Improving adaptive bagging methods for evolving data streams

We propose two new improvements for bagging methods on evolving data streams. Recently, two new variants of Bagging were proposed: ADWIN Bagging and Adaptive-Size Hoeffding Tree (ASHT) Bagging. ASHT Bagging uses trees of different sizes, and ADWIN Bagging uses ADWIN as a change detector to decide when to discard underperforming ensemble members. We improve ADWIN Bagging using Hoeffding Adaptive Trees, trees that can adaptively learn from data streams that change over time. To speed up the time for adapting to change of Adaptive-Size Hoeffding Tree (ASHT) Bagging, we add an error change detector for each classifier. We test our improvements by performing an evaluation study on synthetic and real-world datasets comprising up to ten million examples

A global scavenging and circulation ocean model of thorium-230 and protactinium-231 with improved particle dynamics (NEMO–ProThorP 0.1)

In this paper we set forth a 3-D ocean model of the radioactive trace isotopes 230Th and 231Pa. The interest arises from the fact that these isotopes are extensively used for investigating particle transport in the ocean and reconstructing past ocean circulation. The tracers are reversibly scavenged by biogenic and lithogenic particles.Our simulations of 230Th and 231Pa are based on the NEMO–PISCES ocean biogeochemistry general circulation model, which includes biogenic particles, namely small and big particulate organic carbon, calcium carbonate and biogenic silica. Small and big lithogenic particles from dust deposition are included in our model as well. Their distributions generally compare well with the small and big lithogenic particle concentrations from recent observations from the GEOTRACES programme, except for boundary nepheloid layers for which, as of today, there are no non-trivial prognostic models available on a global scale. Our simulations reproduce 230Th and 231Pa dissolved concentrations: they compare well with recent GEOTRACES observations in many parts of the ocean. Particulate 230Th and 231Pa concentrations are significantly improved compared to previous studies, but they are still too low because of missing particles from nepheloid layers. Our simulation reproduces the main characteristics of the 231Pa∕230Th ratio observed in the sediments and supports a moderate affinity of 231Pa to biogenic silica as suggested by recent observations relative to 230Th.Future model development may further improve understanding, especially when this will include a more complete representation of all particles, including different size classes, manganese hydroxides and nepheloid layers. This can be done based on our model as its source code is readily available.</p

Networks of Opportunity: Public Engagement Survey Results

The Project for Public Spaces notes, “People who use a public space are the ones who know, from experience, which areas are dangerous and why, which spaces are comfortable, where traffic moves too quickly and how certain aspects of a space could be improved” (2011, p. 13). Therefore, public engagement was a core part of our project. As previously stated, one major objective of this project is to propose safer paths to school for students. This objective stems from the fact that no bus services are provided to children who live within 1 mile of an elementary school, 1.5 miles of a middle school, and 2 miles of a high school. Since Pacer Planning could not gain students’ input for ethical reasons, target stakeholders that can act as proxies for the student population are the City’s Parent Teacher Organizations (PTOs), public safety officials, and school administration officials. In a similar vein, the target population includes students’ parents. Gaining these individuals’ input on where problem areas exist would provide invaluable insight when formulating our recommendations

Priming of plant innate immunity by rhizobacteria and beta-aminobutyric acid: differences and similarities in regulation

P>Pseudomonas fluorescens WCS417r bacteria and beta-aminobutyric acid can induce disease resistance in Arabidopsis, which is based on priming of defence. In this study, we examined the differences and similarities of WCS417r- and beta-aminobutyric acid-induced priming. Both WCS417r and beta-aminobutyric acid prime for enhanced deposition of callose-rich papillae after infection by the oomycete Hyaloperonospora arabidopsis. This priming is regulated by convergent pathways, which depend on phosphoinositide- and ABA-dependent signalling components. Conversely, induced resistance by WCS417r and beta-aminobutyric acid against the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae are controlled by distinct NPR1-dependent signalling pathways. As WCS417r and beta-aminobutyric acid prime jasmonate- and salicylate-inducible genes, respectively, we subsequently investigated the role of transcription factors. A quantitative PCR-based genome-wide screen for putative WCS417r- and beta-aminobutyric acid-responsive transcription factor genes revealed distinct sets of priming-responsive genes. Transcriptional analysis of a selection of these genes showed that they can serve as specific markers for priming. Promoter analysis of WRKY genes identified a putative cis-element that is strongly over-represented in promoters of 21 NPR1-dependent, beta-aminobutyric acid-inducible WRKY genes. Our study shows that priming of defence is regulated by different pathways, depending on the inducing agent and the challenging pathogen. Furthermore, we demon-strated that priming is associated with the enhanced expression of transcription factors. New Phytologist (2009) 183: 419-431doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02851.x

