Realizing Semantic Virtual Environments with Ontology and Pluggable Procedures

Multi-User Virtual Environment (MUVE) has attracted much attention recently due to the increasing number of users and potential applications. Fig. 1 shows the common components that a MUVE system may provide. Generally speaking, a MUVE refers to a virtual world that allows multiple users to log in concurrently and interact with each othe

Online Self-Concordant and Relatively Smooth Minimization, With Applications to Online Portfolio Selection and Learning Quantum States

Consider an online convex optimization problem where the loss functions are self-concordant barriers, smooth relative to a convex function $h$, and possibly non-Lipschitz. We analyze the regret of online mirror descent with $h$. Then, based on the result, we prove the following in a unified manner. Denote by $T$ the time horizon and $d$ the parameter dimension. 1. For online portfolio selection, the regret of $\widetilde{\text{EG}}$, a variant of exponentiated gradient due to Helmbold et al., is $\tilde{O} ( T^{2/3} d^{1/3} )$ when $T > 4 d / \log d$. This improves on the original $\tilde{O} ( T^{3/4} d^{1/2} )$ regret bound for $\widetilde{\text{EG}}$. 2. For online portfolio selection, the regret of online mirror descent with the logarithmic barrier is $\tilde{O}(\sqrt{T d})$. The regret bound is the same as that of Soft-Bayes due to Orseau et al. up to logarithmic terms. 3. For online learning quantum states with the logarithmic loss, the regret of online mirror descent with the log-determinant function is also $\tilde{O} ( \sqrt{T d} )$. Its per-iteration time is shorter than all existing algorithms we know.Comment: 19 pages, 1 figur

Prevalence and Correlates of Depression among Chronic Kidney Disease Patients in Taiwan

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive disease that causes a permanent impairment of renal function and premature mortality. The associated prognosis may result in serious psychological distress to the affected individual. However, there are limited data on the psychological correlates, and in particular depression, in Chinese CKD patients. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of depression, as well as the influence of other psychosocial factors on depression, among Taiwanese CKD patients. Methods: We used a cross-sectional research design to recruit 270 CKD patients who were not undergoing dialysis treatment at a hospital in southern Taiwan during 2011. The structured questionnaire used in this study gathered information on respondent demographic and disease characteristics, and information obtained from the Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire. Factors associated with depression were examined by a multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: The crude and age-standardized prevalence of depression were 22.6% and 20.6%, respectively. Those who had sleep disturbances, reported having no religious beliefs, followed no regular exercise regimen, and were diagnosed with stage III or above CKD demonstrated a significantly higher risk of depression. Conclusion: Our findings are beneficial to healthcare providers, as they identify both the prevalence of depression and several of its correlates. By identifying CKD patients with a higher risk of depression, healthcare providers may be better able to ensure the provision of appropriate rehabilitation to this population

DYNAMICAL EFFECTS OF SPRINT START ON DIFFERENT STARTING BLOCKS

The purpose of this study was to examine the dynamical variables of sprint start in two different starting blocks setups. The ReacTime Personal Systems was used to record the Reaction Time (RT) and the Power of 20 teenaged sprinters (15 males and 5 females) in the sprint start. In addition, the Newtest Powertimer photocells were used to collect subjects’ 0 to 10 metre (T10) performance after the sprint start. The variables were tested by the repeated measures one-way ANOVA by SPSS 19.0 statistical software at a .05 significant level. The results showed that there were better effects on the short starting block (SB) in power generation performance than the long starting block (LB). The athletes can apply short starting block and make adjustments and modifications based on their training conditions

2-(2-Meth­oxy-5-methyl­phen­yl)-2H-benzotriazole

In the title mol­ecule, C14H13N3O, the dihedral angle between the mean planes of the benzotriazole ring system and the benzene ring is 57.8 (2)°

Bis{1-[(E)-(2-methyl­phen­yl)diazen­yl]-2-naphtho­lato}palladium(II)

In the title compound, [Pd(C17H13N2O)2], the PdII atom is tetra­coordinated by two N atoms and two O atoms from two bidentate methylphenyl­diazenylnaphtolate ligands, forming a square-planar complex. The two N atoms and two O atoms around the PdII atom are trans to each other (as the PdII atom lies on a crystallographic inversion centre) with O—Pd—N bond angles of 89.60 (11) and 90.40 (11)°. The distances between the PdII atom and the coordinated O and N atoms are 1.966 (3) and 2.009 (3) Å, respectively