Digital Commons Network^™

A Partner-Matching Framework For Social Activity Communities, Chunyu Ai, Wei Zhong, Mingyuan Yan, Feng Gu

Publications and Research

A lot of daily activities require more than one person to participate and collaborate with each other; however, for many people, it is not easy to find good partners to engage in activities with one another. With the rapid growth of social network applications, more and more people get used to creating connections with people on the social network. Therefore, designing social network framework for partner-matching is significant in helping people to easily find good partners. In this paper, we proposed a framework which can match partners for an active community. In order to improve the matching performance, all users …

Performance Analysis Of A Hybrid Raman Optical Parametric Amplifier In The O- And E-Bands For Cwdm Pons, Sasanthi Peiris, Nicolas Madamopoulos, Neophytos A. Antoniades, Dwight Richards, Roger Dorsinville

Publications and Research

We describe a hybrid Raman-optical parametric amplifier (HROPA) operating at the O- and E-bands and designed for coarse wavelength division multiplexed (CWDM) passive optical networks (PONs). We present the mathematical model and simulation results for the optimization of this HROPA design. Our analysis shows that separating the two amplification processes allows for optimization of each one separately, e.g., proper selection of pump optical powers and wavelengths to achieve maximum gain bandwidth and low gain ripple. Furthermore, we show that the proper design of optical filters incorporated in the HROPA architecture can suppress idlers generated during the OPA process, as well …

Nnlo Hard Functions In Massless Qcd, Alessandro Broggio, Andrea Ferroglia, Ben D. Pecjak, Zhibai Zhang

Publications and Research

We derive the hard functions for all 2 → 2 processes in massless QCD up to next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) in the strong coupling constant. By employing the known one- and two-loop helicity amplitudes for these processes, we obtain analytic expressions for the ultraviolet and infrared finite, minimally subtracted hard functions, which are matrices in color space. These hard functions will be useful in carrying out higher-order resummations in processes such as dijet and highly energetic top-quark pair production by means of soft-collinear effective theory methods.

Braincheck - A Very Brief Tool To Detect Incipient Cognitive Decline: Optimized Case-Finding Combining Patient- And Informant-Based Data, Michael M. Ehrensperger, Kirstein I. Taylor, Manfred Berres, Nancy S. Foldi, Myriam Dellenbach, Irene Bopp, Gabriel Gold, Armin Von Gunten, Daniel Inglin, René Müri, Reto W. Kressig, Andreas U. Monsch

Publications and Research

Introduction Optimal identification of subtle cognitive impairment in the primary care setting requires a very brief tool combining (a) patients- subjective impairments, (b) cognitive testing, and (c) information from informants. The present study developed a new, very quick and easily administered case-finding tool combining these assessments ('BrainCheck') and tested the feasibility and validity of this instrument in two independent studies.

Methods We developed a case-finding tool comprised of patient-directed (a) questions about memory and depression and (b) clock drawing, and (c) the informant-directed 7-item version of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE). Feasibility study: 52 general …

Race Matters: Analyzing The Relationship Between Colorectal Cancer Mortality Rates And Various Factors Within Respective Racial Groups, Emma Veach, Ismael Xique, Jada Johnson, Jessica Lyle, Israel Almodovar, Kimberly F. Sellers, Calandra T. Moore, Monica C. Jackson

Publications and Research

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of mortality due to cancer (with over 50,000 deaths annually), representing 9% of all cancer deaths in the United States (1). In particular, the African-American CRC mortality rate is among the highest reported for any race/ethnic group. Meanwhile, the CRC mortality rate for Hispanics is 15–19% lower than that for non-Hispanic Caucasians (2). While factors such as obesity, age, and socio-economic status are known to associate with CRC mortality, do these and other potential factors correlate with CRC death in the same way across races? This research linked CRC mortality data obtained …

Postmodern Fuzzy System Theory: A Deconstruction Approach Based On Kabbalah, Gabriel Burstein, Constantin Virgil Negoita, Menachem Kranz

Publications and Research

Modern general system theory proposed a holistic integrative approach based on input-state-output dynamics as opposed to the traditional reductionist detail based approach. Information complexity and uncertainty required a fuzzy system theory, based on fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic. While successful in dealing with analysis, synthesis and control of technical engineering systems, general system theory and fuzzy system theory could not fully deal with humanistic and human-like intelligent systems which combine technical engineering components with human or human-like components characterized by their cognitive, emotional/motivational and behavioral/action levels of operation. Such humanistic systems are essential in artificial intelligence, cognitive and behavioral science …

