Lowess Method Research Articles

Impact of urban renewal on urban heat island: Study of renewal processes and thermal effects

This study examines the impact of different types and processes of urban renewal on the urban heat island (UHI) effect. The research categorizes renewal projects based on changes in buildings, underlying surfaces, and functions. Using the Spearman correlation coefficient and LOWESS method, the study analyzes the relationships between cooling effects and impact factors. The results reveal that transforming industrial areas into commercial or residential zones and transitioning from compact mid-rise to open high-rise structures have significant cooling effects. However, the renewal implementation of the latter transformation can exacerbate the local UHI, suggesting the need for optimizing the timeline of such projects. Increasing vegetation cover plays a crucial role in mitigating the UHI, while higher floor area ratios and building volumes do not necessarily intensify the UHI. To improve the urban ecosystem, urban renewal planning should prioritize the creation of blue and green spaces, incorporation of natural infrastructure, and reduction of impervious surfaces. These findings have implications for urban renewal policies, selection of preferred renewal types, and insights into the renewal process.

Hypothermia or hyperthermia, which is associated with patient outcomes in critically ill children with sepsis? —A retrospective study

ObjectivesIn the early stage of sepsis, identifying high-risk paediatric patients with a poor prognosis and providing timely and adequate treatment are critical. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of...

An Automated cDNA Microarray Image Analysis for the Determination of Gene Expression Ratios.

This paper proposes a fully automated technique for cDNA microarray image analysis. Initially, an effective preprocessing stage combined with gridding is built to get the individual spot regions of images. Current work begins with the proposal of a new rule to get the foreground (spot) and background regions in the spot blocks, which uses TV-L1 image denoising, spot block binarization, and finds the most accurate spot label by measuring the centroid differences of labelled regions in the block with that of the spot block centroid. The credibility of the segmentation rule on real images is evaluated by metrics: mean absolute error (MAE) and coefficient of variation (CV) and on synthetic images by metrics: probability of error (PE) and discrepancy distance (DD). The performance values on real and synthetic datasets reveal better results than the competitive methods. After the segmentation, prior to the spot intensity extraction, background intensity correction and flagging of noisy spots are executed. Using the lowess method, intensities are normalized, and gene expression ratios are determined. To comprehend the linearities of red and green intensities and to discern up and down-regulated genes (abnormal), fold-change factor, scatter and box plots are also used to represent the gene expression levels.

Association between fluid balance and mortality for heart failure and sepsis: a propensity score-matching analysis

BackgroundFluid resuscitation is necessary to correct the sepsis-induced hypoperfusion, which is contradictory to the treatment of heart failure. This study explored the association between fluid balance (FB) of the first 24 h after ICU admission and mortality in critically ill patients with heart failure and sepsis.MethodsData were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care database. The locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (Lowess) method was used to demonstrate the relationship between FB and in-hospital mortality. Groups were divided into high FB (≥ 55.85 ml/kg) and low FB (< 55.85 ml/kg) according to the cut-off value of FB using Receiver operating characteristic analysis and Youden index method. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Subgroup analyses, multivariable logistic regression analyses, and Kaplan-Meier curves were used to detect the association and survival difference between groups. Inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) and propensity score matching (PSM) were performed to minimize the bias of confounding factors and facilitate the comparability between groups.ResultsA total of 936 patients were included. The Lowess curve showed an approximate positive linear relationship for FB and in-hospital mortality. In the multivariable logistic regression adjusted model, high FB showed strong associations with in-hospital mortality (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.60–3.99, p < 0.001) as compared to the low FB group. In IPTW and PSM models, high FB consistently showed higher in-hospital mortality (IPTW model: OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.52–2.49, p < 0.001; PSM model: OR 2.93, 95% CI 1.75–4.90, p < 0.001) and 30-day mortality (IPTW model: OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.29–2.10, p < 0.001; PSM model: OR 2.50, 95% CI 1.51–4.15, p < 0.001), compared with the low FB group.ConclusionFor critically ill patients with heart failure and sepsis, high FB within the first 24 h after ICU admission could serve as an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality and 30-day mortality. The avoidance of fluid overload exerts important effects on reducing mortality in such patients.

