Exploring manuscripts: sharing ancient wisdoms across the semantic web

Recent work in digital humanities has seen researchers in-creasingly producing online editions of texts and manuscripts, particularly in adoption of the TEI XML format for online publishing. The benefits of semantic web techniques are un-derexplored in such research, however, with a lack of sharing and communication of research information. The Sharing Ancient Wisdoms (SAWS) project applies linked data prac-tices to enhance and expand on what is possible with these digital text editions. Focussing on Greek and Arabic col-lections of ancient wise sayings, which are often related to each other, we use RDF to annotate and extract seman-tic information from the TEI documents as RDF triples. This allows researchers to explore the conceptual networks that arise from these interconnected sayings. The SAWS project advocates a semantic-web-based methodology, en-hancing rather than replacing current workflow processes, for digital humanities researchers to share their findings and collectively benefit from each other’s work

A freshwater diet-derived C-14 reservoir effect at the Stone Age sites in the Iron Gates gorge

Human bones from single inhumation burials and artifacts made from terrestrial mammal (ungulate) bone found in direct association with the skeletons were obtained from the Stone Age site of Schela Cladovei situated just below the iron Gates Gorge of the River Danube. The results of stable isotope analyses of the human bone collagen are consistent with a heavy dependence on aquatic protein while radiocarbon dating of the samples reveals an offset of 300-500 years between the two sample types, indicating a freshwater reservoir effect in the human bone samples, Since protein consumption is by far the major source of nitrogen in the human diet we have assumed a linear relationship between delta(15)N and the level of aquatic protein in each individual's diet and derived a calibration for C-14 age offset versus delta(15)N which has been applied to a series of results from the site at Lepenski Vir within the gorge, The corrected C-14 ages (7310-6720 BP) are now consistent with the previous C-14 age measurements made on charcoal from related contexts (7360-6560 BP). In addition, the data indicate a change from a primarily aquatic to a mixed terrestrial/aquatic diet around 7100 BP and this may be argued as supporting a shift from Mesolithic to Neolithic. This study also has wider implications for the accurate dating of human bone samples when the possibility exists of an aquatic component in the dietary protein and strongly implies that delta(15)N analysis should be undertaken routinely when dating human bones

An Alternative Technique for Immediate Direct-to-Implant Breast Reconstruction-A Case Series

BACKGROUND: The practice of breast reconstruction continues to evolve with the introduction of new technologies. The authors describe a unique approach allowing immediate direct-to-implant reconstruction that can be performed on an outpatient basis. METHODS: After a nipple-sparing mastectomy, acellular dermal matrix (ADM)-covered implants are placed in a prepectoral position in an immediate reconstruction. Assessment of results was performed via a retrospective review of demographic and procedural data. RESULTS: Forty-five patients (79 breasts), mean age 46.8 years, were treated with direct-to-implant reconstruction using ADM-wrapped implants placed above the muscle with mean follow-up of 23.1 months (median 22 mo). Mean body mass index was 24.3, and 15 patients (33.3%) were current or former smokers. Twenty-seven patients (60%) had prior breast surgery with 22 (49%) exposed to chemotherapy and 34 (76%) radiation. Procedure time averaged 155 minutes and hospital length of stay averaged 0.6 days. Complications included flap necrosis in 22 cases (28%), seroma in 12 (15%), infection in 8 (10%), rippling in 28 (35%), and contracture in 8 (10%). In 14 breasts (18%), postoperative wound complications (flap necrosis or infection) led to implant loss. CONCLUSIONS: The availability of ADM and cohesive gel implants has allowed us to perform above-the-muscle implant breast reconstruction in reduced time and often on an outpatient basis. Complication rates were comparable to expected results of standard expander-to-implant, staged breast reconstruction. This technique is a viable option delivering clinically and aesthetically acceptable results in select patients

Feature weighting techniques for CBR in software effort estimation studies: A review and empirical evaluation

Context : Software effort estimation is one of the most important activities in the software development process. Unfortunately, estimates are often substantially wrong. Numerous estimation methods have been proposed including Case-based Reasoning (CBR). In order to improve CBR estimation accuracy, many researchers have proposed feature weighting techniques (FWT). Objective: Our purpose is to systematically review the empirical evidence to determine whether FWT leads to improved predictions. In addition we evaluate these techniques from the perspectives of (i) approach (ii) strengths and weaknesses (iii) performance and (iv) experimental evaluation approach including the data sets used. Method: We conducted a systematic literature review of published, refereed primary studies on FWT (2000-2014). Results: We identified 19 relevant primary studies. These reported a range of different techniques. 17 out of 19 make benchmark comparisons with standard CBR and 16 out of 17 studies report improved accuracy. Using a one-sample sign test this positive impact is significant (p = 0:0003). Conclusion: The actionable conclusion from this study is that our review of all relevant empirical evidence supports the use of FWTs and we recommend that researchers and practitioners give serious consideration to their adoption

