Symmetric matrices, Catalan paths, and correlations

Kenyon and Pemantle (2014) gave a formula for the entries of a square matrix in terms of connected principal and almost-principal minors. Each entry is an explicit Laurent polynomial whose terms are the weights of domino tilings of a half Aztec diamond. They conjectured an analogue of this parametrization for symmetric matrices, where the Laurent monomials are indexed by Catalan paths. In this paper we prove the Kenyon-Pemantle conjecture, and apply this to a statistics problem pioneered by Joe (2006). Correlation matrices are represented by an explicit bijection from the cube to the elliptope

Integration of Lane-Specific Traffic Data Generated from Real-Time CCTV Videos into INDOT\u27s Traffic Management System

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) uses about 600 digital cameras along populated Indiana highways in order to monitor highway traffic conditions. The videos from these cameras are currently observed by human operators looking for traffic conditions and incidents. However, it is time-consuming for the operators to scan through all video data from all the cameras in real-time. The main objective of this research was to develop an automatic and real-time system and implement the system at INDOT to monitor traffic conditions and detect incidents automatically. The Transportation and Autonomous Systems Institute (TASI) of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and the INDOT Traffic Management Center have worked together to research and develop a system that monitors the traffic conditions based on the INDOT CCTV video feeds. The proposed system performs traffic flow estimation, incident detection, and the classification of vehicles involved in an incident. The goal was to develop a system and prepare for future implementation. The research team designed the new system, in­cluding the hardware and software components, the currently existing INDOT CCTV system, the database structure for traffic data extracted from the videos, and a user-friendly web-based server for identifying individual lanes on the highway and showing vehicle flowrates of each lane automatically. The preliminary prototype of some system components was implemented in the 2018–2019 JTRP projects, which provided the feasibility and structure of the automatic traffic status extraction from the video feeds. The 2019–2021 JTRP project focused on developing and improving many features’ functionality and computation speed to make the program run in real-time. The specific work in this 2021–2022 JTRP project is to improve the system further and implement it on INDOT’s premises. The system has the following features: vehicle-detection, road boundary detection, lane detection, vehicle count and flowrate detection, traffic condition detection, database development, web-based graphical user interface (GUI), and a hardware specification study. The research team has installed the system on one computer in INDOT for daily road traffic monitoring operations

Back to the Future with Higher Ed: A Sample of Drupal Sites at UGA

Consisting of a show and tell of a selection of large and small site installations from various departments, schools and colleges at the University of Georgia, panelists including back end and front end developers, public relations experts, librarians, and web coordinators will share their ship\u27s timeline with Drupal versions and examples from the past, present and future. A moderator will then ask questions of panelists including: the biggest challenges they have faced with migrations and upgrades, the issues or blessings of more cohesive branding initiatives over the last few years, and their visions, concerns, and hopes for the future. In a post pandemic world, everyone contributes to digital content creation and curation. What is the shifting and evolving landscape of open source web development in higher ed? We hope for a vibrant segment of questions and look forward to engaging discussions. This session will be accessible to those new to Drupal as well as experts. This session will give an overview of Drupal websites at UGA, and compare that to the other site installs (both paid and open source) across campus. Attendees will walk away having learned a variety of different uses from small internal sites to large scale implemebtations in higher ed (intranets, student portals, faculty and research sites, libraries, and entire school websites). The site-specific examples will be sure to inspire attendees, and the questions and answers to encourage a collaborative discussion to include sharing trouble-shooting tips and give rise to ideas or solutions. Panelists come from the University Libraries, Franklin College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Law & Law Library, and a moderator from Terry College of Business

Road Condition Detection and Classification from Existing CCTV Feed

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has approximately 500 digital cameras along highways in populated areas of Indiana. These cameras are used to monitor traffic conditions around the clock, all year round. Currently, the videos from these cameras are observed one-by-one by human operators looking for traffic conditions and incidents. The main objective of this research was to develop an automatic, real-time system to monitor traffic conditions and detect incidents automatically. The Transportation and Autonomous Systems Institute (TASI) of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and the Traffic Management Center of INDOT developed a system that monitors the traffic conditions based on the INDOT CCTV video feeds. The proposed system performs traffic flow estimation, incident detection, and classification of vehicles involved in an incident. The research team designed the system, including the hardware and software components added to the existing INDOT CCTV system; the relationship between the added system and the currently existing INDOT system; the database structure for traffic data extracted from the videos; and a user-friendly, web-based server for showing the incident locations automatically. The specific work in this project includes vehicle-detection, road boundary detection, lane detection, vehicle count over time, flow-rate detection, traffic condition detection, database development, web-based graphical user interface (GUI), and a hardware specification study. The preliminary prototype of some system components has been implemented in the Development of Automated Incident Detection System Using Existing ATMS CCT (SPR-4305)