ROBUST FORECASTING OF TRAFFIC FLOW INTENSITY

Accurate and timely information about current and forecast parameters of traffic flows is an important condition for the functioning of intelligent transport systems. The use of high-quality data will make it possible to solve the problem of adaptive traffic flow management more effectively, reduce travel time, improve the accuracy of travel route planning, and generally improve the efficiency of using transport infrastructure.&#x0D; This article presents studies of the impact of traffic light objects on the registration of traffic flow parameters by transport detectors. It is established that the location of the control zone of transport detectors within the area of the formation of the queue of vehicles leads to artificial noise of the collected data. The use of robust forecast of transport flow parameters in solving problems of adaptive traffic flow management is justified.&#x0D; The solution of the problem of robust traffic intensity prediction using the LightGBM model based on the gradient boosting algorithm is shown. The feature space of the model included the traffic intensity log, the date and time of the data received, the weekend features, and the lane group ID. The robustness of the forecast is ensured by using the smoothed time series model error function using the LOWESS method, when applying the original, non-smoothed time series to the model input.&#x0D; The model trained on real data has properties of robustness of the traffic intensity forecast, provided filtering of stochastic fluctuations and outliers of the measured ones. At the same time, it distinguishes the features of the daily profiles for working and weekend days in all groups of bands, the forecast delay was observed only if there was a significant deviation of the observed intensity from the daily trend.

PD42-03 ONCOLOGIC SURVEILLANCE INTENSITY FOR VARIANT HISTOLOGY VERSUS PURE UROTHELIAL CARCINOMA OF THE BLADDER AFTER RADICAL CYSTECTOMY

You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 May 2022PD42-03 ONCOLOGIC SURVEILLANCE INTENSITY FOR VARIANT HISTOLOGY VERSUS PURE UROTHELIAL CARCINOMA OF THE BLADDER AFTER RADICAL CYSTECTOMY Alberto Martini, Riccardo Leni, Giuseppe Basile, Simone Scuderi, Mario De Angelis, Luigi Nocera, Giuseppe Rosiello, Giorgio Gandaglia, Chiara Lonati, Luca Afferi, Vincenzo Mirone, Andrea Gallina, Francesco Montorsi, Alberto Briganti, and Marco Moschini Alberto MartiniAlberto Martini More articles by this author , Riccardo LeniRiccardo Leni More articles by this author , Giuseppe BasileGiuseppe Basile More articles by this author , Simone ScuderiSimone Scuderi More articles by this author , Mario De AngelisMario De Angelis More articles by this author , Luigi NoceraLuigi Nocera More articles by this author , Giuseppe RosielloGiuseppe Rosiello More articles by this author , Giorgio GandagliaGiorgio Gandaglia More articles by this author , Chiara LonatiChiara Lonati More articles by this author , Luca AfferiLuca Afferi More articles by this author , Vincenzo MironeVincenzo Mirone More articles by this author , Andrea GallinaAndrea Gallina More articles by this author , Francesco MontorsiFrancesco Montorsi More articles by this author , Alberto BrigantiAlberto Briganti More articles by this author , and Marco MoschiniMarco Moschini More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000002603.03AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: There is paucity of data to justify the current follow-up schemes after radical cystectomy (RC) suggested from present guidelines and presently, major guidelines do not provide specific recommendations on oncologic surveillance for patients who harbor variant histology bladder cancer (VH BCa) at radical cystectomy, which is known to be associated with higher recurrence risk after radical treatment compared to pure urothelial carcinoma (pUC). On these premises to evaluate whether the EAU surveillance scheme after radical cystectomy is applicable to patients who harbor VH BCa. METHODS: Within a multi-institutional registry, 528 and 1,894 patients with VH BCa and pUC, were identified form a multi-institutional database. Patients were followed up in compliance with the EAU guidelines which entail cross-sectional imaging biannually till the 3rd year and annually thereafter. The non-cumulative incidence of recurrence over time was evaluated through the LOWESS method. RESULTS: Median follow-up of 6.5 years. Among patients with pUC, 628 patients experienced a BCa-related recurrence, among individuals with VH BCa, 207 patients experienced a BCa-related recurrence. The VH cancers were as follows: 48 (9%) non-urothelial variants, 52 (10%) mixed variants, 155 (29%) squamous variant, 74 (14%) micropapillary variant, 152 (29%) had other urothelial variants, and 47 (9%) no residual disease on final pathology Overall, individuals with VH had a higher risk of recurrence (recurrence-free survival: 30% vs 51% at 10-year, p<0.001) and shorter median time to recurrence (88 vs 123 months, p<0.01) relative to pUC. Figure 1 displays the non-cumulative incidence of recurrence after RC. Vertical lines correspond to the time points where imaging should be obtained. Overall, the non-cumulative risk of recurrence was always higher for VH BCa. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that VH BCa is associated with greater recurrence risk than pUC. A follow-up scheme that is valid for pUC should not be applied to individuals with VH. Patients should be counseled for a more intense surveillance scheme if they are found to harbor VH BCa relatively to individuals with pUC. Source of Funding: no © 2022 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 207Issue Supplement 5May 2022Page: e695 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2022 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Alberto Martini More articles by this author Riccardo Leni More articles by this author Giuseppe Basile More articles by this author Simone Scuderi More articles by this author Mario De Angelis More articles by this author Luigi Nocera More articles by this author Giuseppe Rosiello More articles by this author Giorgio Gandaglia More articles by this author Chiara Lonati More articles by this author Luca Afferi More articles by this author Vincenzo Mirone More articles by this author Andrea Gallina More articles by this author Francesco Montorsi More articles by this author Alberto Briganti More articles by this author Marco Moschini More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF DownloadLoading ...

