Cross-middleware Interoperability in Distributed Concurrent Engineering

Secure, distributed collaboration between different organizations is a key challenge in Grid computing today. The GDCD project has produced a Grid-based demonstrator Virtual Collaborative Facility (VCF) for the European Space Agency. The purpose of this work is to show the potential of Grid technology to support fully distributed concurrent design, while addressing practical considerations including network security, interoperability, and integration of legacy applications. The VCF allows domain engineers to use the concurrent design methodology in a distributed fashion to perform studies for future space missions. To demonstrate the interoperability and integration capabilities of Grid computing in concurrent design, we developed prototype VCF components based on ESA’s current Excel-based Concurrent Design Facility (a non-distributed environment), using a STEP-compliant database that stores design parameters. The database was exposed as a secure GRIA 5.1 Grid service, whilst a .NET/WSE3.0-based library was developed to enable secure communication between the Excel client and STEP database

On pole-swapping algorithms for the eigenvalue problem

Pole-swapping algorithms, which are generalizations of the QZ algorithm for the generalized eigenvalue problem, are studied. A new modular (and therefore more flexible) convergence theory that applies to all pole-swapping algorithms is developed. A key component of all such algorithms is a procedure that swaps two adjacent eigenvalues in a triangular pencil. An improved swapping routine is developed, and its superiority over existing methods is demonstrated by a backward error analysis and numerical tests. The modularity of the new convergence theory and the generality of the pole-swapping approach shed new light on bi-directional chasing algorithms, optimally packed shifts, and bulge pencils, and allow the design of novel algorithms

Saponification of several esters of pilvalic acid

The base promoted hydrolysis, saponification, of several esters of pivalic acid (trimethyl acetic acid – C (CH3)3COOH) has been studied. Kinetic studies were performed and a possible mechanism for the reactions is proposed. The saponification of esters has been well studied. Ingold1 proposes three possible mechanisms for the reaction; Bac2, Bal1, and Bal2. The B stands for base promoted, the ac and al for acyl oxygen cleavage or alkyl oxygen cleavage, respectively, and the 1 or 2 for first or second order kinetics

Closed-loop theory and the partial recall hypothesis : explanations of the sources of information about knowledge in memory

Examples of information about knowledge in memory are described, and two conceptualizations of the source of such information--the partial recall hypothesis and the closed-loop theory--are reviewed. Wearing (1970) conducted a study to support the closed-loop theory using 60 CVC pairs in a paired-associate task with recall measure and confidence ratings. An attempt is made to replicate and extend some of his findings. Some are replicated, except for one finding with which he supported closed-loop theory. With support for closed-loop theory thus reduced, the partial recall hypothesis seems more plausible

The role of chromosomal instability and parallel evolution in cancer

Although chromosomal instability (CIN) is recognised as an initiating process in cancer, the extent and relevance of ongoing somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) that result from it later in tumour development is unclear. In this thesis I describe a comprehensive analysis, including 1421 tumour samples (394 patients; 22 tumour types), to evaluate ongoing CIN and SCNAs in tumour evolution and show that intratumor heterogeneity mediated through chromosomal instability is associated with an increased risk of recurrence or death in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a finding that supports the potential value of CIN as a prognostic predictor. I also uncover pervasive SCNA intratumour heterogeneity across cancers, with recurrent clonal and subclonal events identified and found to demonstrate enrichment for cancer genes. I develop novel techniques for obtaining a phasing of heterozygous SNPs from multi-region next generation sequencing data and apply them to observe recurrent parallel evolutionary events converging upon disruption to the same genes in distinct subclones within 146 individual tumours. The most prevalent recurrent parallel loss event involved chromosome 14, including HIF1A and HIF1B. In addition, chromosome 5p, including TERT, was recurrently gained and subject to parallel evolution in 7 tumour types. Tumour type-specific constraints to early tumour development were identified in the form of obligatory clonal LOH, including LOH of 3p in clear cell renal cell carcinoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and triple-negative breast cancer and LOH of 17p in LUSC, colorectal adenocarcinoma, triple negative and HER2+ breast cancer. Wholegenome doubling (WGD) was generally an early event in tumour evolution, associated with an increased acquisition of both clonal and subclonal SCNAs. For instance, CCNE1 amplifications, which occurred exclusively in WGD tumours, were subclonal in 45% of these cases, suggesting this event may be selected following a WGD event. Mathematical modelling of subclonal SCNA evolution demonstrated that models that incorporate ongoing selection with respect to SCNAs significantly outperform evolutionary neutral models, particularly in the context of WGD. This thesis highlights the importance of ongoing CIN and recurrent subclonal chromosomal alterations in tumour evolution, reveals parallel evolution of SCNAs, and sheds light on the dynamics and order of events that influence metastasis

The relation between episodic memory and artificial grammar learning

Two artificial grammar learning experiments were conducted to study the acquisition of episodic and grammar knowledge with manipulations designed to enhance one or the other type of knowledge. The first experiment trained subjects to recognize specific exemplars (episodic emphasis) or to identify patterns of family resemblance (semantic focus), and then participants were given both an episodic (specific exemplar recognition) and grammar (valid string identification) test. The episodic emphasis training led to better episodic knowledge and equivalent grammar knowledge. The second experiment investigated the same training types over a longer training period and under presence or absence of interference from different study lists. The results confirmed that the two types of knowledge can be independently manipulated and that both types of knowledge are used together whether it is beneficial or not for overall performance. The results are not consistent with current exemplar models or single system abstraction models

Prediction of Critical Illness During Out-of-Hospital Emergency Care

CONTEXT: Early identification of nontrauma patients in need of critical care services in the emergency setting may improve triage decisions and facilitate regionalization of critical care. OBJECTIVES: To determine the out-of-hospital clinical predictors of critical illness and to characterize the performance of a simple score for out-of-hospital prediction of development of critical illness during hospitalization. DESIGN AND SETTING: Population-based cohort study of an emergency medical services (EMS) system in greater King County, Washington (excluding metropolitan Seattle), that transports to 16 receiving facilities. PATIENTS: Nontrauma, non-cardiac arrest adult patients transported to a hospital by King County EMS from 2002 through 2006. Eligible records with complete data (N = 144,913) were linked to hospital discharge data and randomly split into development (n = 87,266 [60%]) and validation (n = 57,647 [40%]) cohorts. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Development of critical illness, defined as severe sepsis, delivery of mechanical ventilation, or death during hospitalization. RESULTS: Critical illness occurred during hospitalization in 5% of the development (n = 4835) and validation (n = 3121) cohorts. Multivariable predictors of critical illness included older age, lower systolic blood pressure, abnormal respiratory rate, lower Glasgow Coma Scale score, lower pulse oximetry, and nursing home residence during out-of-hospital care (P < .01 for all). When applying a summary critical illness prediction score to the validation cohort (range, 0-8), the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76-0.78), with satisfactory calibration slope (1.0). Using a score threshold of 4 or higher, sensitivity was 0.22 (95% CI, 0.20-0.23), specificity was 0.98 (95% CI, 0.98-0.98), positive likelihood ratio was 9.8 (95% CI, 8.9-10.6), and negative likelihood ratio was 0.80 (95% CI, 0.79- 0.82). A threshold of 1 or greater for critical illness improved sensitivity (0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-0.98) but reduced specificity (0.17; 95% CI, 0.17-0.17). CONCLUSIONS: In a population-based cohort, the score on a prediction rule using out-of-hospital factors was significantly associated with the development of critical illness during hospitalization. This score requires external validation in an independent populationPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/85143/1/Seymour - JAMA-2010-747-54.pdf11