Independent Analysis Method Research Articles

How to Do (Awkward) Things with Just a Few Words

Abstract The aim of this study was to conduct a Scenic Narrative Microanalysis of a modern dance performance, “Kontakthof” by Pina Bausch, performed by lay dancers over 65 years of age. SNMA analysis consisted of both individual and group sessions with students of the International Psychoanalytic University. The method was successfully applied to artistic material insofar as relevant moments in terms of “Now Moments” and “Moments of Meeting” (Stern 2004) were identified by the raters throughout the dance piece. The selection of moments showed a notable overlap with the results of different and independent methods of analysis presented in this section.

Sentinel-MSI VNIR and SWIR Bands Sensitivity Analysis for Soil Salinity Discrimination in an Arid Landscape

Depending on the band position on the electromagnetic spectrum, optical and electronic characteristics, sensors collect the reflected energy by the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere. Currently, the availability of the new generation of medium resolution, such as the Multi-Spectral Instrument (MSI) on board the Sentinel-2 satellite, offers new opportunities for long-term high-temporal frequency for Earth’s surfaces observation and monitoring. This paper focuses on the analysis and the comparison of the visible, the near-infrared (VNIR), and the shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectral bands of the MSI for soil salinity discrimination in an arid landscape. To achieve these, a field campaign was organized, and 160 soil samples were collected with various degrees of soil salinity, including non-saline soil samples. The bidirectional reflectance factor was measured above each soil sample in a goniometric laboratory using an ASD (Analytical Spectral Devices) spectroradiometer. In the laboratory work, pHs, electrical conductivity (EC-Lab), and the major soluble cations (Na+, K+, Ca2++, and Mg2+) and anions (CO32−, HCO3−, Cl−, and SO42−) were measured using extraction from a saturated soil paste, and the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) was calculated using a standard procedure. These parameters, in addition to the field observations, were used to interpret and investigate the spectroradiometric measurements and their relevant transformations using the continuum removed reflectance spectrum (CRRS) and the first derivative (FD). Moreover, the acquired spectra over all the soil samples were resampled and convolved in the solar-reflective spectral bands using the Canadian Modified Herman transfer radiative code (CAM5S) and the relative spectral response profiles characterizing the Sentinel-MSI band filters. The statistical analyses conducted were based on the second-order polynomial regression (p < 0.05) between the measured EC-Lab and the reflectances in the MSI convolved spectral bands. The results obtained indicate the limitation of VNIR bands and the potential of SWIR domain for soil salinity classes’ discrimination. The CRRS and the FD analyses highlighted a serious spectral-signal confusion between the salt and the soil optical properties (i.e., color and brightness) in the VNIR bands. Likewise, the results stressed the independence of the SWIR domain vis-a-vis these soil artifacts and its capability to differentiate significantly among several soil salinity classes. Moreover, the statistical fit between each MSI individual spectral band and EC-Lab corroborates this trend, which revealed that only the SWIR bands were correlated significantly (R2 of 50% and 64%, for SWIR-1 and SWIR-2, respectively), while the R2 between the VNIR bands and EC-Lab remains less than 9%. According to the convergence of these four independent analysis methods, it is concluded that the Sentinel-MSI SWIR bands are excellent candidates for an integration in soil salinity modeling and monitoring at local, regional, and global scales.

Large-scale brain network connectivity underlying creativity in resting-state and task fMRI: Cooperation between default network and frontal-parietal network

Creativity is imperative to social development and the promotion of well-being. Here, independent component analysis and functional network connectivity analysis methods were applied to both resting-state and divergent thinking task fMRI data from the same sample to investigate large-scale brain network connectivity underlying creativity. The results showed that the strength of the connectivity between the posterior default mode network (DMN) and right frontal-parietal network (FPN) was significantly greater whereas the right FPN and left FPN connectivity strength was weaker in the creative condition than in the control condition. In addition, the posterior DMN and right FPN connectivity strength in the divergent thinking task was positively correlated with the connectivity strength between anterior DMN and left FPN during the resting-state. Moreover, the anterior DMN and left FPN connectivity strength during the resting-state was posit ively correlated with the originality score derived from divergent thinking task. Taken together, these findings extend previous research by revealing the cooperation between the DMN and FPN involved in creative thinking during both resting-state and task fMRI and provide insights into the prediction of creative thinking performance through brain network connectivity during resting-state and task fMRI in the future.

