1,853 research outputs found
Inference of the genetic network regulating lateral root initiation in Arabidopsis thaliana
Regulation of gene expression is crucial for organism growth, and it is one of the challenges in Systems Biology to reconstruct the underlying regulatory biological networks from transcriptomic data. The formation of lateral roots in Arabidopsis thaliana is stimulated by a cascade of regulators of which only the interactions of its initial elements have been identified. Using simulated gene expression data with known network topology, we compare the performance of inference algorithms, based on different approaches, for which ready-to-use software is available. We show that their performance improves with the network size and the inclusion of mutants. We then analyse two sets of genes, whose activity is likely to be relevant to lateral root initiation in Arabidopsis, by integrating sequence analysis with the intersection of the results of the best performing methods on time series and mutants to infer their regulatory network. The methods applied capture known interactions between genes that are candidate regulators at early stages of development. The network inferred from genes significantly expressed during lateral root formation exhibits distinct scale-free, small world and hierarchical properties and the nodes with a high out-degree may warrant further investigation
Multilinear Wavelets: A Statistical Shape Space for Human Faces
We present a statistical model for D human faces in varying expression,
which decomposes the surface of the face using a wavelet transform, and learns
many localized, decorrelated multilinear models on the resulting coefficients.
Using this model we are able to reconstruct faces from noisy and occluded D
face scans, and facial motion sequences. Accurate reconstruction of face shape
is important for applications such as tele-presence and gaming. The localized
and multi-scale nature of our model allows for recovery of fine-scale detail
while retaining robustness to severe noise and occlusion, and is
computationally efficient and scalable. We validate these properties
experimentally on challenging data in the form of static scans and motion
sequences. We show that in comparison to a global multilinear model, our model
better preserves fine detail and is computationally faster, while in comparison
to a localized PCA model, our model better handles variation in expression, is
faster, and allows us to fix identity parameters for a given subject.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures; accepted to ECCV 201
Robot-Assisted Epiretinal Membrane Peeling: A Prospective Assessment of Pre- and Intra-Operative Times and of Surgeons' Subjective Perceptions.
PURPOSE
The Preceyes Surgical System (PSS) is a robotic assistive device that may enhance surgical precision. This study assessed pre- and intra-operative times and surgeons' perceptions of robot-assisted epiretinal membrane peeling (RA-MP).
METHODS
We analyzed the time requirement of three main tasks: the preparation of the PSS (I), patient preparation (II), and surgery (III). Following surgery, the surgeons were asked questions about their experience.
RESULTS
RA-MP was performed in nine eyes of nine patients. Task I required an average time of 12.3 min, initially taking 15 min but decreasing to 6 min in the last surgery. Task II showed a mean time of 47.2 (range of 36-65) min. Task III had a mean time of 72.4 (range of 57-100) min. A mean time of 27.9 (range of 9-46) min was necessary for RA-MP. The responses to the questionnaire revealed a trend towards increasing ease and reduced stress as familiarity with the PSS increased.
CONCLUSIONS
A substantial reduction in pre- and intra-operative times, decreasing to a total of 115 min, was demonstrated. RA-MP was positively anticipated by the surgeons and led to no hand or arm strain while being more complex than manual MP
A machine learning pipeline for discriminant pathways identification
Motivation: Identifying the molecular pathways more prone to disruption
during a pathological process is a key task in network medicine and, more in
general, in systems biology.
Results: In this work we propose a pipeline that couples a machine learning
solution for molecular profiling with a recent network comparison method. The
pipeline can identify changes occurring between specific sub-modules of
networks built in a case-control biomarker study, discriminating key groups of
genes whose interactions are modified by an underlying condition. The proposal
is independent from the classification algorithm used. Three applications on
genomewide data are presented regarding children susceptibility to air
pollution and two neurodegenerative diseases: Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Availability: Details about the software used for the experiments discussed
in this paper are provided in the Appendix
Spinor classification of the Weyl tensor in five dimensions
We investigate the spinor classification of the Weyl tensor in five
dimensions due to De Smet. We show that a previously overlooked reality
condition reduces the number of possible types in the classification. We
classify all vacuum solutions belonging to the most special algebraic type. The
connection between this spinor and the tensor classification due to Coley,
Milson, Pravda and Pravdov\'a is investigated and the relation between most of
the types in each of the classifications is given. We show that the black ring
is algebraically general in the spinor classification.Comment: 40 page
Skipping orbits and enhanced resistivity in large-diameter InAs/GaSb antidot lattices
We investigated the magnetotransport properties of high-mobility InAs/GaSb
antidot lattices. In addition to the usual commensurability features at low
magnetic field we found a broad maximum of classical origin around 2.5 T. The
latter can be ascribed to a class of rosetta type orbits encircling a single
antidot. This is shown by both a simple transport calculation based on a
classical Kubo formula and an analysis of the Poincare surface of section at
different magnetic field values. At low temperatures we observe weak
1/B-periodic oscillations superimposed on the classical maximum.Comment: 4 pages, 4 Postscript figures, REVTeX, submitted to Phys Rev
Performance evaluation of CHP with heat storage in buildings
Paper presented at the 5th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, South Africa, 1-4 July, 2007.Combined heat and power (CHP) production gains more
and more attention. Offices and public buildings often have a
large thermal power demand in combination with a fairly large
electrical power demand. On the other hand they are seldom
occupied by night and in weekends, reducing the actual
operational time of the heating system. This in turn brings
down the financial benefits of investing in CHP. A second
problem is that electrical and thermal demands are often shifted
in time. The running time of the engine is again limited this
way, as it is often not allowed to deliver electricity to the power
grid. A possible solution is using heat storage. This way the
CHP-engine can run when the electricity demand is high. In the
paper a simulation model of CHP with gas engine and heat
storage by means of a hot water vessel is developed. The model
is validated through experiments on an engine and a vessel.
This model is used to analyze the design, control and
performance of cogeneration plants. It is shown that storage is
marginal beneficial and the design has to be done with great
care.cs201
The Kerr-Newman-Godel Black Hole
By applying a set of Hassan-Sen transformations and string dualities to the
Kerr-Godel solution of minimal D=5 supergravity we derive a four parameter
family of five dimensional solutions in type II string theory. They describe
rotating, charged black holes in a rotating background. For zero background
rotation, the solution is D=5 Kerr-Newman; for zero charge it is Kerr-Godel. In
a particular extremal limit the solution describes an asymptotically Godel BMPV
black hole.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX, no figures; v2: one reference added, very minor
changes; to appear in CQ
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