Noise reduction in chaotic time series by a local projection with nonlinear constraints

On the basis of a local-projective (LP) approach we develop a method of noise reduction in time series that makes use of nonlinear constraints appearing due to the deterministic character of the underlying dynamical system. The Delaunay triangulation approach is used to find the optimal nearest neighboring points in time series. The efficiency of our method is comparable to standard LP methods but our method is more robust to the input parameter estimation. The approach has been successfully applied for separating a signal from noise in the chaotic Henon and Lorenz models as well as for noisy experimental data obtained from an electronic Chua circuit. The method works properly for a mixture of additive and dynamical noise and can be used for the noise-level detection.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures. See http://www.chaosandnoise.or

The DAXX co-repressor is directly recruited to active regulatory elements genome-wide to regulate autophagy programs in a model of human prostate cancer.

While carcinoma of the prostate is the second most common cause of cancer death in the US, current methods and markers used to predict prostate cancer (PCa) outcome are inadequate. This study was aimed at understanding the genome-wide binding and regulatory role of the DAXX transcriptional repressor, recently implicated in PCa. ChIP-Seq analysis of genome-wide distribution of DAXX in PC3 cells revealed over 59,000 DAXX binding sites, found at regulatory enhancers and promoters. ChIP-Seq analysis of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), which is a key epigenetic partner for DAXX repression, revealed that DNMT1 binding was restricted to a small number of DAXX sites. DNMT1 and DAXX bound close to transcriptional activator motifs. DNMT1 sites were found to be dependent on DAXX for recruitment by analyzing DNMT1 ChIP-Seq following DAXX knockdown (K/D), corroborating previous findings that DAXX recruits DNMT1 to repress its target genes. Massively parallel RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was used to compare the transcriptomes of WT and DAXX K/D PC3 cells. Genes induced by DAXX K/D included those involved in autophagy, and DAXX ChIP-Seq peaks were found close to the transcription start sites (TSS) of autophagy genes, implying they are more likely to be regulated by DAXX. In conclusion, DAXX binds active regulatory elements and co-localizes with DNMT1 in the prostate cancer genome. Given DAXX's putative regulatory role in autophagy, future studies may consider DAXX as a candidate marker and therapeutic target for prostate cancer

Overview of SERI's high efficiency solar cell research

The bulk of the research efforts supported by the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) High Efficiency Concepts area has been directed towards establishing the feasibility of achieving very high efficiencies, 30% for concentrator and more than 20% for thin film flat plate, in solar cell designs which could possibly be produced competitively. The research has accomplished a great deal during the past two years. Even though the desired performance levels have not yet been demonstrated, based on the recent progress, a greater portion of the terrestrial photovoltaics community believes that these efficiencies are attainable. The program will now allocate a larger portion of resources to low cost, large area deposition technology. The program is currently shifting greater emphasis on to the study of crystal growth in order to provide the understanding and tools needed to design a large area process

The knowledge-based software assistant

Where the Knowledge Based Software Assistant (KBSA) is now, four years after the initial report, is discussed. Also described is what the Rome Air Development Center expects at the end of the first contract iteration. What the second and third contract iterations will look like are characterized

Order reduction approaches for the algebraic Riccati equation and the LQR problem

We explore order reduction techniques for solving the algebraic Riccati equation (ARE), and investigating the numerical solution of the linear-quadratic regulator problem (LQR). A classical approach is to build a surrogate low dimensional model of the dynamical system, for instance by means of balanced truncation, and then solve the corresponding ARE. Alternatively, iterative methods can be used to directly solve the ARE and use its approximate solution to estimate quantities associated with the LQR. We propose a class of Petrov-Galerkin strategies that simultaneously reduce the dynamical system while approximately solving the ARE by projection. This methodology significantly generalizes a recently developed Galerkin method by using a pair of projection spaces, as it is often done in model order reduction of dynamical systems. Numerical experiments illustrate the advantages of the new class of methods over classical approaches when dealing with large matrices

Accelerating BST Methods for Model Reduction with Graphics Processors

Model order reduction of dynamical linear time-invariant system appears in many scientific and engineering applications. Numerically reliable SVD-based methods for this task require O(n3) floating-point arithmetic operations, with n being in the range 103 − 105 for many practical applications. In this paper we investigate the use of graphics processors (GPUs) to accelerate model reduction of large-scale linear systems via Balanced Stochastic Truncation, by off-loading the computationally intensive tasks to this device. Experiments on a hybrid platform consisting of state-of-the-art general-purpose multi-core processors and a GPU illustrate the potential of this approach

RESEARCH MARKETING TOOLS, WHICH IMPROVE THE LIFE OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Parabolic refractive X-ray lenses are optical components, especially suitable for third-generation synchrotron radiation sources. This article describes the status of the development of our lenses and illustrates the possibilities for micrometre and submicrometre focusing and for X-ray imaging in absorption and phase contrast. The parabolic lens profile ensures distortion-free imaging of high quality. First characteristics of Be lenses are given. A microscope based on Be lenses is expected to have a lateral resolution below 80 nm.</jats:p

Virtue and austerity

Virtue ethics is often proposed as a third way in health-care ethics, that while consequentialism and deontology focus on action guidelines, virtue focuses on character; all three aim to help agents discern morally right action although virtue seems to have least to contribute to political issues, such as austerity. I claim: (1) This is a bad way to characterize virtue ethics. The 20th century renaissance of virtue ethics was first proposed as a response to the difficulty of making sense of ‘moral rightness’ outside a religious context. For Aristotle the right action is that which is practically best; that means best for the agent in order to live a flourishing life.There are no moral considerations besides this. (2) Properly characterized, virtue ethics can contribute to discussion of austerity. A criticism of virtue ethics is that fixed characteristics seem a bad idea in ever-changing environments; perhaps we should be generous in prosperity, selfish in austerity. Furthermore, empirical evidence suggests that people indeed do change with their environment. However, I argue that virtues concern fixed values not fixed behaviour; the values underlying virtue allow for different behaviour in different circumstances: in austerity, virtues still give the agent the best chance of flourishing. Two questions arise. (a) In austere environments might not injustice help an individual flourish by, say, obtaining material goods? No, because unjust acts undermine the type of society the agent needs for flourishing. (b) What good is virtue to those lacking the other means to flourish? The notion of degrees of flourishing shows that most people would benefit somewhat from virtue. However, in extreme circumstances virtue might harm rather than benefit the agent: such circumstances are to be avoided; virtue ethics thus has a political agenda to enable flourishing. This requires justice, a fortiori when in austerity

Engineering yeast alcohol dehydrogenase. Replacing Trp54 by Leu broadens substrate specificity

Analysis of a crystal structure of alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) from horse liver suggests that Trp54 in the homologous yeast alcohol dehydrogenase prevents the yeast enzyme from efficiently catalysing the oxidation of long-chain primary alcohols with branching at the 4 position (e.g. 4-methyl-1-pentanol, cinnamyl alcohol). This residue has been altered to Leu by site-directed mutagenesis. The alteration yields an enzyme that serves as an effective catalyst for both longer straight-chain primary alcohols and branched chain alcohol