Maternal Obesity and Risk of Low Birth Weight, Fetal Growth Restriction, and Macrosomia: Multiple Analyses.

The associations between maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and low birth weight (LBW, <2500 g) remain inconclusive. Therefore, birth weight in a Polish prospective cohort of 912 mothers was investigated depending on the pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI). The whole cohort and the subgroup of gestational weight gain (GWG) in the range of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations, as well as ‘healthy’ women (who did not develop diabetes or hypertension in this pregnancy) were investigated. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) of the newborn outcomes (with 95% confidence intervals, CI) for obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) vs. normal BMI (18.5−24.9 kg/m2) were calculated using multiple logistic regression. Risk profiles (in the Lowess method) were presented for BMI values (kg/m2) and threshold BMI values were calculated. (1) In the cohort, LBW affected 6.6% of pregnancies, fetal growth restriction (FGR) 2.3%, and macrosomia 10.6%. (2) The adjusted risk of macrosomia was more than three-fold higher for obesity compared to normal BMI in the whole cohort (AOR = 3.21 (1.69−6.1), p < 0.001) and the result was maintained in the subgroups. A 17-fold higher adjusted LBW risk for obesity was found (AOR = 17.42 (1.5−202.6), p = 0.022), but only in the normal GWG subgroup. The FGR risk profile was U-shaped: in the entire cohort, the risk was more than three times higher for obesity (AOR = 3.12 (1.02−9.54), p = 0.045) and underweight (AOR = 3.84 (1.13−13.0), p = 0.031). (3) The risk profiles showed that the highest BMI values were found to be associated with a higher risk of these three newborn outcomes and the threshold BMI was 23.7 kg/m2 for macrosomia, 26.2 kg/m2 for LBW, and 31.8 kg/m2 for FGR. These results confirm the multidirectional effects of obesity on fetal growth (low birth weight, fetal growth restriction, and macrosomia). The results for LBW were heavily masked by the effects of abnormal gestational weight gain.

Evaluation of the Mechanical Reliability of Different Implant-Abutment Connections for Single Crowns According to the ISO 14801 Fatigue Test Protocol.

The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the mechanical behavior regarding dynamic fatigue of different implant-abutment connections and the unitary indication of abutments for all regions of the mouth. This experimental study developed according to international standards (ISO 14801:2007) was performed using five types of implants and abutments: G1-external hex smart implant and 17-degree universal abutment (EHS); G2-cortical external hex implant and 17-degree universal abutment (EHTi); G3-internal hex implant and 30-degree universal abutment (IH); G4-Morse taper implant (11.5 degrees) and 17-degree universal abutment (MT11.5); and G5- Morse taper implant (16 degrees) and 30-degree universal abutment (MT16). A 15-Hz cyclic loading was applied to the specimens with the maximum number of cycles set at 5 × 106. Success was defined when three samples supported 5 million cycles without failure. The maximum load supported from each group after dynamic loading was recorded. The Spearman correlation and the Lowess method were used to analyze the correlation between the number of cycles and the applied load, and the Kruskal-Wallis and Nemenyi tests were used for comparison between the abutments when reaching 5 million cycles. There was a negative correlation (r < 0.00) and significant difference (P < .05) between the number of cycles and the load for each type of implant and abutment. The load values supported by each group after cyclic loading to achieve 5 million cycles were as follows: EHS, 225 N; EHTi, 215 N; IH, 220 N; MT11.5, 210 N; and MT16, 240 N. The MT16 implant-abutment assembly presented a significantly higher load (P = .024) than the MT11.5 implant-abutment assembly. All implant-abutment connections investigated in this study resisted average occlusal force values reported as acceptable in the literature and may be indicated for any region of the mouth.

The Influence of Maternal BMI on Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Older Women.

