Convergence-guaranteed time-varying RRT path planning for profiling floats in 4-Dimensional flow

This paper presents an extension to the Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithm applied to autonomous, drifting underwater vehicles. The proposed algorithm is able to plan paths that guarantee convergence in the presence of time-varying ocean dynamics. The method utilizes 4-Dimensional, ocean model prediction data as an evolving basis for expanding the tree from the start location to the goal. The performance of the proposed method is validated through Monte-Carlo simulations. Results illustrate the importance of the temporal variance in path execution, and demonstrate the convergence guarantee of the proposed methods.

Tensor reduction for user profiling in personalized recommender systems

User profiling is the process of constructing user models which represent personal characteristics and preferences of customers. User profiles play a central role in many recommender systems. Recommender systems recommend items to users based on user profiles, in which the items can be any objects which the users are interested in, such as documents, web pages, books, movies, etc. In recent years, multidimensional data are getting more and more attention for creating better recommender systems from both academia and industry. Additional metadata provides algorithms with more details for better understanding the interactions between users and items. However, most of the existing user/item profiling techniques for multidimensional data analyze data through splitting the multidimensional relations, which causes information loss of the multidimensionality. In this paper, we propose a user profiling approach using a tensor reduction algorithm, which we will show is based on a Tucker2 model. The proposed profiling approach incorporates latent interactions between all dimensions into user profiles, which significantly benefits the quality of neighborhood formation. We further propose to integrate the profiling approach into neighborhoodbased collaborative filtering recommender algorithms. Experimental results show significant improvements in terms of recommendation accuracy.

Elemental composition of ambient fine particles in urban schools : sources of children’s exposure

Currently, there is a limited understanding of the sources of ambient fine particles that contribute to the exposure of children at urban schools. Since the size and chemical composition of airborne particle are key parameters for determining the source as well as toxicity, PM1 particles (mass concentration of particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than 1 µm) were collected at 24 urban schools in Brisbane, Australia and their elemental composition determined. Based on the elemental composition four main sources were identified; secondary sulphates, biomass burning, vehicle and industrial emissions. The largest contributing source was industrial emissions and this was considered as the main source of trace elements in the PM1 that children were exposed to at school. PM1 concentrations at the schools were compared to the elemental composition of the PM2.5 particles (mass concentration of particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm) from a previous study conducted at a suburban and roadside site in Brisbane. This comparison revealed that the more toxic heavy metals (V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb), mostly from vehicle and industrial emissions, were predominantly in the PM1 fraction. Thus, the results from this study points to PM1 as a potentially better particle size fraction for investigating the health effects of airborne particles.

Criminal profiling

One of the more widely recognized and practiced subspecialities within forensic criminology is that of criminal profiling. It has a long history, as detailed in Turvey (2008a). It also boasts a small library of distinct literature, with different methods and subspecialities all its own. Criminal profiling is a practice that has seen increasing popular and media attention over the past several decades. It has been depicted in popular fiction such as films like Silence of the Lambs (1991) and television programs like Criminal Minds (2005– present). It has also been applied in a number of high profile cases, including the “Washington Snipers” (see Turvey and McGrath, 2005, for an extended discussion of profiling and the media in the D.C. Sniper case). As a result, students of criminology commonly express an interest in studying criminal profiling with a view to becoming profilers themselves.

Criminal profiling : behavioural consistency, the homology assumption and case linkage

Criminal profiling is an investigative tool used around the world to infer the personality and behavioural characteristics of an offender based on their crime. Case linkage, the process of determining discreet connections between crimes of the same offender, is a practice that falls under the general banner of criminal profiling and has been widely criticized. Two theories, behavioural consistency and the homology assumption, are examined and their impact on profiling in general and case linkage specifically is discussed...

Profiling unlicensed drivers and riders in Queensland. Report to Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads

Unlicensed driving remains a serious problem for road safety, despite ongoing improvements in traffic law enforcement practices and technology. This report examines de-identified traffic infringement and sanction histories for drivers in Queensland who had lost their licence between 1st January 2003 and 31st December 2008. A total of 546,117 Queensland drivers were identified. Key areas discussed include the prevalence of unlicensed driving and the extent to which particular offences were detected amongst drivers with a licence sanction or disqualified licence.