Music Education, Aesthetics, And The Measure Of Academic Achievement, Karl Madden, David Orenstein, Alexei Oulanov, Yelena Novitskaya, Ida Bazan, Thomas Ostrowski, Min Hyung Ahn

Publications and Research

Grades and test scores are the traditional measurement of academic achievement. Quantitative improvements on standardized scores in Math/Science/Language are highly-coveted outcomes for meeting accreditation standards required for institutional program funding. Music and the Fine Arts, difficult to assess by traditional academic achievement measurement, and often devalued as so-called “luxury” subjects, struggle for necessary funding. Showing measureable collateral value to other academic subjects—such as math—in order to justify music program funding is dubious. To objectify the purpose of music education in terms of its influence on other subjects is to overlook aesthetic value. The scholarly literature recognizes an historical tendency to …

Reduction Of The Long-Term Inaccuracy From The Avhrr–Based Ndvi Data, Md Zahidur Rahman, Leonid Roytman, M. Nazrul Islam

Publications and Research

This paper investigated the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) stability in the NOAA/NESDIS Global Vegetation Index (GVI) data during 1982-2003, which was collected from five NOAA series satellites. An empirical distribution function (EDF) was developed to eliminate the long-term inaccuracy of the NDVI data derived from the AVHRR sensor on NOAA polar orbiting satellite. The instability of data results from orbit degradation as well as from the circuit drifts over the life of a satellite. Degradation of NDVI over time and shifts of NDVI between the satellites were estimated using the China data set, because it includes a wide variety …

Remote Sensing And Ground-Based Weather Forcing Data Analysis For Streamflow Simulation, José Alberto Infante Corona, Tarendra Lakhankar, Soni M. Pradhanang, Reza Khanbilvardi

Publications and Research

Hydrological simulation, based on weather inputs and the physical characterization of the watershed, is a suitable approach to predict the corresponding streamflow. This work, carried out on four different watersheds, analyzed the impacts of using three different meteorological data inputs in the same model to compare the model’s accuracy when simulated and observed streamflow are compared. Meteorological data from the Daily Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN-D), National Land Data Assimilation Systems (NLDAS) and the National Operation Hydrological Remote Sensing Center’s Interactive Snow Information (NOHRSC-ISI) were used as an input into the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrological model and …

Differential Expressions Of The Alternatively Spliced Variant Mrnas Of The Μ Opioid Receptor Gene, Oprm1, In Brain Regions Of Four Inbred Mouse Strains, Jin Xu, Zhigang Lu, Mingming Xu, Grace C. Rossi, Benjamin Kest, Amanda R. Waxman, Gavril W. Pasternak, Ying-Xian Pan

Publications and Research

The µ opioid receptor gene, OPRM1, undergoes extensive alternative pre-mRNA splicing in rodents and humans, with dozens of alternatively spliced variants of the OPRM1 gene. The present studies establish a SYBR green quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay to more accurately quantify mouse OPRM1 splice variant mRNAs. Using these qPCR assays, we examined the expression of OPRM1 splice variant mRNAs in selected brain regions of four inbred mouse strains displaying differences in µ opioid-induced tolerance and physical dependence: C56BL/6J, 129P3/J, SJL/J and SWR/J. The complete mRNA expression profiles of the OPRM1 splice variants reveal marked differences of the variant mRNA expression among …

Revisiting The Vanishing Refuge Model Of Diversification, Robert Damasceno, Maria L. Strangas, Ana C. Carnaval, Miguel T. Rodrigues, Craig Moritz

Publications and Research

Much of the debate around speciation and historical biogeography has focused on the role of stabilizing selection on the physiological (abiotic) niche, emphasizing how isolation and vicariance, when associated with niche conservatism, may drive tropical speciation. Yet, recent re-emphasis on the ecological dimensions of speciation points to a more prominent role of divergent selection in driving genetic, phenotypic, and niche divergence. The vanishing refuge model (VRM), first described by Vanzolini and Williams (1981), describes a process of diversification through climate-driven habitat fragmentation and exposure to new environments, integrating both vicariance and divergent selection. This model suggests that dynamic climates and …

Between-Domain Relations Of Students' Academic Emotions And Their Judgments Of School Domain Similarity, Thomas Goetz, Ludwig Haag, Anastasiya A. Lipnevich, Melanie M. Keller, Anne C. Frenzel, Antonie P. M. Collier