As mothers age, the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes may increase, but the results so far are controversial and several issues remain unknown, such as the impact of maternal weight on the effects associated with older age. In a prospective cohort of 912 Polish women with singleton pregnancies (recruited in 2015–2016), we assessed the pregnancy outcomes depending on the mother’s age (18–24, 25–29, 30–34, 35–39, and ≥40 years). Women aged ≥35 years (vs. <35 years) were assessed in terms of body mass index (BMI). Multidimensional logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratios (with 95% confidence intervals) of the pregnancy results. The risk profiles (using the Lowess method) were applied to determine the threshold risk. We found that both the youngest and the oldest group members displayed higher adjusted odds ratios of preeclampsia (PE), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and preterm birth <37th week (U-shaped risk). In the remaining cases, the age ≥40 years, compared to the youngest age 18–24 years, was associated with a higher adjusted risk of gestational hypertension (GH) (AOR = 5.76, p = 0.034), gestational diabetes mellitus GDM-1 (AOR = 7.06, p = 0.016), cesarean section (AOR = 6.97, p <0.001), and low birth weight LBW (AOR = 15.73, p = 0.033) as well as macrosomia >4000 g (AOR = 8.95, p = 0.048). We found that older age ≥35 years (vs. <35 years) was associated with higher adjusted odds ratios of all the pregnancy outcomes investigated. In obese women, these adverse older age related results were found to be more intense in GH study, as well as (though weaker) in birth <37th week study, small-for-gestational age birth weight (SGA), LBW, large-for-gestational age birth weight (LGA), and macrosomia. In overweight women, these adverse older age related results were found to be more intense in preterm birth study, as well as (though weaker) in SGA and LBW. In underweight women, adverse pregnancy outcomes related to older age were more intense in a study of cesarean section. At the same time, underweight was associated with reversal of some negative effects of older age (we found lower odds ratios of GDM-1 diabetes). The maternal threshold age above which the risk of GH, PE, GDM, caesarean section, and preterm birth increased was 33–34 years (lower than the threshold of 35 years assumed in the literature), and the threshold risk of IUGR, LBW, SGA, LGA, and macrosomia was 36–37 years. Main conclusions: Older maternal age was associated with a higher chance of all kinds of obstetric complications. Older women should particularly avoid obesity and overweight.

Inverse Relationship Between 25 Hydroxy Vitamin D and Parathormone: Are there Two Inflection Points?

Context:There is no consensus about the inflection point for 25 hydroxy vitamin D below which the intact PTH level increases.Objective:Determine the relationship/inflection point between 25 hydroxy vitamin D and parathormone levels.Materials and Methods:We performed a population-based analysis on a nonobese cohort (n = 405).Results:Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 58.76% (n = 228). Vitamin D insufficiency was found in 34.56% (n = 140). An inverse relationship between 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) and intact PTH exist, but strength of such relationship is weak (r = −0.16, P = 0.018). With respect to the 25(OH)D cut-off of 16 ng/mL by IOM (EAR linked), proportion of persons with high intact PTH was higher in the group with lower 25(OH)D compared with higher 25(OH)D group (P = 0.005) and it was similar for RDA linked cut-off of 20 ng/mL also (P = 0.017). LOWESS method revealed two inflection points at which PTH levels change. A less conspicuous inflection point was found at 32 ng/mL (95% CI, 27–36), which reasonably corroborates with the current cutoff of definition of vitamin D sufficiency, and the second, steeper inflection point was found at 16.5 ng/ml (95% CI, 14.9–18.8) which corroborates with the IOM supported EAR linked value of 25(OH)D level in general population and possible definition of vitamin D deficiency.Conclusions:There are possibly two inflection points at which PTH levels change in relation to 25(OH)D levels

Growth velocity of children and its affective factors in northwestern Iran: A longitudinal study using marginal models.

Background: Child growth is an important health indicator in human’s lifespan. Evaluating growth variations in infants and children is highly important. This study was conducted to evaluate the risk factors of child growth retardation and determine childhood growth velocity in Zanjan province, Iran. Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted on 7892 children aged 0 to 2 years in Zanjan province in 2013. The sampling method was multi-stage cluster sampling. To determine the growth velocity, 2- pointed model was used. We applied the marginal models of generalized equation estimators (GEE). The related curves were obtained using LOWESS method, and data were analyzed using R Version 2.14.1. Results: In this study, 3879 (49%) of the participants were female, and the mean age of mothers was 27.1±5.4 years. Growth velocity had a significant association with gender, mother’s residency, multiple pregnancies, gestational age, and exclusive breastfeeding (p<0.001). A significant association was observed between gender and weight growth velocity (p<0.001). Moreover, exclusive breastfeeding had a significant association with weight growth velocity (p<0.001). Conclusion: Growth velocity in girls was slightly higher than in boys, however, no considerable difference was found between height growth velocity of girls and boys. The findings of this study also indicated that each month increase in exclusive breastfeeding leads to less growth velocity in children. So, exclusive breastfeeding is strongly recommended to prevent childhood obesity.

