3,012 research outputs found
Non-Negative Local Sparse Coding for Subspace Clustering
Subspace sparse coding (SSC) algorithms have proven to be beneficial to
clustering problems. They provide an alternative data representation in which
the underlying structure of the clusters can be better captured. However, most
of the research in this area is mainly focused on enhancing the sparse coding
part of the problem. In contrast, we introduce a novel objective term in our
proposed SSC framework which focuses on the separability of data points in the
coding space. We also provide mathematical insights into how this
local-separability term improves the clustering result of the SSC framework.
Our proposed non-linear local SSC algorithm (NLSSC) also benefits from the
efficient choice of its sparsity terms and constraints. The NLSSC algorithm is
also formulated in the kernel-based framework (NLKSSC) which can represent the
nonlinear structure of data. In addition, we address the possibility of having
redundancies in sparse coding results and its negative effect on graph-based
clustering problems. We introduce the link-restore post-processing step to
improve the representation graph of non-negative SSC algorithms such as ours.
Empirical evaluations on well-known clustering benchmarks show that our
proposed NLSSC framework results in better clusterings compared to the
state-of-the-art baselines and demonstrate the effectiveness of the
link-restore post-processing in improving the clustering accuracy via
correcting the broken links of the representation graph.Comment: 15 pages, IDA 2018 conferenc
Migration of Apicomplexa Across Biological Barriers: The Toxoplasma and Plasmodium Rides
The invasive stages of Apicomplexa parasites, called zoites, have been largely studied in in vitro systems, with a special emphasis on their unique gliding and host cell invasive capacities. In contrast, the means by which these parasites reach their destination in their hosts are still poorly understood. We summarize here our current understanding of the cellular basis of in vivo parasitism by two well-studied Apicomplexa zoites, the Toxoplasma tachyzoite and the Plasmodium sporozoite. Despite being close relatives, these two zoites use different strategies to reach their goal and establish infection
Relationship between FEV1 change and patient-reported outcomes in randomised trials of inhaled bronchodilators for stable COPD: a systematic review.
BACKGROUND: Interactions between spirometry and patient-reported outcomes in COPD are not well understood. This systematic review and study-level analysis investigated the relationship between changes in FEV1 and changes in health status with bronchodilator therapy.
METHODS: Six databases (to October 2009) were searched to identify studies with long-acting bronchodilator therapy reporting FEV1 and health status, dyspnoea or exacerbations. Mean and standard deviations of treatment effects were extracted for each arm of each study. Relationships between changes in trough FEV1 and outcomes were assessed using correlations and random-effects regression modelling. The primary outcome was St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) total score.
RESULTS: Thirty-six studies (≥ 3 months) were included. Twenty-two studies (23,654 patients) with 49 treatment arms each contributing one data point provided SGRQ data. Change in trough FEV1 and change in SGRQ total score were negatively correlated (r = -0.46, p < 0.001); greater increases in FEV1 were associated with greater reductions (improvements) in SGRQ. The correlation strengthened with increasing study duration from 3 to 12 months. Regression modelling indicated that 100 mL increase in FEV1 (change at which patients are more likely to report improvement) was associated with a statistically significant reduction in SGRQ of 2.5 (95% CI 1.9, 3.1), while a clinically relevant SGRQ change (4.0) was associated with 160.6 (95% CI 129.0, 211.6) mL increase in FEV1. The association between change in FEV1 and other patient-reported outcomes was generally weak.