Lignin biomarkers as tracers of mercury sources in lakes water column

This study presents the role of specific terrigenous organic compounds as important vectors of mercury (Hg) transported from watersheds to lakes of the Canadian boreal forest. In order to differentiate the autochthonous from the allochthonous organic matter (OM), lignin derived biomarker signatures [Lambda, S/V, C/V, P/(V ? S), 3,5-Bd/V and (Ad/Al)v] were used. Since lignin is exclusively produced by terrigenous plants, this approach can give a non equivocal picture of the watershed inputs to the lakes. Moreover, it allows a characterization of the source of OM and its state of degradation. The water column of six lakes from the Canadian Shield was sampled monthly between June and September 2005. Lake total dissolved Hg concentrations and Lambda were positively correlated, meaning that Hg and ligneous inputs are linked (dissolved OM r2 = 0.62, p\0.0001; particulate OM r2 = 0.76, p\0.0001). Ratios of P/(V ? S) and 3,5-Bd/V from both dissolved OM and particulate OM of the water column suggest an inverse relationship between the progressive state of pedogenesis and maturation of the OM in soil before entering the lake, and the Hg concentrations in the water column. No relation was found between Hg levels in the lakes and the watershed flora composition—angiosperm versus gymnosperm or woody versus non-woody compounds. This study has significant implications for watershed management of ecosystems since limiting fresh terrestrial OM inputs should reduce Hg inputs to the aquatic systems. This is particularly the case for largescale land-use impacts, such as deforestation, agriculture and urbanization, associated to large quantities of soil OM being transferred to aquatic systems

Comparison of leading parallel NAS file systems on commodity hardware

High performance computing has experienced tremendous gains in system performance over the past 20 years. Unfortunately other system capabilities, such as file I/O, have not grown commensurately. In this activity, we present the results of our tests of two leading file systems (GPFS and Lustre) on the same physical hardware. This hardware is the standard commodity storage solution in use at LLNL and, while much smaller in size, is intended to enable us to learn about differences between the two systems in terms of performance, ease of use and resilience. This work represents the first hardware consistent study of the two leading file systems that the authors are aware of

Preferential attachment in the protein network evolution

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein-protein interaction map, as well as many natural and man-made networks, shares the scale-free topology. The preferential attachment model was suggested as a generic network evolution model that yields this universal topology. However, it is not clear that the model assumptions hold for the protein interaction network. Using a cross genome comparison we show that (a) the older a protein, the better connected it is, and (b) The number of interactions a protein gains during its evolution is proportional to its connectivity. Therefore, preferential attachment governs the protein network evolution. The evolutionary mechanism leading to such preference and some implications are discussed.Comment: Minor changes per referees requests; to appear in PR

Effects of poisons and preservatives on the composition of organic matter in a sediment trap experiment

Fluxes and molecular compositions of a group of major biochemical classes (lipids, lignin, pigments, amino acids, and carbohydrates) were compared among sediment traps treated with different poisons and preservatives and deployed for 1–2 months in a coastal marine environment. Fluxes and compositions of biochemicals were significantly more variable than bulk particle fluxes and elemental compositions. This observation was attributed to a greater influence of dead zooplankton “swimmers” in treated traps rather than differences in microbial decomposition due to the various treatments. Molecular compositions, especially of lipids, confirm the influence of zooplankton swimmers on the biochemical composition of the particulate material in treated traps compared to untreated controls even when large swimmers had been removed. An inventory of the major biochemicals we measured accounted for 25–45% of the organic carbon in our samples, with amino acids and sugars making up the bulk (80–90%) of the identified carbon

Hybrid Soybean Seed Production: Comparison of Three Methods

Improved methods to produce hybrid soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seed could augment several types of research. Two previously described methods, the traditional method and the dilution method, require insect-facilitated cross-pollination of ms ms nuclear male-sterile plants. The traditional method requires a substantial time investment during flowering to remove fertile siblings, and the dilution method requires a substantial amount of land and pollen-parent seed. Because time, land, and seed are limited, a more efficient method would be valuable. The cosegregation method was developed, utilizing close genetic linkage between the W1 locus and the Ms6 locus. The W1 ___, seedling has a purple hypocotyl; the w1 w1 seedling has a green hypocotyl. The ms6 ms6 plant is male sterile and female fertile. Approximately 97% of the purple-hypocotyl seedlings, W1 ___, in a line segregating for the w1 and ms6 alleles in coupling phase will he fertile, Ms6 ___, and can be removed as a pollen source at the first-trifoliolate stage. Our objective was to evaluate and compare the three methods of hybrid soybean seed production for seed yield, efficiency, and hybrid seed purity and quality. We used a randomized complete-block design (three replications per location, three locations, two years). The cosegregation method gave higher seed yield, better efficiency, and equal or better seed quality (percentage germination, 100-seed weight) than the other methods. Male-sterile plants yielded an average of 28.6 seeds plant−1 with the cosegregation method, 18.2 seeds plant−1 with the traditional method, and 9.5 seeds plant−1 with the dilution method. The cosegregation method will be useful in several research areas, including genetic control of complex traits, prediction of parental value, recurrent selection, and commercialization of hybrid soybean