Properties of the LiCl-KCl-Li2O system as operating medium for pyro-chemical reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel

Crystallization temperatures (liquidus and solidus) in the LiCl-Li2O and (LiCl-KCl)-Li2O systems with the KCl content of 10 and 20 mol.% were obtained with independent methods of thermal analysis using cooling curves, isothermal saturation, and differential scanning calorimetry. The linear sweep voltammetry was applied to control the time of the equilibrium establishment in the molten system after the Li2O addition, which depended on the composition of the base melt and the concentration of Li2O. The fragments of the binary LiCl-Li2O and quazi-binary [LiCl-KCl(10 mol.%)]-Li2O and [LiCl-KCl(20 mol.%)]-Li2O phase diagrams in the Li2O concentration range from 0 to 12 mol.% were obtained. The KCl presence in the LiCl-KCl-Li2O molten mixture in the amount of 10 and 20 mol.% reduces the liquidus temperature by 30 and 80°, respectively, but the region of the homogeneous molten state of the system is considerably narrowed, which complicates its practical application. The Li2O solubility in the molten LiCl, LiCl-KCl(10 mol.%) and LiCl-KCl(20 mol.%) decreases with increasing the KCl content and is equal to 11.5, 7.7 and 3.9 mol.% at 650°С, respectively. The LiCl-KCl melt with 10 mol.% KCl can be recommended for practical use as a medium for the SNF pyro-chemical reprocessing at temperature below 700 °C.

Single photon detection and signal analysis for high sensitivity dosimetry based on optically stimulated luminescence with beryllium oxide

Single photon detection applied to optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimetry is a promising approach due to the low level of luminescence light and the known statistical behavior of single photon events. Time resolved detection allows to apply a variety of different and independent data analysis methods. Furthermore, using amplitude modulated stimulation impresses time- and frequency information into the OSL light and therefore allows for additional means of analysis. Considering the impressed frequency information, data analysis by using Fourier transform algorithms or other digital filters can be used for separating the OSL signal from unwanted light or events generated by other phenomena. This potentially lowers the detection limits of low dose measurements and might improve the reproducibility and stability of obtained data. In this work, an OSL system based on a single photon detector, a fast and accurate stimulation unit and an FPGA is presented. Different analysis algorithms which are applied to the single photon data are discussed.

Self-similar characteristics of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the rice genome

With single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data from the 3,000 rice genome project, we investigate the mutational characteristics of the rice genome from the perspective of statistical physics. From the frequency distributions of the space between adjacent SNPs, we present evidence that SNPs are not spaced randomly, but clustered across the genome. The clustering property is related to a long-range correlation in SNP locations, suggesting that a mutation occurring in a locus may affect other mutations far away along the sequence in a chromosome. In addition, the reliability of the existence of the long-range correlation is supported by the agreement between the results of two independent analysis methods. The highly-skewed and long-tailed distribution of SNP spaces is further characterized by a multi-fractal, showing that SNP spaces possess a rich structure of a statistical self-similarity. These results can be used for an optimal design of a microarray assay and a primer, as well as for genotyping quality control.

Patterns of Flexible Nanotubes Formed by Liquid-Ordered and Liquid-Disordered Membranes.

Biological membranes form both intra- and intercellular nanotubes that are used for molecular sorting within single cells and for long-distance connections between different cells. Such nanotubes can also develop from synthetic lipid bilayers in their fluid state. Each nanotube has a large area-to-volume ratio and stably encloses a water channel that is thereby shielded from its surroundings. The tubes are rather flexible and can easily change both their length and their conformation. Here, we study nanotubes formed by liquid-ordered (Lo) and liquid-disordered (Ld) membranes with three lipid components exposed to aqueous mixtures of two polymers, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dextran. Both types of membranes form striking patterns of nanotubes when we reduce the volume of giant vesicles by osmotic deflation, thereby exposing the two bilayer leaflets of the membranes to polymer solutions of different composition. With decreasing volume, three different patterns are observed corresponding to three distinct vesicle morphologies that reflect the interplay of spontaneous curvature and aqueous phase separation. We show that tube nucleation and growth is governed by two kinetic pathways and that the tubes undergo a novel shape transformation from necklace-like to cylindrical tubes at a certain critical tube length. We deduce the spontaneous curvature generated by the membrane-polymer interactions from the observed vesicle morphologies using three different and independent methods of image analysis. The spontaneous curvature of the Ld membranes is found to be 4.7 times larger than that of the Lo membranes. We also show that these curvatures are generated by weak PEG adsorption onto the membranes, with a binding affinity of about 1.6 kBT per chain. In this way, our study provides a direct connection between nanoscopic membrane shapes and molecular interactions. Our approach is rather general and can be applied to many other systems of interest such as polymersomes or membrane-bound proteins and peptides.