Publications and Research

With the aim to deepen our understanding of the between-domain relations of academic emotions, a series of three studies was conducted. We theorized that between-domain relations of trait (i.e., habitual) emotions reflected students' judgments of domain similarities, whereas between-domain relations of state (i.e., momentary) emotions did not. This supposition was based on the accessibility model of emotional self-report, according to which individuals' beliefs tend to strongly impact trait, but not state emotions. The aim of Study 1 (interviews; N = 40; 8th and 11th graders) was to gather salient characteristics of academic domains from students' perspective. In Study 2 ( …

Near Horizon Geometry Of Strings Ending On Intersecting D8/D4-Branes, J. Estes, D. Krym, B. Van Pol

Publications and Research

We consider solutions of massive IIA supergravity corresponding to the half- BPS intersection of D8/D4-branes with fundamental strings. The 1 + 1-dimensional intersection preserves the symmetry D(2, 1; ; 1) × SO(4). We give a reduction and partial integration of the BPS equations for this symmetry group. We then specialize to the cases of enhanced supersymmetry corresponding to = −1/2,−2 or = 1. In the first case, we show that the only solution with enhanced symmetry is given by the AdS6 geometry describing the near horizon geometry of D8/D4-branes in the presence of an O8-plane. In the second case, we …

Sedimentology Of The Upper Scotland Formation (Eocene), Barbados, Krishna Mahabir, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Jay P. Persaud, Stanley Schleifer

Publications and Research

Representative samples collected from the Lower Scotland Formation (Eocene) outcropping in northeastern Barbados were investigated in conjunction with overall facies distribution and stratigraphic and sedimentological characteristics to interpret depositional environment and provenance of the fine-grained clastics. The Lower Scotland Formation is, for the most part, a fine-grained clastic-dominated sequence with occasional thin intercalations of gypsum, ironstone, and kaolinite. Distinctive deep-water-facies have been well-documented in dark gray shale units containing load cast, flutes, grooves and prods. In addition, turbiditic brown sandstone with a sharp erosive base and pelagic caps also characterize the base of the formation. Notable marine fauna observed include …

End Of The Cosmic Neutrino Energy Spectrum, Luis A. Anchordoqui, V. Barger, H. Goldberg, J.G. Learned, D. Marfatia, S. Pakvasa, T. C. Paul, T. J. Weiler

Publications and Research

There may be a high-energy cutoff of neutrino events in IceCube data. In particular, IceCube does not observe either continuum events above 2PeV, or the Standard Model Glashow-resonance events expected at 6.3PeV. There are also no higher energy neutrino signatures in the ANITA and Auger experiments. This absence of high-energy neutrino events motivates a fundamental restriction on neutrino energies above a few PeV. We postulate a simple scenario to terminate the neutrino spectrum that is Lorentz-invariance violating, but with a limiting neutrino velocity that is always smaller than the speed of light. If the limiting velocity of the neutrino applies …

Sculpting The Umls Refined Semantic Network, Zhe He, C. Paul Morrey, Yehoshua Perl, Gai Elhanan, Ling Chen, Yan Chen, James Geller

Publications and Research

Background The Refined Semantic Network (RSN) for the UMLS was previously introduced to complement the UMLS Semantic Network (SN). The RSN partitions the UMLS Metathesaurus (META) into disjoint groups of concepts. Each such group is semantically uniform. However, the RSN was initially an order of magnitude larger than the SN, which is undesirable since to be useful, a semantic network should be compact. Most semantic types in the RSN represent combinations of semantic types in the UMLS SN. Such a “combination semantic type” is called Intersection Semantic Type (IST). Many ISTs are assigned to very few concepts. Moreover, when reviewing …

On The Origin And Future Of Poetry: Notes Towards An Investigation, Carlos Aguasaco

Publications and Research

An exploration on the historical and material conditions that allowed the emergence of metaphors and poetry alongside language. This article analyzes the historical relation between poetry and technology across history. It discusses the so-called ontological crisis of poetry and opens the conversation on its future.

