627 research outputs found
Integrating algorithm visualization video into a first-year algorithm and data structure course
In this paper we describe the results that we have obtained while integrating algorithm visualization (AV) movies (strongly tightened with the other teaching material), within a first-year undergraduate course on algorithms and data structures. Our experimental results seem to support the hypothesis that making these movies available significantly improved students' performances. Moreover, the movies were highly appreciated by the students (both from a comprehensibility point of view and from a usefulness point of view), even though with a low attitude towards the emerging video pod-cast technology. Finally, our results indicate the necessity of integrating the AV movies with audio comment, which seems to be one of the most interesting research question left open by our study. © International Forum of Educational Technology & Society (IFETS)
Replication and discovery of musculoskeletal QTLs in LG/J and SM/J advanced intercross lines
AR056280 awarded to DAB and AL. AIHC supported by IMS and Elphinstone Scholarship from the University of Aberdeen. GRV supported by Medical Research Scotland (Vac-929-2016).Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases: A current perspective
Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are a large and diverse group of rare and chronic respiratory disorders, with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) being the most common and best-studied member. Increasing interest in fibrosis as a therapeutic target and the appreciation that fibrotic mechanisms may be a treatable target of IPF prompted the development and subsequent approval of the antifibrotics, pirfenidone and nintedanib. The management of ILDs has changed considerably following an understanding that IPF and some ILDs share similar disease behavior of progressive fibrosis, termed “progressive fibrosing phenotype”. Indeed, antifibrotic treatment has shown to be beneficial in ILDs characterized by the progressive fibrosing phenotype. This narrative review summarizes current knowledge in the field of progressive fibrosing ILDs. Here, we discuss the clinical characteristics and pathogenesis of lung fibrosis and highlight relevant literature concerning the mechanisms underlying progressive fibrosing ILDs. We also summarize current diagnostic approaches and the available treatments of progressive fibrosing ILDs and address the optimization of treating progressive fibrosing ILDs with antifibrotics in clinical practice
A variational method in the problem of screening an external charge in strongly correlated metals
We describe a variational calculation for the problem of screening of a point
charge in a layered correlated metal for dopings close to the Mott transition
where the screening is non-linear due to the proximity to the incompressible
insulating state. We find that external charge can induce locally
incompressible regions and that the non-linear dependence of the screening on
density can induce overscreening in the nearest nearby layers while preserving
overall charge neutrality.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, final version as publishe
The Theory of the Interleaving Distance on Multidimensional Persistence Modules
In 2009, Chazal et al. introduced -interleavings of persistence
modules. -interleavings induce a pseudometric on (isomorphism
classes of) persistence modules, the interleaving distance. The definitions of
-interleavings and generalize readily to multidimensional
persistence modules. In this paper, we develop the theory of multidimensional
interleavings, with a view towards applications to topological data analysis.
We present four main results. First, we show that on 1-D persistence modules,
is equal to the bottleneck distance . This result, which first
appeared in an earlier preprint of this paper, has since appeared in several
other places, and is now known as the isometry theorem. Second, we present a
characterization of the -interleaving relation on multidimensional
persistence modules. This expresses transparently the sense in which two
-interleaved modules are algebraically similar. Third, using this
characterization, we show that when we define our persistence modules over a
prime field, satisfies a universality property. This universality result
is the central result of the paper. It says that satisfies a stability
property generalizing one which is known to satisfy, and that in
addition, if is any other pseudometric on multidimensional persistence
modules satisfying the same stability property, then . We also show
that a variant of this universality result holds for , over arbitrary
fields. Finally, we show that restricts to a metric on isomorphism
classes of finitely presented multidimensional persistence modules.Comment: Major revision; exposition improved throughout. To appear in
Foundations of Computational Mathematics. 36 page
Parallel implementation of the SHYFEM (System of HydrodYnamic Finite Element Modules) model
This paper presents the message passing interface (MPI)-based parallelization of the three-dimensional hydrodynamic model SHYFEM (System of HydrodYnamic Finite Element Modules). The original sequential version of the code was parallelized in order to reduce the execution time of high-resolution configurations using state-of-the-art high-performance computing (HPC) systems. A distributed memory approach was used, based on the MPI. Optimized numerical libraries were used to partition the unstructured grid (with a focus on load balancing) and to solve the sparse linear system of equations in parallel in the case of semi-to-fully implicit time stepping. The parallel implementation of the model was validated by comparing the outputs with those obtained from the sequential version. The performance assessment demonstrates a good level of scalability with a realistic configuration used as benchmark
Persistent topology for natural data analysis - A survey
Natural data offer a hard challenge to data analysis. One set of tools is
being developed by several teams to face this difficult task: Persistent
topology. After a brief introduction to this theory, some applications to the
analysis and classification of cells, lesions, music pieces, gait, oil and gas
reservoirs, cyclones, galaxies, bones, brain connections, languages,
handwritten and gestured letters are shown
First evidence for N7-Platinated Guanosine derivatives cell uptake mediated by plasma membrane transport processes
Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NA) belong to a family of compounds widely used in anticancer/antiviral treatments. They generally exhibit a cell toxicity limited by cellular uptake levels and the resulting nucleos(t)ides metabolism modifications, interfering with the cell machinery for nucleic acids synthesis. We previously synthesized purine nucleos(t)ide analogues N7-coordinated to a platinum centre with unaltered sugar moieties of the type: [Pt(dien)(N7-dGuo)]2+ (1; dien = diethylenetriamine; dGuo = 2′-deoxy-guanosine), [Pt(dien)(N7-dGMP)] (2; dGMP = 5′-(2′-deoxy)-guanosine monophosphate), and [Pt(dien)(N7-dGTP)]2− (3; dGTP = 5′-(2′-deoxy)-guanosine triphosphate), where the indicated electric charge is calculated at physiological pH (7.4). In this work, we specifically investigated the uptake of these complexes (1–3) at the plasma membrane level. Specific experiments on HeLa cervical cancer cells indicated a relevant cellular uptake of the model platinated deoxynucleos(t)ide 1 and 3 while complex 2 appeared unable to cross the cell plasma membrane. Obtained data buttress an uptake mechanism involving Na+-dependent concentrative transporters localized at the plasma membrane level. Consistently, 1 and 3 showed higher cytotoxicity with respect to complex 2 also suggesting selective possible applications as antiviral/antitumor drugs among the used model compounds
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