Who are our repeating students? Profiling students persisting after failure

Research on attrition has focused on the economic significance of low graduation rates in terms of costs to students (fees that do not culminate in a credential) and impact on future income. For a student who fails a unit and repeats the unit multiple times, the financial impact is significant and lasting (Bexley, Daroesman, Arkoudis & James 2013). There are obvious advantages for the timely completion of a degree, both for the student and the institution. Advantages to students include fee minimisation, enhanced engagement opportunities, effectual pathway to employment and a sense of worth, morale and cohort-identity benefits. Work undertaken by the QUT Analytics Project in 2013 and 2014 explored student engagement patterns capturing a variety of data sources and specifically, the use of LMS amongst students in 804 undergraduate units in one semester. Units with high failure rates were given further attention and it was found that students who were repeating a unit were less likely to pass the unit than students attempting it for the first time. In this repeating cohort, academic and behavioural variables were consistently more significant in the modelling than were any demographic variables, indicating that a student’s performance at university is far more impacted by what they do once they arrive than it is by where they come from. The aim of this poster session is to examine the findings and commonalities of a number of case studies that articulated the engagement activities of repeating students (which included collating data from Individual Unit Reports, academic and peer advising programs and engagement with virtual learning resources). Understanding the profile of the repeating student cohort is therefore as important as considering the characteristics of successful students so that the institution might be better placed to target the repeating students and make proactive interventions as early as possible.

Importance of literature profiling: An archival analysis with illustrative examples for IS researchers

The importance of a thorough and systematic literature review has long been recognised across academic domains as critical to the foundation of new knowledge and theory evolution. Driven by an exponentially growing body of knowledge in the IS discipline, there has been a recent influx of guidance on how to conduct a literature review. As literature reviews are emerging as a standalone research method in itself, increasingly these method focused guidelines are of great interest, receiving acceptance at top tier IS publication outlets. Nevertheless, the finer details which offer justification for the selected content, and the effective presentation of supporting data has not been widely discussed in these method papers to date. This paper addresses this gap by exploring the concept of ‘literature profiling’ while arguing that it is a key aspect of a comprehensive literature review. The study establishes the importance of profiling for managing aspects such as quality assurance, transparency and the mitigation of selection bias. And then discusses how profiling can provide a valid basis for data analysis based on the attributes of selected literature. In essence, this study has conducted an archival analysis of literature (predominately from the IS domain) to present its main argument; the value for literature profiling, with supporting exemplary illustrations.

Architecture for service profiling

Service oriented architecture is gaining momentum. However, in order to be successful, the proper and up-to-date description of services is required. Such a description may be provided by service profiling mechanisms, such as one presented in this article. Service profile can be defined as an up-to-date description of a subset of non-functional properties of a service. It allows for service comparison on the basis of non-functional parameters, and choosing the service which is most suited to the needs of a user. In this article the notion of a service profile along with service profiling mechanism is presented as well as the architecture of a profiling system. © 2006 IEEE.

Expression profiling in spondyloarthropathy synovial biopsies highlights changes in expression of inflammatory genes in conjunction with tissue remodelling genes

Background: In the spondyloarthropathies, the underlying molecular and cellular pathways driving disease are poorly understood. By undertaking a study in knee synovial biopsies from spondyloarthropathy (SpA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients we aimed to elucidate dysregulated genes and pathways. Methods RNA was extracted from six SpA, two AS, three osteoarthritis (OA) and four normal control knee synovial biopsies. Whole genome expression profiling was undertaken using the Illumina DASL system, which assays 24000 cDNA probes. Differentially expressed candidate genes were then validated using quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. Results: Four hundred and sixteen differentially expressed genes were identified that clearly delineated between AS/SpA and control groups. Pathway analysis showed altered gene-expression in oxidoreductase activity, B-cell associated, matrix catabolic, and metabolic pathways. Altered «myogene» profiling was also identified. The inflammatory mediator, MMP3, was strongly upregulated (5-fold) in AS/SpA samples and the Wnt pathway inhibitors DKK3 (2.7-fold) and Kremen1 (1.5-fold) were downregulated. Conclusions: Altered expression profiling in SpA and AS samples demonstrates that disease pathogenesis is associated with both systemic inflammation as well as local tissue alterations that may underlie tissue damaging modelling and remodelling outcomes. This supports the hypothesis that initial systemic inflammation in spondyloarthropathies transfers to and persists in the local joint environment, and might subsequently mediate changes in genes directly involved in the destructive tissue remodelling.

