Developing Systems for Real-Time Streaming Analysis

Sources of streaming data are proliferating and so are the demands to analyze and mine such data in real time. Statistical methods frequently form the core of real-time analysis, and therefore, statisticians increasingly encounter the challenges and implicit requirements of real-time systems. This work recommends a comprehensive strategy for development and implementation of streaming algorithms, beginning with exploratory data analysis in a flexible computing environment, leading to specification of a computational algorithm for the streaming setting and its initial implementation, and culminating in successive improvements to computational efficiency and throughput. This sequential development relies on a collaboration between statisticians, domain scientists, and the computer engineers developing the real-time system. This article illustrates the process in the context of a radio astronomy challenge to mitigate adverse impacts of radio frequency interference (noise) in searches for high-energy impulses from distant sources. The radio astronomy application motivates discussion of system design, code optimization, and the use of hardware accelerators such as graphics processing units, field-programmable gate arrays, and IBM Cell processors. Supplementary materials, available online, detail the computing systems typically used for streaming systems with real-time constraints and the process of optimizing code for high efficiency and throughput.     

Synthesis and characterization of a new lanthanide based MRI contrast agent,potential and versatile tracer for multimodal imaging

In the present work a modular pathway towards the synthesis of a new versatile MRI contrast agent is reported and its physico-chemical properties are described. Two different functional groups were attached on two arms of the gadolinium 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetate (DOTA) in order to get a platform able to bind one probe designed to target specific biological marker and a fluorescent molecule likely to be used for optical imaging. The nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD) profile, the oxygen-17 relaxometric NMR study and stability assessment versus transmetalation of the Gd-complex show that this new contrast agent has a relaxivity and transmetalation stability similar to Gd–DOTA.     

Affinity capillary electrophoresis to evaluate the complex formation between poliovirus and nanobodies

It was demonstrated that nanobodies with an in vitro neutralizing activity against poliovirus type 1 interact with native virions. Here, the use of capillary electrophoresis was investigated as an alternative technique for the evaluation of the formation of nanobody–poliovirus complexes, and therefore predicting the in vitro neutralizing activity of the nanobodies. The macromolecules are preincubated offline in a specific nanobody‐to‐virus ratio and analyzed by capillary electrophoresis with UV detection. At low nanobody‐to‐virus ratios, a clear shift in migration time of the viral peak was observed. A broad peak was obtained, indicating the presence of a heterogeneous population of nanobody–virion complexes, caused by the binding of different numbers of nanobodies to the virus particle. At elevated nanobody‐to‐virus ratios, a cluster of peaks appeared, showing an additional increase in migration times. It was shown that, at these high molar excesses, aggregates were formed. The developed capillary electrophoresis method can be used as a rapid, qualitative screening for the affinity between poliovirus and nanobodies, based on a clearly visible and measurable shift in migration time. The advantages of this technique include that there is no need for antigen immobilization as in enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays or surface plasmon resonance for the use of radiolabeled virus or for the performance of labor‐ and time‐intensive plaque‐forming neutralization assays.     

Sharp bounds for decompositions of graphs into complete r-partite subgraphs

If G is a graph on n vertices and r ≥ 2, we let m_r(G) denote the minimum number of complete multipartite subgraphs, with r or fewer parts, needed to partition the edge set, E(G). In determining m_r(G), we may assume that no two vertices of G have the same neighbor set. For such reducedgraphs G, we prove that m_r(G) ≥ log₂ (n + r − 1)/r. Furthermore, for each k ≥ 0 and r ≥ 2, there is a unique reduced graph G = G(r, k) with m_r(G) = k for which equality holds. We conclude with a short proof of the known eigenvalue bound m_r(G) ≥ max{n₊ (G, n₋(G)/(r − 1)}, and show that equality holds if G = G(r, k). © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Torsional Line Splittings in the (ν4+ν8)−ν4 Hot Transitions of C2H6 between 1400 and 1510 cm

A detailed investigation of the high-resolution infrared spectrum of ethane revealed the occurrence of features belonging to the hot perpendicular system (ν₄+ν₈)−ν₄ between 1400 and 1510 cm⁻¹. Transition lines of the subbranches with K″ΔK from −7 to 4, exhibiting torsional splittings of several tenths of a cm⁻¹, were observed and measured in this region. The observed line splittings are strongly influenced by the interaction between the ν₄+ν₈ and 2ν₄+ν₁₂ states and change with the values of K″ΔK, depending on the zero-order energy separation of the interacting levels. We found by numerical extrapolation that splittings still occur far from resonance, showing that the intrinsic torsional splittings of the combining states ν₄+ν₈ and ν₄ are quite different. We determined the intrinsic torsional splitting of ν₄+ν₈ to be less than 0.083 cm⁻¹, compared with 0.236 cm⁻¹ estimated for the ν₄ state. This result is in agreement with the expected effects of torsional Coriolis and head-tail coupling and is consistent with previous observations on vibrationally degenerate states of ethane-like molecules.     