Doing referring in Murriny Patha conversation

Successful communication hinges on keeping track of who and what we are talking about. For this reason, person reference sits at the heart of the social sciences. Referring to persons is an interactional process where information is transferred from current speakers to the recipients of their talk. This dissertation concerns itself with the work that is achieved through this transfer of information. The interactional approach adopted is one that combines the “micro” of conversation analysis with the “macro” of genealogically grounded anthropological linguistics. Murriny Patha, a non-Pama-Nyungan language spoken in the north of Australia, is a highly complex polysynthetic language with kinship categories that are grammaticalized as verbal inflections. For referring to persons, as well as names, nicknames, kinterms, minimal descriptions and free pronouns, Murriny Patha speakers make extensive use of pronominal reference markers embedded within polysynthetic verbs. Murriny Patha does not have a formal “mother-in-law” register. There are however numerous taboos on naming kin in avoidance relationships, and on naming and their namesakes. Similarly, there are also taboos on naming the deceased and on naming their namesakes. As a result, for every speaker there is a multitude of people whose names should be avoided. At any one time, speakers of the language have a range of referential options. Speakers’ decisions about which category of reference forms to choose (names, kinterms etc.) are governed by conversational preferences that shape “referential design”. Six preferences – a preference for associating the referent to the co-present conversationalists, a preference for avoiding personal names, a preference for using recognitionals, a preference for being succinct, and a pair of opposed preferences relating to referential specificity – guide speakers towards choosing a name on one occasion, a kinterm on the next occasion and verbal cross-reference on yet another occasion. Different classes of expressions better satisfy particular conversational preferences. There is a systematicity to the referential choices that speakers make. The interactional objectives of interlocutors are enacted through the regular placement of particular forms in particular sequential environments. These objectives are then revealed through the turn-by-turn unfolding of conversational interaction

Cardiac tamponade in association with anorexia nervosa: A case report and review of the literature

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex psychiatric disorder that can have devastating cardiovascular complications. Its lesser-known association with pericardial effusion has been recently described in the literature. We present the case of a 45 year-old female who presented with a recurrent small bowel obstruction requiring lysis of adhesions and who was found to have a large pericardial effusion that progressed to cardiac tamponade necessitating surgical intervention. The patient had a body mass index of 14.8 kg/m2 (i.e. 71% of ideal body weight) and a long-standing history of food aversion, extreme exercise habits, and weight obsession consistent with AN. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of AN-associated cardiac tamponade in the United States, and the first requiring surgical intervention. In conclusion, with this and current data regarding AN-associated pericardial effusions, we recommend a low threshold for performing pre-operative echocardiography for those in whom AN is suspected

Invasive community-onset gram-positive infections from July 2018 through December 2022 at 2 children\u27s hospitals

BACKGROUND: Invasive infections caused by METHODS: Cases of iGAS, IPD, and I-CO-SA infections were identified prospectively and retrospectively at 2 large US children\u27s hospitals by positive cultures from July 2018 through December 2022. Admission data were used to estimate frequency. For comparison, rates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, and SARS-CoV-2 were estimated by the number of positive viral test results at each institution. RESULTS: I-CO-SA infections showed little variation in the study period. Rates of iGAS infection and IPD decreased by 46% and 44%, respectively, from 2019 to 2020, coinciding with a substantial decrease in RSV and influenza. In 2022, RSV and influenza infection rates increased to prepandemic winter season rates, coinciding with a return to prepandemic rates of IPD (225% increase from 2021 to 2022) and a surge above prepandemic rates of iGAS infections (543% increase from 2021 to 2022). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic had an unexpected influence on IPD and iGAS infections that was temporally related to changes in rates of viral infections

Detecting change via competence model

In real world applications, interested concepts are more likely to change rather than remain stable, which is known as concept drift. This situation causes problems on predictions for many learning algorithms including case-base reasoning (CBR). When learning under concept drift, a critical issue is to identify and determine "when" and "how" the concept changes. In this paper, we developed a competence-based empirical distance between case chunks and then proposed a change detection method based on it. As a main contribution of our work, the change detection method provides an approach to measure the distribution change of cases of an infinite domain through finite samples and requires no prior knowledge about the case distribution, which makes it more practical in real world applications. Also, different from many other change detection methods, we not only detect the change of concepts but also quantify and describe this change. © 2010 Springer-Verlag

Analysis of antibiotic resistance genes in multidrug-resistant acinetobacter sp. isolates from military and civilian patients treated at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Military medical facilities treating patients injured in Iraq and Afghanistan have identified a large number of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii isolates. In order to anticipate the impact of these pathogens on patient care, we analyzed the antibiotic resistance genes responsible for the MDR phenotype in Acinetobacter sp. isolates collected from patients at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC). Susceptibility testing, PCR amplification of the genetic determinants of resistance, and clonality were determined. Seventy-five unique patient isolates were included in this study: 53% were from bloodstream infections, 89% were resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics, and 15% were resistant to all nine antibiotics tested. Thirty-seven percent of the isolates were recovered from patients nosocomially infected or colonized at the WRAMC. Sixteen unique resistance genes or gene families and four mobile genetic elements were detected. In addition, this is the first report of blaOXA-58-like and blaPER-like genes in the U.S. MDR A. baumannii isolates with at least eight identified resistance determinants were recovered from 49 of the 75 patients. Molecular typing revealed multiple clones, with eight major clonal types being nosocomially acquired and with more than 60% of the isolates being related to three pan-European types. This report gives a “snapshot” of the complex genetic background responsible for antimicrobial resistance in Acinetobacter spp. from the WRAMC. Identifying genes associated with the MDR phenotype and defining patterns of transmission serve as a starting point for devising strategies to limit the clinical impact of these serious infections. © 2006, American Society for Microbiolog