Gene expression profiling reveals a downregulation in immune-associated genes in patients with AS

Objective: To identify differentially expressed genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) compared with healthy individuals. Methods: RNA was extracted from PBMCs collected from 18 patients with active disease and 18 gender-matched and age-matched controls. Expression profiles of these cells were determined using microarray. Candidate genes with differential expressions were confirmed in the same samples using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR). These genes were then validated in a different sample cohort of 35 patients with AS and 18 controls by qRT-PCR. Results: Microarray analysis identified 452 genes detected with 485 probes which were differentially expressed between patients with AS and controls. Underexpression of NR4A2, tumour necrosis factor AIP3 (TNFAIP3) and CD69 was confirmed. These genes were further validated in a different sample group in which the patients with AS had a wider range of disease activity. Predictive algorithms were also developed from the expression data using receiver-operating characteristic curves, which demonstrated that the three candidate genes have ∼80% power to predict AS according to their expression levels. Conclusions: The findings show differences in global gene expression patterns between patients with AS and controls, suggesting an immunosuppressive phenotype in the patients. Furthermore, downregulated expression of three immune-related genes was confirmed. These candidate genes were also shown to be strong predictive markers for AS.

Whole blood transcriptional profiling in ankylosing spondylitis identifies novel candidate genes that might contribute to the inflammatory and tissue-destructive disease aspects

Introduction: A number of genetic-association studies have identified genes contributing to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) susceptibility but such approaches provide little information as to the gene activity changes occurring during the disease process. Transcriptional profiling generates a 'snapshot' of the sampled cells' activity and thus can provide insights into the molecular processes driving the disease process. We undertook a whole-genome microarray approach to identify candidate genes associated with AS and validated these gene-expression changes in a larger sample cohort. Methods: A total of 18 active AS patients, classified according to the New York criteria, and 18 gender- and age-matched controls were profiled using Illumina HT-12 whole-genome expression BeadChips which carry cDNAs for 48,000 genes and transcripts. Class comparison analysis identified a number of differentially expressed candidate genes. These candidate genes were then validated in a larger cohort using qPCR-based TaqMan low density arrays (TLDAs). Results: A total of 239 probes corresponding to 221 genes were identified as being significantly different between patients and controls with a P-value <0.0005 (80% confidence level of false discovery rate). Forty-seven genes were then selected for validation studies, using the TLDAs. Thirteen of these genes were validated in the second patient cohort with 12 downregulated 1.3- to 2-fold and only 1 upregulated (1.6-fold). Among a number of identified genes with well-documented inflammatory roles we also validated genes that might be of great interest to the understanding of AS progression such as SPOCK2 (osteonectin) and EP300, which modulate cartilage and bone metabolism. Conclusions: We have validated a gene expression signature for AS from whole blood and identified strong candidate genes that may play roles in both the inflammatory and joint destruction aspects of the disease.

Protein turnover in malnourished patients with cystic fibrosis: Effects of elemental and nonelemental nutritional supplements

To evaluate the relative efficacy of nonele-mental versus semielemental enteral supplements for nutritional rehabilitation of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, whole-body protein turnover using the [15N]glycine method was studied in nine malnourished CF patients during enteral feedings, in a block design study compar-ing a semielemental formula (Criticare), a higher protein density but nonelemental formula (Traumacal) (T), and a nonelemental formula that had been modified to become isocaloric and isonitrogenous to the semielemental formula (modified Traumacal, MT). No significant differences in rates of protein synthesis or catabolism were observed comparing the three formulas. However the higher protein density nonelemental formula resulted in higher net protein deposition compared to the other two formulas (T + 0.42 g kg-110 h-1versus 0.33 g kg-110 h-1for Criticare and-0.59 g kg-110 h-1for MT), although this was significant (p < 0.05) for the MT versus T comparison only. This study lends support to the use of less expensive nonelemental formulas for the nutritional management of malnourished patients with CF. © 1990 Raven Press Ltd, New York.

Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling of CD8+ T cells shows a distinct epigenetic signature to CD4+ T cells in multiple sclerosis patients

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is thought to be a T cell-mediated autoimmune disorder. MS pathogenesis is likely due to a genetic predisposition triggered by a variety of environmental factors. Epigenetics, particularly DNA methylation, provide a logical interface for environmental factors to influence the genome. In this study we aim to identify DNA methylation changes associated with MS in CD8+ T cells in 30 relapsing remitting MS patients and 28 healthy blood donors using Illumina 450K methylation arrays. Findings Seventy-nine differentially methylated CpGs were associated with MS. The methylation profile of CD8+ T cells was distinctive from our previously published data on CD4+ T cells in the same cohort. Most notably, there was no major CpG effect at the MS risk gene HLA-DRB1 locus in the CD8+ T cells. Conclusion CD8+ T cells and CD4+ T cells have distinct DNA methylation profiles. This case–control study highlights the importance of distinctive cell subtypes when investigating epigenetic changes in MS and other complex diseases.