CONCLUSIONS: Our analyses indicate, at a study level, that improvement in mean trough FEV1 is associated with proportional improvements in health status
An Approach to Evaluation of the Effect of Bioremediation on Biological Activity of Environmental Contaminants: Dechlorination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls
The effectiveness of bioremediation efforts is assessed traditionally from the loss of the chemical of interest. In some cases, analytical techniques are coupled with evaluation of toxicity to organisms representative of those found in the affected environment or surrogate organisms. Little is known, however, about the effect of remediation of environmental chemicals on potential toxicity to mammalian organisms. We discuss both an approach that employs mammalian cell system bioassays and the criteria for selection of the assays. This approach has been used to evaluate the biological response to mixtures of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) before and after remediation by reductive dechlorination. The dechlorination process used results in accumulation of congeners substituted in only the ortho and para positions and containing fewer chlorines than the starting mixtures. Evaluation of the dechlorinated mixture reveals a loss of biological activity that could be ascribed to coplanar PCBs not containing chlorine in the ortho positions. Conversely, biological activity associated with ortho-substituted PCB congeners is unaffected or increased by remediation. Thus, the results of the bioassays are consistent with the remediation-induced change in the profile of PCB congeners and the known mechanisms of action of PCBs. The results emphasize a need for evaluation of the products of remediation for biological activity in mammalian systems. Furthermore, the approach outlined demonstrates the potential to assess the impact of remediation on a range of biological activities in mammalian cells and thus to estimate positive and negative effects of remediation strategies on toxicity. Future needs in this area of research include assays to evaluate biological effects under conditions of exposure that mimic those found in the environment and models to extrapolate effects to assess risk to people and wildlife
Maternal therapy with Ad.VEGF-A165 increases fetal weight at term in a guinea pig model of fetal growth restriction
OBJECTIVES: We have demonstrated that transient uterine artery VEGF overexpression improves fetal growth in growth restricted sheep pregnancy. We tested this hypothesis in guinea pig pregnancies, where placental physiology more closely resembles that in humans. METHOD: Virgin guinea pigs were nutrient restricted peri-conceptually to create fetal growth restriction (FGR). At day 29-36 (term=65days) at laparotomy Ad.VEGF-A165 or Ad.LacZ (1x1010vp) were applied externally to the uterine circulation using a thermosensitive gel. Dams were sacrificed after 3-8 days or at term. Pups were weighed and tissues sampled for vector spread, VEGF expression and its downstream effects. RESULTS: Ad.VEGF-A165 significantly increased fetal weight at term (88.01±13.36g, n=26) compared to control Ad.LacZ treatment (85.52±13.00g, n=19, p=0.028). Brain, liver, lung weight and crown rump length were significantly larger 3-8 days post-administration, VEGF expression was demonstrated by ELISA and confirmed by immunohistochemistry in transduced tissues. RT-PCR of term samples confirmed vector transduction in target tissues, but the transgene was undetectable in fetal samples. Tissue histological analysis and blood biochemistry/haematological examination was normal. Uterine arteries from Ad.VEGF-A165-treated dams relaxed more completely than those from Ad.LacZ treated dams. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal uterine artery Ad.VEGF-A165 increases fetal growth velocity and term fetal weight in growth restricted guinea pig pregnancy
Altruism can proliferate through group/kin selection despite high random gene flow
The ways in which natural selection can allow the proliferation of
cooperative behavior have long been seen as a central problem in evolutionary
biology. Most of the literature has focused on interactions between pairs of
individuals and on linear public goods games. This emphasis led to the
conclusion that even modest levels of migration would pose a serious problem to
the spread of altruism in group structured populations. Here we challenge this
conclusion, by analyzing evolution in a framework which allows for complex
group interactions and random migration among groups. We conclude that
contingent forms of strong altruism can spread when rare under realistic group
sizes and levels of migration. Our analysis combines group-centric and
gene-centric perspectives, allows for arbitrary strength of selection, and
leads to extensions of Hamilton's rule for the spread of altruistic alleles,
applicable under broad conditions.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. Supplementary material with 50 pages and 26
figure
Indacaterol provides 24-hour bronchodilation in COPD: a placebo-controlled blinded comparison with tiotropium
Measuring measurement
Measurement connects the world of quantum phenomena to the world of classical
events. It plays both a passive role, observing quantum systems, and an active
one, preparing quantum states and controlling them. Surprisingly - in the light
of the central status of measurement in quantum mechanics - there is no general
recipe for designing a detector that measures a given observable. Compounding
this, the characterization of existing detectors is typically based on partial
calibrations or elaborate models. Thus, experimental specification (i.e.
tomography) of a detector is of fundamental and practical importance. Here, we
present the realization of quantum detector tomography: we identify the optimal
positive-operator-valued measure describing the detector, with no ancillary
assumptions. This result completes the triad, state, process, and detector
tomography, required to fully specify an experiment. We characterize an
avalanche photodiode and a photon number resolving detector capable of
detecting up to eight photons. This creates a new set of tools for accurately
detecting and preparing non-classical light.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures,see video abstract at
http://www.quantiki.org/video_abstracts/0807244
Characteristics of the Early Immune Response Following Transplantation of Mouse ES Cell Derived Insulin-Producing Cell Clusters
Background
The fully differentiated progeny of ES cells (ESC) may eventually be used for cell replacement therapy (CRT). However, elements of the innate immune system may contribute to damage or destruction of these tissues when transplanted.