Rigidity Analysis of Protein Molecules

Intrinsic flexibility of protein molecules enables them to change their 3D structure and perform their specific task. Therefore, identifying rigid regions and consequently flexible regions of proteins has a significant role in studying protein molecules' function. In this study, we developed a kinematic model of protein molecules considering all covalent and hydrogen bonds in protein structure. Then, we used this model and developed two independent rigidity analysis methods to calculate degrees of freedom (DOF) and identify flexible and rigid regions of the proteins. The first method searches for closed loops inside the protein structure and uses Grübler–Kutzbach (GK) criterion. The second method is based on a modified 3D pebble game. Both methods are implemented in a matlab program and the step by step algorithms for both are discussed. We applied both methods on simple 3D structures to verify the methods. Also, we applied them on several protein molecules. The results show that both methods are calculating the same DOF and rigid and flexible regions. The main difference between two methods is the run time. It's shown that the first method (GK approach) is slower than the second method. The second method takes 0.29 s per amino acid versus 0.83 s for the first method to perform this rigidity analysis.

How many separable sources? Model selection in independent components analysis.

Unlike mixtures consisting solely of non-Gaussian sources, mixtures including two or more Gaussian components cannot be separated using standard independent components analysis methods that are based on higher order statistics and independent observations. The mixed Independent Components Analysis/Principal Components Analysis (mixed ICA/PCA) model described here accommodates one or more Gaussian components in the independent components analysis model and uses principal components analysis to characterize contributions from this inseparable Gaussian subspace. Information theory can then be used to select from among potential model categories with differing numbers of Gaussian components. Based on simulation studies, the assumptions and approximations underlying the Akaike Information Criterion do not hold in this setting, even with a very large number of observations. Cross-validation is a suitable, though computationally intensive alternative for model selection. Application of the algorithm is illustrated using Fisher's iris data set and Howells' craniometric data set. Mixed ICA/PCA is of potential interest in any field of scientific investigation where the authenticity of blindly separated non-Gaussian sources might otherwise be questionable. Failure of the Akaike Information Criterion in model selection also has relevance in traditional independent components analysis where all sources are assumed non-Gaussian.

Spectroscopic study of the open cluster NGC 6811★

The NASA space telescope Kepler has provided unprecedented time-series observations which have revolutionised the field of asteroseismology, i.e. the use of stellar oscillations to probe the interior of stars. The Kepler-data include observations of stars in open clusters, which are particularly interesting for asteroseismology. One of the clusters observed with Kepler is NGC 6811, which is the target of the present paper. However, apart from high-precision time-series observations, sounding the interiors of stars in open clusters by means of asteroseismology also requires accurate and precise atmospheric parameters as well as cluster membership indicators for the individual stars. We use medium-resolution (R~25,000) spectroscopic observations, and three independent analysis methods, to derive effective temperatures, surface gravities, metallicities, projected rotational velocities and radial velocities, for 15 stars in the field of the open cluster NGC 6811. We discover two double-lined and three single-lined spectroscopic binaries. Eight stars are classified as either certain or very probable cluster members, and three stars are classified as non-members. For four stars, cluster membership could not been assessed. Five of the observed stars are G-type giants which are located in the colour-magnitude diagram in the region of the red clump of the cluster. Two of these stars are surely identified as red clump stars for the first time. For those five stars, we provide chemical abundances of 31 elements. The mean radial-velocity of NGC 6811 is found to be +6.68$\pm$0.08 km s$^{-1}$ and the mean metallicity and overall abundance pattern are shown to be very close to solar with an exception of Ba which we find to be overabundant.

The Faults Detection Methods for Embedded Equipment

Due to the objects in the embedded control procedure are difficult to obtain a variety of fault data and fault features, it’s necessary to establish simulation models in accordance with the operational mechanisms of the embedded equipment to simulate and diagnose the practical faults. This paper proposes a SVM integrated diagnostic method and further proposes the faults classification model with improved neural network. The faults diagnose performance is greatly improved by analyzing the types of the faults in different facets. For the embedded valve failure modes, the simulation results of the proposed method are compared with that of the previous mature independent element analysis method. The simulation results show that the fault diagnosis method in this paper can effectively improve the speed and accuracy of fault diagnosis for the embedded equipment.

