detection bias), following-up study units from enrolment to study completion (reducing the risk of attrition bias) and prospectively registering the study on a publically-available platform (reducing the risk of reporting and publication bias); (5) proving that statistical analyses meet test assumptions by reporting the results of statistical assumption checks, ideally publishing full datasets online in an open-access format; (6) publishing the research whether statistically significant or not, policy-makers are just as interested in the negative or insignificant results as they are in the positive results; (7) making the study easy to find and use, the title and abstract of an article are of high importance in determining whether articles are examined in detail or not and used to inform policy; (8) contributing towards systematic reviews on environmental topics, to provide policy-makers with comprehensive, reproducible and updateable syntheses of all the evidence on a given topic.</p

BRCA1: linking HOX to breast cancer suppression

Homeobox (HOX) genes play key roles in embryogenesis and tissue differentiation. Recently, a number of groups have reported altered HOX gene expression in breast cancer. However, the mechanism of HOX gene regulation and the search for direct targets of its transcriptional regulatory function have been minimally fruitful. Recently, Gilbert and colleagues reported that HOXA9 restrains breast cancer progression by upregulation of BRCA1, a tumor suppressor. This finding raises our hope that more, rather elusive targets of HOX genes important in tumor progression or suppression will be found in the future

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Patients with Aortic Aneurysms

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that vascular disease confers vulnerability to a late-onset of depressive illness and the impairment of specific cognitive functions, most notably in the domains of memory storage and retrieval. Lower limb athero-thrombosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) have both been previously associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms possibly due to associated intracerebral vascular disease or systemic inflammation, hence suggesting that these illnesses may be regarded as models to investigate the vascular genesis of neuropsychiatric symptoms. The aim of this study was to compare neuropsychiatric symptoms such as depression, anxiety and a variety of cognitive domains in patients who had symptoms of peripheral athero-thrombosis (intermittent claudication) and those who had an asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm AAA. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a cross-sectional study, 26 participants with either intermittent claudication or AAA were assessed using a detailed neuropsychiatric assessment battery for various cognitive domains and depression and anxiety symptoms (Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Scales). Student t test and linear regression analyses were applied to compare neuropsychiatric symptoms between patient groups. AAA participants showed greater levels of cognitive impairment in the domains of immediate and delayed memory as compared to patients who had intermittent claudication. Cognitive dysfunction was best predicted by increasing aortic diameter. CRP was positively related to AAA diameter, but not to cognitive function. AAA and aortic diameter in particular were associated with cognitive dysfunction in this study. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: AAA patients are at a higher risk for cognitive impairment than intermittent claudication patients. Validation of this finding is required in a larger study, but if confirmed could suggest that systemic factors peculiar to AAA may impact on cognitive function.Bernhard T. Baune, Steven J. Unwin, Frances Quirk and Jonathan Golledg

DAZL Relieves miRNA-Mediated Repression of Germline mRNAs by Controlling Poly(A) Tail Length in Zebrafish

BACKGROUND:During zebrafish embryogenesis, microRNA (miRNA) miR-430 contributes to restrict Nanos1 and TDRD7 to primordial germ cells (PGCs) by inducing mRNA deadenylation, mRNA degradation, and translational repression of nanos1 and tdrd7 mRNAs in somatic cells. The nanos1 and tdrd7 3'UTRs include cis-acting elements that allow activity in PGCs even in the presence of miRNA-mediated repression. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Using a GFP reporter mRNA that was fused with tdrd7 3'UTR, we show that a germline-specific RNA-binding protein DAZ-like (DAZL) can relieve the miR-430-mediated repression of tdrd7 mRNA by inducing poly(A) tail elongation (polyadenylation) in zebrafish. We also show that DAZL enhances protein synthesis via the 3'UTR of dazl mRNA, another germline mRNA targeted by miR-430. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Our present study indicated that DAZL acts as an "anti-miRNA factor" during vertebrate germ cell development. Our data also suggested that miRNA-mediated regulation can be modulated on specific target mRNAs through the poly(A) tail control

Theory of disk accretion onto supermassive black holes

Accretion onto supermassive black holes produces both the dramatic phenomena associated with active galactic nuclei and the underwhelming displays seen in the Galactic Center and most other nearby galaxies. I review selected aspects of the current theoretical understanding of black hole accretion, emphasizing the role of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence and gravitational instabilities in driving the actual accretion and the importance of the efficacy of cooling in determining the structure and observational appearance of the accretion flow. Ongoing investigations into the dynamics of the plunging region, the origin of variability in the accretion process, and the evolution of warped, twisted, or eccentric disks are summarized.Comment: Mostly introductory review, to appear in "Supermassive black holes in the distant Universe", ed. A.J. Barger, Kluwer Academic Publishers, in pres

End-stage renal disease in young black males in a black-white population: longitudinal analysis of the Bogalusa Heart Study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Risk factors in childhood create a life-long burden important in the development of cardiovascular (CV) disease in adulthood. Many risk factors for CV disease (e.g., hypertension) also increase the risk of renal disease. However, the importance of childhood risk factors on the development of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is not well characterized.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The current observations include data from Bogalusa Heart Study participants who were examined multiple times as children between 1973 and 1988.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Through 2006, fifteen study participants subsequently developed ESRD in adulthood; seven with no known overt cause. Although the Bogalusa Heart Study population is 63% white and 37% black and 51% male and 49% female, all seven ESRD cases with no known overt cause were black males (p < 0.001). Mean age-adjusted systolic and diastolic blood pressure in childhood was higher among the ESRD cases (114.5 mmHg and 70.1 mmHg, respectively) compared to black (103.0 mmHg and 62.3 mmHg, respectively) and white (mean = 103.3 mmHg and 62.3 mmHg, respectively) boys who didn't develop ESRD. The mean age-adjusted body mass index in childhood was 23.5 kg/m²among ESRD cases and 18.6 kg/m²and 18.9 kg/m²among black and white boys who didn't develop ESRD, respectively. Plasma glucose in childhood was not significantly associated with ESRD.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggest black males have an increased risk of ESRD in young adulthood. Elevated body mass index and blood pressure in childhood may increase the risk for developing ESRD as young adults.</p