Synthetic studies with 13-deoxybaccatin III

An efficient synthesis of 13-epi-7-O-(triethylsilyl)baccatin III from 13-deoxybaccatin III is described. Oxidation of 13-deoxy-7-O-(triethylsilyl)baccatin III with tert-butyl peroxide, followed by reduction with SmI(2), produced 13-epi-7-O-(triethylsilyl)baccatin III in good overall yield. The preparation of 13-oxo-7-O-(triethylsilyl)baccatin III from 13-epi-7-O-(triethylsilyl)baccatin III using tetrapropylammonium perruthenate and N-methylmorpholine N-oxide is also reported.     

Clocking hadronization at RHIC

The RHIC accelerator collided Au on Au beams at $\sqrt {s_{NN} } = 130$ GeV in the summer of 2000. To study these collisions, the RHIC experiments have been using a number of observables. One new observable in the field of relativistic heavy ions is the balance function. The balance function can be used to measure the correlation of charged particle pairs in rapidity. The rapidity separation of a particle pair that is created at the same point indicates the time of hadronization for that pair. Preliminary balance function analyses of STAR data are reported. The calculation of a balance function for hadron gas simulations (HIJING) is also discussed in this paper. These preliminary results indicate that the balance function is a useful observable in heavy-ion collisions.     

Comparison of small-angle p and pp elastic scattering at 52.8 GeV center-of-mass energy at the CERN intersecting storage rings

Proton-antiproton and proton-proton elastic scattering have been measured in the four-momentum transfer range 0.001|t|0.06 GeV² for center-of-mass energy 52.8 GeV at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings (ISR). Using the known pp total cross section, a simultaneous fit to the p and pp differential cross sections yields the p total cross section; in addition, we obtain the ratio of the real-to-imaginary part of the forward nuclear-scattering amplitude and the nuclear-slope parameter for both p and pp. Our results show conclusively that the p total cross section is rising at ISR energies and lend support to conventional theories in which the difference between the p and pp total cross section vanishes at very high energy.     

Diffraction dissociation of neutrons in the reaction dp → pppπ− at 25 GeV/c

We observe the reaction dp → p_spec (pπ^?)p in a bubble chamber exposure at 25 GeV/c incident deuteron momentum. The (pπ^?) system with invariant mass below 2.0 GeV is interpreted as neutron diffraction dissociation. The (pπ^?) mass spectra show little if any direct evidence of N¹ production. The decay angular distributions and the momentum transfer distributions of the (pπ^?) system suggest a smooth increase in contributions from higher partial waves $\text{(J ?}\text{3}\text{2}\text{)}$ with increased mass or momentum transfer. A simple partial-wave analysis shows a P₁₁ contribution below 1.3 GeV for small ?t′ and a dominant D₁₃ contribution elsewhere. Both the P₁₁ and D₁₃ amplitudes peak far below the N¹(1470) and N¹(1520) resonances. We also find evidence for the charge-exchange reaction np → p(pπ^?). In this process the (pπ^?) system shows evidence for Δ^o(1236) and N¹(1520) production.     

Analysis of HRTEM images for carbon nanostructure quantification

Image processing algorithms have been developed to extract fringe length, tortuosity and separation from high resolution transmission electron microscopy images. To validate the separation algorithm, a comparison is made between the image-based fringe separation and that obtained by analysis of X-ray diffraction data for a progressively heat-treated carbon black. Agreement is favorable. To illustrate the utility of the analysis parameters for a range of carbon nanostructures, analysis is applied to a series of pyrolytically prepared carbon soots – qualitatively described as containing amorphous, graphitic or fullerenic nanostructure. For all processing, the intermediate image, in the form of a skeletonized binary image of the original high resolution transmission electron micrograph, is shown and found to accurately reflect the nanostructural organization within the carbon as visually observed. Statistical results for each analysis parameter, extracted from the binary images, are presented in the form of histograms and quantitatively distinguish the different carbon nanostructures.