Sentiment Classification through Semantic Orientation Using SentiWordNet

Sentiment analysis is the procedure by which information is extracted from the opinions, appraisals and emotions of people in regards to entities, events and their attributes. In decision making, the opinions of others have a significant effect on customers ease in making choices regards to online shopping, choosing events, products, entities. In this paper, a rule based domain independent sentiment analysis method is proposed. The proposed method classifies subjective and objective sentences from reviews and blog comments. The semantic score of subjective sentences is extracted from SentiWordNet to calculate their polarity as positive, negative or neutral based on the contextual sentence structure. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed method and it outperforms the machine learning methods. The proposed method achieves an accuracy of 87% at the feedback level and 83% at the sentence level for comments. [Aurangzeb khan, Muhammad Zubair Asghar, Shakeel Ahmad, Fazal Masud Kundi, Maria Qasim, Furqan. Sentiment Classification through Semantic Orientation Using SentiWordNet. Life Sci J 2014; 11(10):309-315] (ISSN: 1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 44

Observation of the cosmic-ray shadow of the Moon with IceCube

We report on the observation of a significant deficit of cosmic rays from the direction of the Moon with the IceCube detector. The study of this "Moon shadow" is used to characterize the angular resolution and absolute pointing capabilities of the detector. The detection is based on data taken in two periods before the completion of the detector: between April 2008 and May 2009, when IceCube operated in a partial configuration with 40 detector strings deployed in the South Pole ice, and between May 2009 and May 2010 when the detector operated with 59 strings. Using two independent analysis methods, the Moon shadow has been observed to high significance (> 6 sigma) in both detector configurations. The observed location of the shadow center is within 0.2 degrees of its expected position when geomagnetic deflection effects are taken into account. This measurement validates the directional reconstruction capabilities of IceCube.

Bayesian approach for counting experiment statistics applied to a neutrino point source analysis

In this paper we present a model independent analysis method following Bayesian statistics to analyse data from a generic counting experiment and apply it to the search for neutrinos from point sources. We discuss a test statistic defined following a Bayesian framework that will be used in the search for a signal. In case no signal is found, we derive an upper limit without the introduction of approximations. The Bayesian approach allows us to obtain the full probability density function for both the background and the signal rate. As such, we have direct access to any signal upper limit. The upper limit derivation directly compares with a frequentist approach and is robust in the case of low-counting observations. Furthermore, it allows also to account for previous upper limits obtained by other analyses via the concept of prior information without the need of the ad hoc application of trial factors. To investigate the validity of the presented Bayesian approach, we have applied this method to the public IceCube 40-string configuration data for 10 nearby blazars and we have obtained a flux upper limit, which is in agreement with the upper limits determined via a frequentist approach. Furthermore, the upper limit obtained compares well with the previously published result of IceCube, using the same data set.

SeTES: A self-teaching expert system for the analysis, design, and prediction of gas production from unconventional gas resources

SeTES is a self-teaching expert system that (a) can incorporate evolving databases involving any type and amount of relevant data (geological, geophysical, geomechanical, stimulation, petrophysical, reservoir, production, etc.) originating from unconventional gas reservoirs, i.e., tight sands, shale or coalbeds, (b) can continuously update its built-in public database and refine the its underlying decision-making metrics and process, (c) can make recommendations about well stimulation, well location, orientation, design, and operation, (d) offers predictions of the performance of proposed wells (and quantitative estimates of the corresponding uncertainty), and (e) permits the analysis of data from installed wells for parameter estimation and continuous expansion of its database. Thus, SeTES integrates and processes information from multiple and diverse sources to make recommendations and support decision making at multiple time-scales, while expanding its internal database and explicitly addressing uncertainty. It receives and manages data in three forms: public data, that have been made available by various contributors, semi-public data, which conceal some identifying aspects but are available to compute important statistics, and a user's private data, which can be protected and used for more targeted design and decision making. It is the first implementation of a novel architecture that allows previously independent analysis methods and tools to share data, integrate results, and intelligently and iteratively extract the most value from the dataset. SeTES also presents a new paradigm for communicating research and technology to the public and distributing scientific tools and methods. It is expected to result in a significant improvement in reserve estimates, and increases in production by increasing efficiency and reducing uncertainty.

