(Discrete) Almansi Type Decompositions: An umbral calculus framework based on osp(1∣2)\mathfrak{osp}(1|2) symmetries

We introduce the umbral calculus formalism for hypercomplex variables starting from the fact that the algebra of multivariate polynomials \BR[\underline{x}] shall be described in terms of the generators of the Weyl-Heisenberg algebra. The extension of \BR[\underline{x}] to the algebra of Clifford-valued polynomials $\mathcal{P}$ gives rise to an algebra of Clifford-valued operators whose canonical generators are isomorphic to the orthosymplectic Lie algebra $\mathfrak{osp}(1|2)$. This extension provides an effective framework in continuity and discreteness that allow us to establish an alternative formulation of Almansi decomposition in Clifford analysis (c.f. \cite{Ryan90,MR02,MAGU}) that corresponds to a meaningful generalization of Fischer decomposition for the subspaces $\ker (D')^k$. We will discuss afterwards how the symmetries of \mathfrak{sl}_2(\BR) (even part of $\mathfrak{osp}(1|2)$) are ubiquitous on the recent approach of \textsc{Render} (c.f. \cite{Render08}), showing that they can be interpreted in terms of the method of separation of variables for the Hamiltonian operator in quantum mechanics.Comment: Improved version of the Technical Report arXiv:0901.4691v1; accepted for publication @ Math. Meth. Appl. Sci http://www.mat.uc.pt/preprints/ps/p1054.pdf (Preliminary Report December 2010

Our Space: Being a Responsible Citizen of the Digital World

Our Space is a set of curricular materials designed to encourage high school students to reflect on the ethical dimensions of their participation in new media environments. Through role-playing activities and reflective exercises, students are asked to consider the ethical responsibilities of other people, and whether and how they behave ethically themselves online. These issues are raised in relation to five core themes that are highly relevant online: identity, privacy, authorship and ownership, credibility, and participation.Our Space was co-developed by The Good Play Project and Project New Media Literacies (established at MIT and now housed at University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism). The Our Space collaboration grew out of a shared interest in fostering ethical thinking and conduct among young people when exercising new media skills

Rapid, ultra low coverage copy number profiling of cell-free DNA as a precision oncology screening strategy.

Current cell-free DNA (cfDNA) next generation sequencing (NGS) precision oncology workflows are typically limited to targeted and/or disease-specific applications. In advanced cancer, disease burden and cfDNA tumor content are often elevated, yielding unique precision oncology opportunities. We sought to demonstrate the utility of a pan-cancer, rapid, inexpensive, whole genome NGS of cfDNA approach (PRINCe) as a precision oncology screening strategy via ultra-low coverage (~0.01x) tumor content determination through genome-wide copy number alteration (CNA) profiling. We applied PRINCe to a retrospective cohort of 124 cfDNA samples from 100 patients with advanced cancers, including 76 men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), enabling cfDNA tumor content approximation and actionable focal CNA detection, while facilitating concordance analyses between cfDNA and tissue-based NGS profiles and assessment of cfDNA alteration associations with mCRPC treatment outcomes. Therapeutically relevant focal CNAs were present in 42 (34%) cfDNA samples, including 36 of 93 (39%) mCRPC patient samples harboring AR amplification. PRINCe identified pre-treatment cfDNA CNA profiles facilitating disease monitoring. Combining PRINCe with routine targeted NGS of cfDNA enabled mutation and CNA assessment with coverages tuned to cfDNA tumor content. In mCRPC, genome-wide PRINCe cfDNA and matched tissue CNA profiles showed high concordance (median Pearson correlation = 0.87), and PRINCe detectable AR amplifications predicted reduced time on therapy, independent of therapy type (Kaplan-Meier log-rank test, chi-square = 24.9, p < 0.0001). Our screening approach enables robust, broadly applicable cfDNA-based precision oncology for patients with advanced cancer through scalable identification of therapeutically relevant CNAs and pre-/post-treatment genomic profiles, enabling cfDNA- or tissue-based precision oncology workflow optimization

