951 research outputs found
Estimating daily nitrogen dioxide level: Exploring traffic effects
Data used to assess acute health effects from air pollution typically have
good temporal but poor spatial resolution or the opposite. A modified
longitudinal model was developed that sought to improve resolution in both
domains by bringing together data from three sources to estimate daily levels
of nitrogen dioxide () at a geographic location. Monthly
measurements at 316 sites were made available by the Study of
Traffic, Air quality and Respiratory health (STAR). Four US Environmental
Protection Agency monitoring stations have hourly measurements of . Finally, the Connecticut Department of Transportation provides data on
traffic density on major roadways, a primary contributor to
pollution. Inclusion of a traffic variable improved performance of the model,
and it provides a method for estimating exposure at points that do not have
direct measurements of the outcome. This approach can be used to estimate daily
variation in levels of over a region.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/13-AOAS642 the Annals of
Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of
Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Spatiotemporal Calibration of Atmospheric Nitrogen Dioxide Concentration Estimates From an Air Quality Model for Connecticut
A spatiotemporal calibration and resolution refinement model was fitted to
calibrate nitrogen dioxide (NO) concentration estimates from the Community
Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model, using two sources of observed data on
NO that differed in their spatial and temporal resolutions. To refine the
spatial resolution of the CMAQ model estimates, we leveraged information using
additional local covariates including total traffic volume within 2 km,
population density, elevation, and land use characteristics. Predictions from
this model greatly improved the bias in the CMAQ estimates, as observed by the
much lower mean squared error (MSE) at the NO monitor sites. The final
model was used to predict the daily concentration of ambient NO over the
entire state of Connecticut on a grid with pixels of size 300 x 300 m. A
comparison of the prediction map with a similar map for the CMAQ estimates
showed marked improvement in the spatial resolution. The effect of local
covariates was evident in the finer spatial resolution map, where the
contribution of traffic on major highways to ambient NO concentration
stands out. An animation was also provided to show the change in the
concentration of ambient NO over space and time for 1994 and 1995.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures, supplementary materia
Identification of the age-period-cohort model and the extended chain-ladder model
We consider the identification problem that arises in the age-period-cohort models as well as in the extended chain-ladder model. We propose a canonical parameterization based on the accelerations of the trends in the three factors. This parameterization is exactly identified and eases interpretation, estimation and forecasting. The canonical parameterization is applied to a class of index sets which have trapezoidal shapes, including various Lexis diagrams and the insurance-reserving triangles
The shallow depth emplacement of mafic intrusions on a magma-poor rifted margin : An example from the Bight Basin, Southern Australia
This work comprises a part of the Great Australian Bight Deepwater Marine Program (GABDMP) for funding this project. The GABDMP is a CSIRO research program, sponsored by Chevron Australia the results of which will be made publically available. 3D seismic data was gratefully provided by TGS. Dougal Jerram and Craig Magee are thanked for constructive reviews; Adam Bumby is thanked for editorial handling.Peer reviewedPostprin
Analysis of Cancer Omics Data In A Semantic Web Framework
Our work concerns the elucidation of the cancer (epi)genome, transcriptome and proteome to better understand the complex interplay between a cancel cell's molecular state and its response to anti-cancer therapy. To study the problem, we have previously focused on data warehousing technologies and statistical data integration. In this paper, we present recent work on extending our analytical capabilities using Semantic Web technology. A key new component presented here is a SPARQL endpoint to our existing data warehouse. This endpoint allows the merging of observed quantitative data with existing data from semantic knowledge sources such as Gene Ontology (GO). We show how such variegated quantitative and functional data can be integrated and accessed in a universal manner using Semantic Web tools. We also demonstrate how Description Lobic (DL) reasoning can be used to infer previously unstated conclusions from existing knowledge bases. As proof of concept, we illustrate the ability of our setup to answer complex queries on resistance of cancer cells to Decitabine, a demethylating agent
Nature and preservation of Late Jurassic breakup-related volcanism in the carnarvon basin, North West shelf, Australia
Funding This work was funded through a postgraduate scholarship from the University of Adelaide, Faculty of Engineering Computer and Mathematical Sciences, and also by ASEG Research Foundation Grant no. RF19P01. These funding sources had no involvement in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the article for publication. Acknowledgements We would like to thank Iain Campbell, formerly Chief Petroleum Geophysicist at the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining for arranging the stitching together of multiple SEGY component files for the Indian 3D seismic reflection survey which was instrumental for interpretation of the Toro Volcanic Complex. We would also like to thank both Simon Lang and particularly Victorien Paumard of the Centre for Energy Geoscience, University of Western Australia, for numerous discussions around the development of the Barrow Delta in the Exmouth Sub-Basin and Exmouth Plateau. We thank Tiago Alves for editorial guidance, and the constructive reviews provided by Victorien Paumard, Natasha Stanton, Gerome Calves, Chris Elders, Kamaldeen Omosanya and one anonymous referee.Peer reviewe
A semantic web framework to integrate cancer omics data with biological knowledge
BACKGROUND: The RDF triple provides a simple linguistic means of describing limitless types of information. Triples can be flexibly combined into a unified data source we call a semantic model. Semantic models open new possibilities for the integration of variegated biological data. We use Semantic Web technology to explicate high throughput clinical data in the context of fundamental biological knowledge. We have extended Corvus, a data warehouse which provides a uniform interface to various forms of Omics data, by providing a SPARQL endpoint. With the querying and reasoning tools made possible by the Semantic Web, we were able to explore quantitative semantic models retrieved from Corvus in the light of systematic biological knowledge. RESULTS: For this paper, we merged semantic models containing genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic data from melanoma samples with two semantic models of functional data - one containing Gene Ontology (GO) data, the other, regulatory networks constructed from transcription factor binding information. These two semantic models were created in an ad hoc manner but support a common interface for integration with the quantitative semantic models. Such combined semantic models allow us to pose significant translational medicine questions. Here, we study the interplay between a cell's molecular state and its response to anti-cancer therapy by exploring the resistance of cancer cells to Decitabine, a demethylating agent. CONCLUSIONS: We were able to generate a testable hypothesis to explain how Decitabine fights cancer - namely, that it targets apoptosis-related gene promoters predominantly in Decitabine-sensitive cell lines, thus conveying its cytotoxic effect by activating the apoptosis pathway. Our research provides a framework whereby similar hypotheses can be developed easily
Contemporary stress orientations in the Faroe-Shetland region
The Faroe-Shetland Region (FSR) of the NE Atlantic continental margin contains a number of complexly structured Mesozoic-Palaeogene-age rift basins, but in comparison to the contiguous British Isles and North Sea Basin, the state of crustal stress in the FSR is poorly understood. The orientation of maximum horizontal compressional stress (σHmax) across most of NW Europe is ~NW-SE, which is considered to be controlled by forces acting at the plate boundaries. We have determined 16 B-D quality σHmax orientations based on borehole breakouts interpreted in petroleum wells, and define three distinct stress provinces within the FSR. Stress orientations in the NE are ~NW-SE, consistent with the regional pattern of stresses in NW Europe and local neotectonic structural trends. However, contemporary stress orientations in the central and SW of the FSR exhibit short-wavelength (distances <10-50 km) variation, with NE-SW, N-S and E-W orientations that are parallel or sub-parallel to underlying structural trends. This variation is interpreted in terms of stress deflections towards weak faults that downthrow the Mesozoic-Cenozoic sedimentary successions against basement highs. These local-scale sources are superposed on a background ~WNW-ESE σHmax orientation that is controlled by both plate boundary forces and regional-scale sources of stresses
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