Semi-Fredholm Solvability In The Framework Of Singular Solutions For The (3+1)-D Protter-Morawetz Problem, Nedyu Popivanov, Todor Popov, Allen Tesdall

Publications and Research

For the four-dimensional nonhomogeneous wave equation boundary value problems that are multidimensional analogues of Darboux problems in the plane are studied. It is known that for smooth right-hand side functions the unique generalized solution may have a strong power-type singularity at only one point. This singularity is isolated at the vertex �� of the boundary light characteristic cone and does not propagate along the bicharacteristics.The present paper describes asymptotic expansions of the generalized solutions in negative powers of the distance to ��. Some necessary and sufficient conditions for existence of bounded solutions are proven and additionally a priori estimates for …

Effects Of Extreme Climate Events On Tea (Camellia Sinensis) Functional Quality Validate Indigenous Farmer Knowledge And Sensory Preferences In Tropical China, Selena Ahmed, John Richard Stepp, Colin M. Orians, Timothy S. Griffin, Corene Matyas, Albert Robbat, Sean Cash, Dayuan Xue, Chunlin Long, Uchenna Unachukwu, Sarabeth Buckley, Edward J. Kennelly

Publications and Research

Climate change is impacting agro-ecosystems, crops, and farmer livelihoods in communities worldwide. While it is well understood that more frequent and intense climate events in many areas are resulting in a decline in crop yields, the impact on crop quality is less acknowledged, yet it is critical for food systems that benefit both farmers and consumers through high-quality products. This study examines tea (Camellia sinensis; Theaceae), the world’s most widely consumed beverage after water, as a study system to measure effects of seasonal precipitation variability on crop functional quality and associated farmer knowledge, preferences, and livelihoods. Sampling was conducted in …

Financial Literacy: An Essential Component Of Mathematics Literacy And Numeracy, Marla A. Sole

Publications and Research

With rising personal and public debt, public and private employers increasingly shifting financial responsibility to individuals, and an increase in both the number of financial investment options and predatory lending practices, today’s students need to be financially literate. This paper defines financial literacy and justifies its place in the mathematics curriculum. After describing the gaps in young people’s understanding of financial literacy, which is more pronounced among women and minorities, this paper provides examples of financial literacy exercises. College students’ solutions demonstrated that the level of financial literacy is low. The majority of students were unfamiliar with financial principles and …

Analysis Of Candidate Genes Has Proposed The Role Of Y Chromosome In Human Prostate Cancer, Pegah Khosravi, Javad Zahiri, Vahid H. Gazestani, Samira Mirkhalaf, Mohammad Akbarzadeh, Mehdi Sadeghi, Bahram Goliaei

Publications and Research

Background: Prostate cancer, a serious genetic disease, has known as the first widespread cancer in men, but the molecular changes required for the cancer progression has not fully understood. Availability of high-throughput gene expression data has led to the development of various computational methods, for identification of the critical genes, have involved in the cancer. Methods: In this paper, we have shown the construction of co-expression networks, which have been using Y-chromosome genes, provided an alternative strategy for detecting of new candidate, might involve in prostate cancer. In our approach, we have constructed independent co-expression networks from normal and cancerous …

"Epidermic" And Visceral Works: Lygia Pape And Anna Maria Maiolino, Claudia Calirman

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Carbon Losses From Pyrolysed And Original Wood In A Forest Soil Under Natural And Increased N Deposition, B. Maestrini, S. Abiven, N. Singh, J. Bird, M. W. I. Schmidt

Publications and Research

Pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM) plays an important role as a stable carbon (C) sink in the soils of terrestrial ecosystems. However, uncertainties remain about in situ turnover rates of fire-derived PyOM in soil, the main processes leading to PyOM-C and nitrogen (N) losses from the soil, and the role of N availability on PyOM cycling in soils. We measured PyOM and native soil organic carbon losses from the soil as carbon dioxide and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) using additions of highly 13C-labelled PyOM (2.03 atom %) and its precursor pinewood during 1 year in a temperate forest soil. The field …

Angiopoietin-1, Angiopoietin-2 And Bicarbonate As Diagnostic Biomarkers In Children With Severe Sepsis, Kun Wang, Vineet Bhandari, John S. Giuliano, Corey S. O′Hern, Mark D. Shattuck, Michael Kirby

Publications and Research

Severe pediatric sepsis continues to be associated with high mortality rates in children. Thus, an important area of biomedical research is to identify biomarkers that can classify sepsis severity and outcomes. The complex and heterogeneous nature of sepsis makes the prospect of the classification of sepsis severity using a single biomarker less likely. Instead, we employ machine learning techniques to validate the use of a multiple biomarkers scoring system to determine the severity of sepsis in critically ill children. The study was based on clinical data and plasma samples provided by a tertiary care center's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) …

The Effect Of Menu Labeling With Calories And Exercise Equivalents On Food Selection And Consumption, Charles Platkin, Ming-Chin Yeh, Kimberly Hirsch, Ellen Weiss Wiewel, Chang-Yun Lin, Ho-Jui Tung, Victoria H. Castellanos