Habitable-zone super-Earth candidate in a six-planet system around the K2.5V star HD 40307

The K2.5 dwarf HD 40307 has been reported to host three super-Earths. The system lacks massive planets and is therefore a potential candidate for having additional low-mass planetary companions. We re-derive Doppler measurements from public HARPS spectra of HD 40307 to confirm the significance of the reported signals using independent data analysis methods. We also investigate these measurements for additional low-amplitude signals. We used Bayesian analysis of our radial velocities to estimate the probability densities of different model parameters. We also estimated the relative probabilities of models with differing numbers of Keplerian signals and verified their significance using periodogram analyses. We investigated the relation of the detected signals with the chromospheric emission of the star. As previously reported for other objects, we found that radial velocity signals correlated with the S-index are strongly wavelength dependent. We identify two additional clear signals with periods of 34 and 51 days, both corresponding to planet candidates with minimum masses a few times that of the Earth. An additional sixth candidate is initially found at a period of 320 days. However, this signal correlates strongly with the chromospheric emission from the star and is also strongly wavelength dependent. When analysing the red half of the spectra only, the five putative planetary signals are recovered together with a very significant periodicity at about 200 days. This signal has a similar amplitude as the other new signals reported in the current work and corresponds to a planet candidate with M sin i = 7 Me (HD 40307 g). ...

Phosphorus and chlorophyll in the Bay of Quinte: A time-series/intervention analysis of 1972–2008 data

Three independent methods of time-series analysis were applied to a 37-year record of total phosphorus and chlorophyll-a data collected at four sampling stations representing the upper, middle and lower sections of the Bay of Quinte, NE Lake Ontario, Canada. The three methods were used to build consensus around the significance of the apparent declines in total phosphorus (TP) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations following two interventions: (1) point-source phosphorus loading reductions of about 50% to the upper bay in the winter of 1977–1978 and (2) the establishment of Zebra Mussels (Dreissena spp.) in the early to mid-1990's. The methods were applied to May to October monthly means and included: (1) nonparametric tests that accounted for persistence and seasonality and determined the statistical significance of step-trends, (2) ARIMA-Intervention modelling that produced forecasts into post-intervention time periods that were compared statistically to measured data and (3) regime shift detection for identifying the significance of persistent steps after removal of the seasonal components of the data series (modelled as periodic functions). Strong gradients in total phosphorus (TP) and Chl-a concentrations between the upper and lower Bay of Quinte still existed three decades after reductions in point-source loadings of TP to the upper bay, where, during 2000–2008, May-October average TP was 3.8 times higher and Chl-a, 2.9 times higher than in the lower bay. The Remedial Action Plan May-October TP objective of 0.030 mg l-1 for the upper Bay of Quinte was not achieved consistently in recent years. Concurrence among the data analysis methods suggests that the relative decreases in the upper bay TP (31%) and Chl-a (37%) after phosphorus loading reductions were greater than in the lower bay (0% and 10%, respectively). The relative decreases in the upper bay TP (0%) and Chl-a (29%) associated with Dreissena establishment were less than those measured in the lower bay (20% and 50%, respectively).

Identification of Sphingosine Kinases As Therapeutic Targets in B-Lineage Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