Predicting Scattering Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy of Mass-produced Plasmonic Devices

Scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy enables optical imaging and characterization of plasmonic devices with nanometer-scale resolution well below the diffraction limit. This technique enables developers to probe and understand the waveguide-coupled plasmonic antenna in as-fabricated heat-assisted magnetic recording heads. In order validate and predict results and to extract information from experimental measurements that is physically comparable to simulations, a model was developed to translate the simulated electric field into expected near-field measurements using physical parameters specific to scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy physics. The methods used in this paper prove that scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy can be used to determine critical sub-diffraction-limited dimensions of optical field confinement, which is a crucial metrology requirement for the future of nano-optics, semiconductor photonic devices, and biological sensing where the near-field character of light is fundamental to device operation.Comment: article: 18 pages, 5 figures; SI: 15 pages, 12 figure

The effects of peripheral and central high insulin on brain insulin signaling and amyloid-β in young and old APP/PS1 mice

Hyperinsulinemia is a risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). In vitro experiments describe potential connections between insulin, insulin signaling, and amyloid-β (Aβ), but in vivo experiments are needed to validate these relationships under physiological conditions. First, we performed hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps with concurrent hippocampal microdialysis in young, awake, behaving APP(swe)/PS1(dE9) transgenic mice. Both a postprandial and supraphysiological insulin clamp significantly increased interstitial fluid (ISF) and plasma Aβ compared with controls. We could detect no increase in brain, ISF, or CSF insulin or brain insulin signaling in response to peripheral hyperinsulinemia, despite detecting increased signaling in the muscle. Next, we delivered insulin directly into the hippocampus of young APP/PS1 mice via reverse microdialysis. Brain tissue insulin and insulin signaling was dose-dependently increased, but ISF Aβ was unchanged by central insulin administration. Finally, to determine whether peripheral and central high insulin has differential effects in the presence of significant amyloid pathology, we repeated these experiments in older APP/PS1 mice with significant amyloid plaque burden. Postprandial insulin clamps increased ISF and plasma Aβ, whereas direct delivery of insulin to the hippocampus significantly increased tissue insulin and insulin signaling, with no effect on Aβ in old mice. These results suggest that the brain is still responsive to insulin in the presence of amyloid pathology but increased insulin signaling does not acutely modulate Aβ in vivo before or after the onset of amyloid pathology. Peripheral hyperinsulinemia modestly increases ISF and plasma Aβ in young and old mice, independent of neuronal insulin signaling. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The transportation of insulin from blood to brain is a saturable process relevant to understanding the link between hyperinsulinemia and AD. In vitro experiments have found direct connections between high insulin and extracellular Aβ, but these mechanisms presume that peripheral high insulin elevates brain insulin significantly. We found that physiological hyperinsulinemia in awake, behaving mice does not increase CNS insulin to an appreciable level yet modestly increases extracellular Aβ. We also found that the brain of aged APP/PS1 mice was not insulin resistant, contrary to the current state of the literature. These results further elucidate the relationship between insulin, the brain, and AD and its conflicting roles as both a risk factor and potential treatment

A Comparison Of 3,4,6A,7,10,10A-Hexahydro-7,10-Epoxypyrimido 2,1-A Isoindol-6(2H)-One And 2-(2-Aminoethyl)-3A,4,7,7A-Tetrahydro-1H-4,7-Epoxyisoindole-1,3(2H)-Dion E: Structural And Reactivity Differences Of Two Homologous Tricyclic Imides

The crystal structures of 3,4,6a,7,10,10a-hexahydro-7,10-epoxypyrimido[2,1-a]isoindol-6(2H)-one, C11H12N2O2, and 2-(2-aminoethyl)-3a,4,7,7a-tetrahydro-1H-4,7-epoxyisoindole-1,3(2H)-dione, C10H12N2O3, two tricyclic imides, show one and two molecules in the asymmetric unit, respectively. Intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions are observed in both compounds.National Science Foundation (grant No. CHE-0741973)The Welch Foundation (grant No. F-1631)National Science Foundation (grant No. CHE-0847763)ChemistryBiochemistr