Methodology/Principal Findings
Herein, we assessed the hitherto ill-defined contribution of the early innate immune response in CRT after transplantation of either ESC derived insulin producing cell clusters (IPCCs) or adult pancreatic islets. Ingress of neutrophil or macrophage cells was noted immediately at the site of IPCC transplantation, but this infiltration was attenuated by day three. Gene profiling identified specific inflammatory cytokines and chemokines that were either absent or sharply reduced by three days after IPCC transplantation. Thus, IPCC transplantation provoked less of an early immune response than pancreatic islet transplantation.
Conclusions/Significance
Our study offers insights into the characteristics of the immune response of an ESC derived tissue in the incipient stages following transplantation and suggests potential strategies to inhibit cell damage to ensure their long-term perpetuation and functionality in CRT
Multidimensional Homeier's generalized class and its application to planar 1D Bratu problem
[EN] In this paper, a parametric family of iterative methods for solving nonlinear systems, including Homeier’s scheme is presented, proving its third-order of convergence. The numerical section is devoted to obtain an estimation of the solution of the classical Bratu problem by transforming it in a nonlinear system by using finite differences, and solving it with different elements of the iterative family.This research was supported by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MTM2014-52016-C02-02.Cordero Barbero, A.; Franqués García, AM.; Torregrosa Sánchez, JR. (2015). Multidimensional Homeier's generalized class and its application to planar 1D Bratu problem. Journal of the Spanish Society of Applied Mathematics. 70(1):1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40324-015-0037-xS110701Abad, M. F., Cordero, A., Torregrosa, J. R.: Fourth-and fifth-order for solving nonlinear systems of equations: an application to the global positioning system, Abstr. Appl. Anal. (2013) (Article ID 586708)Andreu, C., Cambil, N., Cordero, A., Torregrosa, J.R.: Preliminary orbit determination of artificial satellites: a vectorial sixth-order approach, Abstr. Appl. Anal. (2013) (Article ID 960582)Awawdeh, F.: On new iterative method for solving systems of nonlinear equations. Numer. Algorithms 54, 395–409 (2010)Boyd, J.P.: One-point pseudospectral collocation for the one-dimensional Bratu equation. Appl. Math. Comput. 217, 5553–5565 (2011)Bratu, G.: Sur les equation integrals non-lineaires. Bull. Math. Soc. France 42, 113–142 (1914)Buckmire, R.: Applications of Mickens finite differences to several related boundary value problems. In: Mickens, R.E. (ed.) Advances in the Applications of Nonstandard Finite Difference Schemes, pp. 47–87. World Scientific Publishing, Singapore (2005)Cordero, A., Hueso, J.L., Martínez, E., Torregrosa, J.R.: A modified Newton-Jarratt’s composition. Numer. Algorithms 55, 87–99 (2010)Gelfand, I.M.: Some problems in the theory of quasi-linear equations. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. Ser. 2, 295–381 (1963)Homeier, H.H.H.: On Newton-tyoe methods with cubic convergence. J. Comput. Appl. Math. 176, 425–432 (2005)Jacobsen, J., Schmitt, K.: The Liouville-Bratu-Gelfand problem for radial operators. J. Differ. Equ. 184, 283–298 (2002)Jalilian, R.: Non-polynomial spline method for solving Bratu’s problem. Comput. Phys. Comm. 181, 1868–1872 (2010)Kanwar, V., Kumar, S., Behl, R.: Several new families of Jarratts method for solving systems of nonlinear equations. Appl. Appl. Math. 8(2), 701–716 (2013)Mohsen, A.: A simple solution of the Bratu problem. Comput. Math. with Appl. 67, 26–33 (2014)Petković, M., Neta, B., Petković, L., Džunić, J.: Multipoint Methods for Solving Nonlinear Equations. Academic Press, Amsterdam (2013)Sharma, J.R., Guna, R.K., Sharma, R.: An efficient fourth order weighted-Newton method for systems of nonlinear equations. Numer. Algorithms 62, 307–323 (2013)Sharma, J.R., Arora, H.: On efficient weighted-Newton methods for solving systems of nonlinear equations. Appl. Math. Comput. 222, 497–506 (2013)Traub, J.F.: Iterative Methods for the Solution of Equations. Chelsea Publishing Company, New York (1982)Wan, Y.Q., Guo, Q., Pan, N.: Thermo-electro-hydrodynamic model for electrospinning process. Int. J. Nonlinear Sci. Numer. Simul. 5, 5–8 (2004
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