AbstractAbstract 1499Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lipid with roles in cell proliferation and survival. S1P is produced by the sphingosine kinases, SphK1 and SphK2. SphK1 is over expressed in a number of malignancies and evidence points overwhelmingly to a pro-survival role. The role of SphK2 is much less well defined and appears to be dependent on its intracellular location with some reports of opposite effects to those of SphK1. Little is known about the interaction of SphKs with intracellular signalling pathways. Here we assess the relevance of SphKs in B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL).Gene expression signatures indicative of activation of SphK1 or SphK2 were not publicly available. Therefore we treated ALL cell lines with the SphK1 or SphK2 specific inhibitors SK1-I and ABC294640 respectively, and analysed gene expression by microarray. Although a signature for SphK1 was not obtained, two independent methods of analysis generated SphK2 gene signatures that segregated control and drug treated cell lines. The signatures consisted of 11 and 35 genes and included reduced expression of the NF-κB inhibitor TRIB3 (NF-κB activity is commonly up regulated in ALL), the C/EBP family transcription factor DDIT3, the protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit PPP1R15A and the sphingolipid/cholesterol transporter ABCA1, all validated by quantitative RT-PCR. These gene signatures were used to interrogate a large publicly available gene expression dataset (GSE28497) obtained from pediatric ALL patients at the time of diagnosis. SphK2 activity signatures were more highly expressed in ALL samples (p=0.001 and p=0.027 for the smaller and larger signatures respectively) than normal B-cell progenitors. Although SPHK1 or SPHK2 genes were not over expressed in this dataset, SphK1 protein levels were increased in ALL cell lines and in patient samples.The importance of SphK1 and SphK2 in the development of ALL was examined by transducing B-cell progenitors isolated from WT, SphK1−/− or SphK2−/− mice with the ALL associated p185 form of the oncogenic fusion gene BCR/ABL and injecting transduced cells into sub-lethally irradiated wild type C57BL/6 mice. Twenty-two of 29 mice receiving cells from WT animals developed ALL, with a mean survival of 52.6 days (95% CI 42.3–62.8 days). Mice receiving cells lacking Sphk1 or Sphk2 had a significantly reduced incidence of ALL development with 14 of 30 (mean survival 71.6 days, 95% CI 60.5–82.8 days) and 16 of 29 animals (mean survival of 68.7 days, 95% CI 57.9–79.5 days) respectively (p=0.001). Lymphoblasts with a B-cell progenitor phenotype (B220+, CD19+, IgM−, CD11b−) were present in blood films and livers from leukemic mice and cells recovered from these animals produced a rapidly fatal ALL in secondary recipients. The presence of BCR/ABL and the expected deletion of Sphk1 or Sphk2 were confirmed by PCR in all murine leukemias examined.We have previously reported that inhibitors of SphK1 and/or SphK2 inhibit proliferation and induce cell death in ALL cell lines, and that these agents can synergize with imatinib in Ph+ ALL cell lines. We have furthered these studies to demonstrate that patient derived ALL cells similarly respond to SphK1 and SphK2 inhibition in vitro. The SphK2 inhibitor ABC294640 (100mg/kg) reduced plasma S1P levels in mice consistent with our previous reports of reduced ALL burden following ABC294640 treatment, and using a NOD/SCID γc−/− xenograft model of human ALL we have now shown that ABC294640 extends survival of ALL-bearing mice (p=0.0012 for Ph− xenograft) and further extends the survival when combined with imatinib treatment in mice engrafted with a human Ph+ ALL patient sample (p=0.044).This is the first report to suggest that sphingosine kinase 2 activity is increased in ALL, providing support for targeting SphK2 as a therapeutic strategy. Loss of SphKs reduces the incidence of ALL in a murine model of BCR/ABL-driven disease and ABC294640 reduces disease and extends survival in a human xenograft model of ALL. This compound synergizes with a number of potential therapeutic agents and further extends survival in a xenograft model of Ph+disease when combined with imatinib. This has potential to translate into a useful anti-leukemic strategy. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Audio video based fast fixed-point independent vector analysis for multisource separation in a room environment

Fast fixed-point independent vector analysis (FastIVA) is an improved independent vector analysis (IVA) method, which can achieve faster and better separation performance than original IVA. As an example IVA method, it is designed to solve the permutation problem in frequency domain independent component analysis by retaining the higher order statistical dependency between frequencies during learning. However, the performance of all IVA methods is limited due to the dimensionality of the parameter space commonly encountered in practical frequency-domain source separation problems and the spherical symmetry assumed with the source model. In this article, a particular permutation problem encountered in using the FastIVA algorithm is highlighted, namely the block permutation problem. Therefore a new audio video based fast fixed-point independent vector analysis algorithm is proposed, which uses video information to provide a smart initialization for the optimization problem. The method cannot only avoid the ill convergence resulting from the block permutation problem but also improve the separation performance even in noisy and high reverberant environments. Different multisource datasets including the real audio video corpus AV16.3 are used to verify the proposed method. For the evaluation of the separation performance on real room recordings, a new pitch based evaluation criterion is also proposed.

Electrotransport, sorption, and photochemical properties of nanocluster polyoxomolybdates with a toroidal structure

The electrotransport, sorption, and photochemical properties of polyoxometalate NH4)32[MO 110 VI MO 28 V O416H6(H2O)58(CH3CO2)6] · xH2O (x ∼ 250) with a toroidal structure are studied. Conditions for studying these characteristics are selected on the basis of data on the stability of POM, in dependence on the concentration and acidity of the medium and the processes of thermal decomposition. A set of independent physical and chemical methods of analysis is used. The possibility of the complexation of toroidal POM with polymer molecules is established. The photostabilizing effect of this POM on polymer molecules is revealed.