Hotspot detection and a nonstationary process variance function estimation

A two-stage spatial sampling design for detecting contaminated areas is proposed for effective decontamination planning. A two-stage design has a higher or equal hotspot detection probability than a one-stage design under fixed budget constraints. The proposed design uses the expected relative size of the contaminated area and the overall sampling rate as the two control variables in determining an optimal sample splitting proportion for a two-stage design. Results are shown through simulation studies and theoretical derivation. Many spatial processes exhibit nonstationary features. We estimate a variance function from a single process observation where the errors are nonstationary and correlated. We assume that the mean process is smooth and that the error process is a product of a smooth variance function and a second-order stationary process. A difference-based approach for a one-dimensional nonstationary process is developed along with a bandwidth selection method which takes into account the error dependence structure. The asymptotic properties of the estimator are investigated, and the estimation results are compared to that of a local-likelihood approach proposed by Anderes and Stein (2011). Simulation study shows that our method has a smaller integrated MSE, fixes the boundary bias problem, and requires far less computing time as the evaluation of likelihood with matrix inversion is not necessary. For a two-dimensional nonstationary process with correlated errors there are a few practical guides for selecting a difference filter of its shape, scale, and weight depending on the degree of correlation in the data. When the data is strongly correlated, a symmetric weighting scheme is preferred; and when the data is weakly correlated or independent, the Hall-Kay-Titterington (1991) weight is preferred. Also a compact filter would minimize introducing bias. The best filter configuration is a three-node line configuration with directional rotation and averaging

How to Increase a Company\u27s Social Media Presence

The project pursued in this report is called “How to Increase a Company’s Social Media Presence.” In this context, “social media presence” will refer to how frequently Hespr posts and is active on Instagram, the levels of engagement on posts, and types of content uploaded. As the title suggests, this project will focus on factors that facilitate the growth of Hespr’s social media presence, as well as factors that may hinder progress.https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/intern_reports_2020/1036/thumbnail.jp

USP15 regulates dynamic protein-protein interactions of the spliceosome through deubiquitination of PRP31.

Post-translational modifications contribute to the spliceosome dynamics by facilitating the physical rearrangements of the spliceosome. Here, we report USP15, a deubiquitinating enzyme, as a regulator of protein-protein interactions for the spliceosome dynamics. We show that PRP31, a component of U4 snRNP, is modified with K63-linked ubiquitin chains by the PRP19 complex and deubiquitinated by USP15 and its substrate targeting factor SART3. USP15SART3 makes a complex with USP4 and this ternary complex serves as a platform to deubiquitinate PRP31 and PRP3. The ubiquitination and deubiquitination status of PRP31 regulates its interaction with the U5 snRNP component PRP8, which is required for the efficient splicing of chromosome segregation related genes, probably by stabilizing the U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP complex. Collectively, our data suggest that USP15 plays a key role in the regulation of dynamic protein-protein interactions of the spliceosome

Hadron

Pg 4 : Anxiety and Evolution Pg 5 : Prescription Fires Pg 7 : The New Uber? Pg 8 : Changing Society Pg 10 : The Rare and Elusive Spirit Bear Pg 12 : How Lasers Could Solve the World Energy Crisis Pg 14 : The Physics of Water Wakes Pg 17 : Schwarzschild Cosmology and Black Hole-ception! Pg 19 : The Future of Space Tourism Pg 20 : Not Just Bitcoin Pg 21 : The Evolving Medical Power of Psychedelics Pg 24 : Usage of Hydrogels in Wound Healing Pg 26 : New COVID-19 Variant Spreading Across South America and the United Stateshttps://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/hadron_magazine/1004/thumbnail.jp

Variance function estimation of a one-dimensional nonstationary process

We propose a flexible nonparametric estimation of a variance function from a one-dimensional process where the process errors are nonstationary and correlated. Due to nonstationarity a local variogram is defined, and its asymptotic properties are derived. We include a bandwidth selection method for smoothing taking into account the correlations in the errors. We compare the proposed difference-based nonparametric approach with Anderes and Stein(2011)’s local-likelihood approach. Our method has a smaller integrated MSE, easily fixes the boundary bias, and requires far less computing time than the likelihood-based method

Antibody-Driven Assembly of Plasmonic Core–Satellites to Increase the Sensitivity of a SERS Vertical Flow Immunoassay

Here, we describe a SERS-based vertical flow assay as a platform technology suitable for point-of-care (POC) diagnostic testing. A capture substrate is constructed from filter paper embedded with spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and functionalized with an appropriate capture antibody. The capture substrate is loaded into a filtration device and connected to a syringe to rapidly and repeatedly pass the sample through the sensor for efficient antigen binding. The antigen is then labeled with a SERS-active detection probe. We show that only a few Raman reporter molecules, exclusively located adjacent to the plasmonic capture substrate, generate detectible signals. To maximize the signal from underutilized Raman reporter molecules, we employ a secondary signal enhancing probe that undergoes antibody-directed assembly to form plasmonic core–satellites. This facile enhancement step provides a 3.5-fold increase in the signal and a detection limit of 0.23 ng/mL (1.6 pM) for human IgG. This work highlights the potential to rationally design plasmonic architectures using widely available and reproducible spherical AuNPs to achieve large SERS enhancements for highly sensitive POC diagnostics