Bound for Minkowski metric or quadratic metric applied to VQcodeword search

A bound for a Minkowski metric based on L_p distortion measure is proposed and evaluated as a means to reduce the computation in vector quantisation. This bound provides a better criterion than the absolute error inequality (AEI) elimination rule on the Euclidean distortion measure. For the Minkowski metric of order n, this bound contributes the elimination criterion from the L₁ metric to L _n metric. This bound can also be an extended quadratic metric which can be a hidden Markov model (HMM) with a Gaussian mixture probability density function (PDF). In speech recognition, the HMM with the Gaussian mixture VQ codebook PDF has been shown to be a promising method     

Cinétique de dégagement des matières volatiles lors de la pyrolyse d'électrodes de carbone industrielles

In aluminium plants, the anode baking process is associated with an important release of volatile combustible matter. It is the purpose of this study to investigate the kinetics of the evolution of these volatiles. A large thermogravimetry set-up has been designed in such a way that it could simulate real plant conditions. Samples of two distinct masses have been subjected to pyrolysis at different heating regimes. The loss of weight together with the concentrations of the released gases were recorded on a continuous basis during the temperature rise. Kinetic results were found for methane, hydrogen and tar. No variation of the order of reaction with the heating rate was observed, whereas the activation energy and the pre-exponential factor increased. Furthermore, for the range of sample dimensions studied, it was found that the mass of the solid had no significant influence on the kinetic parameters.     

REPLACE: a strategy for iterative design of cyclin-binding groove inhibitors

We describe a drug-design strategy termed REPLACE (REplacement with Partial Ligand Alternatives through Computational Enrichment) in which nonpeptidic surrogates for specific determinants of known peptide ligands are identified in silico by using a core peptide-bound protein structure as a design anchor. In the REPLACE application example, we present the effective replacement of two critical binding motifs in a lead protein-protein interaction inhibitor pentapeptide with more druglike phenyltriazole and diphenyl ether groups. These were identified through docking of fragment libraries into the volume of the cyclin-binding groove of CDK2/cyclin A vacated through truncation of the inhibitor peptide-binding determinants. Proof of concept for this strategy was obtained through the generation of potent peptide-small-molecule hybrids and by the confirmation of inhibitor-binding modes in X-ray crystal structures. This method therefore allows nonpeptide fragments to be identified without the requirement for a high-sensitivity binding assay and should be generally applicable in replacing amino acids as individual residues or groups in peptide inhibitors to generate pharmaceutically acceptable lead molecules.     

The computational challenges of Earth-system science

The Earth system--comprising atmosphere, ocean, land, cryosphere and biosphere--is an immensely complex system, involving processes and interactions on a wide range of space- and time-scales. To understand and predict the evolution of the Earth system is one of the greatest challenges of modern science, with success likely to bring enormous societal benefits. High-performance computing, along with the wealth of new observational data, is revolutionizing our ability to simulate the Earth system with computer models that link the different components of the system together. There are, however, considerable scientific and technical challenges to be overcome. This paper will consider four of them: complexity, spatial resolution, inherent uncertainty and time-scales. Meeting these challenges requires a significant increase in the power of high-performance computers. The benefits of being able to make reliable predictions about the evolution of the Earth system should, on their own, amply repay this investment.     

Microwave holographic metrology of large reflector antennas

A microwave holographic technique for the determination of amplitude and phase of the principal and cross-polarized aperture fields of large reflector antennas is described. The hologram formation process utilizes the elevation over azimuth scanning system normally associated with these antennas, and, in this respect, appears to be unique among other proposed methods of field probing. The present work describes the means used to obtain vital information on the antenna structure such asE- andH-plane phase centers of the feed, and rms values of the reflector surface profile errors. Accurate prediction ofE- andH-plane radiation patterns in the near- and far-field is also demonstrated.     

Continuous recovery of acid oil

A continuous process for acidulation of all types of caustic soapstocks is described. The soap is diluted, heated, acidulated and centrifuged to yield three products: acid oil, acid water and a sludge phase. Typical performance data on various grades of soapstocks and the recovered products are given.     

Children's and adults' recognition of spontaneous and posed emotional expressions in young children.

Investigated the degree to which 4–5 yr olds (n?=?48) can enact expressions of emotion recognizable by peers and adults; the study also examined whether accuracy of recognition was a function of age and whether the expression was posed or spontaneous. Adults (n?=?103) were much more accurate than children in recognizing neutral states, slightly more accurate in recognizing happiness and anger, and equally accurate in recognizing sadness. Children's spontaneous displays of happiness were more recognizable than posed displays, but for other emotions there was no difference between the recognizability of posed and spontaneous expressions. Children were highly accurate in identifying the facial expressions of happiness, sadness, and anger displayed by their peers. Sex and ethnicity of the child whose emotion was displayed interacted to influence only adults' recognizability of anger. Results are discussed in terms of the social learning and cognitive developmental factors influencing (a) adults' and children's decoding (recognition) of emotional expressions in young children and (b) encoding (posing) of emotional expressions by young children. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Component-based end-user database design for ecologists

To solve today’s ecological problems, scientists need well documented, validated, and coherent data archives. Historically, however, ecologists have collected and stored data idiosyncratically, making data integration even among close collaborators difficult. Further, effective ecology data warehouses and subsequent data mining require that individual databases be accurately described with metadata against which the data themselves have been validated. Using database technology would make documenting data sets for archiving, integration, and data mining easier, but few ecologists have expertise to use database technology and they cannot afford to hire programmers. In this paper, we identify the benefits that would accrue from ecologists’ use of modern information technology and the obstacles that prevent that use. We describe our prototype, the Canopy DataBank, through which we aim to enable individual ecologists in the forest canopy research community to be their own database programmers. The key feature that makes this possible is domain-specific database components, which we call templates. We also show how additional tools that reuse these components, such as for visualization, could provide gains in productivity and motivate the use of new technology. Finally, we suggest ways in which communities might share database components and how components might be used to foster easier data integration to solve new ecological problems.