Copy number variation genotyping using family information

BACKGROUND: In recent years there has been a growing interest in the role of copy number variations (CNV) in genetic diseases. Though there has been rapid development of technologies and statistical methods devoted to detection in CNVs from array data, the inherent challenges in data quality associated with most hybridization techniques remains a challenging problem in CNV association studies. RESULTS: To help address these data quality issues in the context of family-based association studies, we introduce a statistical framework for the intensity-based array data that takes into account the family information for copy-number assignment. The method is an adaptation of traditional methods for modeling SNP genotype data that assume Gaussian mixture model, whereby CNV calling is performed for all family members simultaneously and leveraging within family-data to reduce CNV calls that are incompatible with Mendelian inheritance while still allowing de-novo CNVs. Applying this method to simulation studies and a genome-wide association study in asthma, we find that our approach significantly improves CNV calls accuracy, and reduces the Mendelian inconsistency rates and false positive genotype calls. The results were validated using qPCR experiments. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, we have demonstrated that the use of family information can improve the quality of CNV calling and hopefully give more powerful association test of CNVs

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANKLE MOBILITY AND GOLF SWING KINEMATICS

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between ankle mobility and golf swing kinematics. Sixteen male golfers volunteered to take part. Ankle mobility was assessed using the weight bearing lunge test and three-dimensional kinematic data from 10 golf drives were collected using a Vicon motion capture system. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated to identify the relationship between ankle mobility and the rotations of four segments; pelvis, shoulders, upper arm and forearm. Large positive relationships were identified for the rotations of the pelvis (r = 0.670) and shoulders (r = 0.604) in the downswing as well as for peak rotational velocities of the pelvis (r = 0.553), shoulder (r = 0.571) and upper arm (r = 0.549) segments. These results indicate that improvements in ankle joint mobility are associated with superior rotations of segments further up the kinetic chain and that the weight bearing lunge test should be used as part of golf specific movement screening

Psychology: Examining the relationship between tuition payment and academic performance through GPA.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to evaluate the correlation between whether paying for college tuition can affect individual\u27s grade point average (GPA). In previous studies, research has shown that individuals tend to perform better academically when receiving financial help vs. Individuals funded by their parents (Faulk et al., 2012). Following previous studies, most of the studies found do not focus specifically on the correlation between financial dependency when paying for college and GPA. Our study strictly focuses on the relationship between those students who do not pay for college and those who do pay for college and how those effects someone\u27s GPA. We hypothesize that participants who pay for any part of their tuition themselves will have a higher GPA and spend more time studying than those who have third parties paying for their tuition, such as scholarships, family, and grants. The individuals involved in the sample are introductory psychology students who attend Belmont University and are participating for a class credit. Participants were asked to answer specific questions regarding financial status, GPA, time spent studying, and who is currently paying for their college tuition. Results will be presented at SURS

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

Measurement of the top quark-pair production cross section with ATLAS in pp collisions at \sqrt{s}=7\TeV

A measurement of the production cross-section for top quark pairs(\ttbar) in $pp$ collisions at \sqrt{s}=7 \TeV is presented using data recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Events are selected in two different topologies: single lepton (electron $e$ or muon $\mu$) with large missing transverse energy and at least four jets, and dilepton ($ee$, $\mu\mu$ or $e\mu$) with large missing transverse energy and at least two jets. In a data sample of 2.9 pb-1, 37 candidate events are observed in the single-lepton topology and 9 events in the dilepton topology. The corresponding expected backgrounds from non-\ttbar Standard Model processes are estimated using data-driven methods and determined to be $12.2 \pm 3.9$ events and $2.5 \pm 0.6$ events, respectively. The kinematic properties of the selected events are consistent with SM \ttbar production. The inclusive top quark pair production cross-section is measured to be \sigmattbar=145 \pm 31 ^{+42}_{-27} pb where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The measurement agrees with perturbative QCD calculations.Comment: 30 pages plus author list (50 pages total), 9 figures, 11 tables, CERN-PH number and final journal adde

Inclusive search for same-sign dilepton signatures in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

An inclusive search is presented for new physics in events with two isolated leptons (e or mu) having the same electric charge. The data are selected from events collected from p p collisions at root s = 7 TeV by the ATLAS detector and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb(-1). The spectra in dilepton invariant mass, missing transverse momentum and jet multiplicity are presented and compared to Standard Model predictions. In this event sample, no evidence is found for contributions beyond those of the Standard Model. Limits are set on the cross-section in a fiducial region for new sources of same-sign high-mass dilepton events in the ee, e mu and mu mu channels. Four models predicting same-sign dilepton signals are constrained: two descriptions of Majorana neutrinos, a cascade topology similar to supersymmetry or universal extra dimensions, and fourth generation d-type quarks. Assuming a new physics scale of 1 TeV, Majorana neutrinos produced by an effective operator V with masses below 460 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. A lower limit of 290 GeV is set at 95% confidence level on the mass of fourth generation d-type quarks