Publications and Research

Background Better techniques are needed to help consumers make lower calorie food choices. This pilot study examined the effect of menu labeling with caloric information and exercise equivalents (EE) on food selection. Participants, 62 females, ages 18-34, recruited for this study, ordered a fast food meal with menus that contained the names of the food (Lunch 1 (L1), control meal). One week later (Lunch 2 (L2), experiment meal), participants ordered a meal from one of three menus with the same items as the previous week: no calorie information, calorie information only, or calorie information and EE. Results There were no …

Finite N And The Failure Of Bulk Locality: Black Holes In Ads/Cft, Daniel N. Kabat, Gilad Lifschytz

Publications and Research

We consider bulk quantum fields in AdS/CFT in the background of an eter- nal black hole. We show that for black holes with finite entropy, correlation functions of semiclassical bulk operators close to the horizon deviate from their semiclassical value and are ill-defined inside the horizon. This is due to the large-time behavior of correlators in a unitary CFT, and means the region near and inside the horizon receives corrections. We give a prescription for modifying the definition of a bulk field in a black hole background, such that one can still define operators that mimic the inside of the …

Histone Methyltransferase Mmset/Nsd2 Alters Ezh2 Binding And Reprograms The Myeloma Epigenome Through Global And Focal Changes In H3k36 And H3k27 Methylation, Relja Popovic, Eva Martinez-Garcia, Eugenia G. Giannopoulou, Quanwei Zhang, Qingyang Zhang, Teresa Ezponda, Mrinal Y. Shah, Yupeng Zheng, Christine M. Will, Eliza C. Small, Youjia Hua, Marinka Bulic, Yanwen Jiang, Matteo Carrara, Raffaele A. Calogero, William L. Kath, Neil L. Kelleher, Ji-Ping Wang, Olivier Elemento, Jonathan D. Licht

Publications and Research

Overexpression of the histone methyltransferase MMSET in t(4;14)+ multiple myeloma patients is believed to be the driving factor in the pathogenesis of this subtype of myeloma. MMSET catalyzes dimethylation of lysine 36 on histone H3 (H3K36me2), and its overexpression causes a global increase in H3K36me2, redistributing this mark in a broad, elevated level across the genome. Here, we demonstrate that an increased level of MMSET also induces a global reduction of lysine 27 trimethylation on histone H3 (H3K27me3). Despite the net decrease in H3K27 methylation, specific genomic loci exhibit enhanced recruitment of the EZH2 histone methyltransferase and become hypermethylated on …

An Information Theory Account Of Cognitive Control, Jin Fan

Publications and Research

Our ability to efficiently process information and generate appropriate responses depends on the processes collectively called cognitive control. Despite a considerable focus in the literature on the cognitive control of information processing, neural mechanisms underlying control are still unclear, and have not been characterized by considering the quantity of information to be processed. A novel and comprehensive account of cognitive control is proposed using concepts from information theory, which is concerned with communication system analysis and the quantification of information. This account treats the brain as an information-processing entity where cognitive control and its underlying brain networks play a pivotal …

Generalized Least-Squares Regressions Iv: Theory And Classification Using Generalized Means, Nataniel Greene

Publications and Research

The theory of generalized least-squares is reformulated here using the notion of generalized means. The generalized least-squares problem seeks a line which minimizes the average generalized mean of the square deviations in x and y. The notion of a generalized mean is equivalent to the generating function concept of the previous papers but allows for a more robust understanding and has an already existing literature. Generalized means are applied to the task of constructing more examples, simplifying the theory, and further classifying generalized least-squares regressions.

Elevated Carbon Dioxide And Ozone Alter Productivity And Ecosystem Carbon Content In Northern Temperate Forests, Alan F. Talhelm, Kurt S. Pregitzer, Mark E. Kubiske, Donald R. Zak, Courtney E. Campany, Andrew J. Burton, Richard E. Dickson, George R. Hendrey, J G. Isebrands, Keith F. Lewin, John Nagy, David F. Karnosky

Publications and Research

Three young northern temperate forest communities in the north-central United States were exposed to factorial combinations of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) and tropospheric ozone (O3) for 11 years. Here, we report results from an extensive sampling of plant biomass and soil conducted at the conclusion of the experiment that enabled us to estimate ecosystem carbon (C) content and cumulative net primary productivity (NPP). Elevated CO2 enhanced ecosystem C content by 11%, whereas elevated O3 decreased ecosystem C content by 9%. There was little variation in treatment effects on C content across communities and no meaningful interactions between CO2 and O3. …