Inter-relationships between mechanical properties of glassy polymers from nanoindentation and uniaxial compression

This is a report of the inter-relationships between mechanical properties of glassy polymers, obtained from nanoindentation and uniaxial compression. The deformation states and molecular phenomena are different in the two experiments. Nanoindentation enables determination of local mesoscale properties, which at low strain rates, exhibit a greater deformation rate sensitivity than the corresponding uniaxial deformation properties. At high rates, the nanoindentation properties are rate-independent. In nanoindentation, the stresses decrease radially outward from the indenter tip. The progressively less deformed chains away from the nanoindenter tip, constrain the yield flow beneath the tip. These ideas form the bases of our understanding of the experimental observations from the perspectives of continuum mechanics and molecular phenomena. These experimental observations are enabled by refinements in nanoindentation data analyses: (i) LOWESS method on the unloading P-h curve for accurate stiffness estimates and (ii) quadratic drift correction method to account for nonlinear drift.

Lymph node dissection should not be dismissed in case of localized renal cell carcinoma in the presence of larger diseases

ObjectiveTo assess whether even in the group of localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC), some patients might harbor a disease with a predilection for lymph node invasion (LNI) and/or lymph node (LN) progression and might deserve lymph node dissection (LND) at the time of surgery. Materials and methodsBetween 1990 and 2014, 2,010 patients with clinically defined T1-T2N0M0 RCC were treated with nephrectomy and standardized LND at a single tertiary care referral center. The endpoint consists of the presence of LNI and/or nodal progression, defined as the onset of a new clinically detected lymphadenopathy (>10mm) in the retroperitoneal lymphatic area with associated systemic progression or histological confirmation or both. We tested the association between clinical characteristics and the endpoint of interest. Predictors consisted of age at surgery, clinical tumor size, preoperative hemoglobin, and platelets levels. Multivariable logistic regression model and smoothed Lowess method were used. ResultsLNI was recorded in 14 cases (2.2%). The median follow-up after surgery was 68 months. During the study period, 23 patients (1.1%) experienced LN progression; 91% of those patients experienced LN progression within 3 years after surgery. Combining the 2 endpoints, 36 patients (1.8%) had LNI and/or LN progression. Clinical tumor size was the only independent predictors of LNI and/or LN progression (OR = 1.25). A significant increase of the risk of LNI and/or LN progression was observed in RCC larger than 7cm (cT2a or higher). ConclusionsLNI and/or LN progression is a rare entity in patients with localized RCC. Nonetheless, patients with larger tumors might still benefit from LND because of a non-negligible risk of LNI and/or LN progression.

Real-time path planning algorithm for autonomous vehicles in unknown environments

In this paper, a method of dynamic path planning algorithm for autonomous vehicles in cluttered environments is presented. The proposed method is based on the D* Lite algorithm with a smoothing method and local optimisation to enhance its performance in cluttered environments. The Lowess smoothing method has useful properties for the path planning problem especially in complex environments which involve lots of corners or direction changes required to avoid dynamic obstacles. Cubic hermite spline interpolation is used to describe curvature continuous trajectories for autonomous vehicles. Knowing the start and goal position, a continuous smooth trajectory can be decided. Results of proposed method are shown in simulations and experiments. Trajectories are demonstrated in various environments with and without additional obstacles. Quantitative results are shown and analysed to validate the proposed method.

Reconstructing High-Resolution Face Models From Kinect Depth Sequences

Performing face recognition across 3D scans with different resolution is now attracting an increasing interest thanks to the introduction of a new generation of depth cameras, capable of acquiring color/depth images over time. In fact, these devices acquire and provide depth data with much lower resolution compared with the 3D high-resolution scanners typically used for face recognition applications. If data are acquired without user cooperation, the problem is even more challenging, and the gap of resolution between probe and gallery scans can yield to a severe loss in terms of recognition accuracy. Based on these premises, we propose a method to build a higher resolution 3D face model from 3D data acquired by a low-resolution scanner. This face model is built using data acquired when a person passes in front of the scanner, without assuming any particular cooperation. The 3D data are registered and filtered by combining a model of the expected distribution of the acquisition error with a variant of the lowess method to remove outliers and build the final face model. The proposed approach is evaluated in terms of accuracy of face reconstruction and face recognition.

Breast cancer-specific mortality in small-sized tumor with node-positive breast cancer: a nation-wide study in Korean breast cancer society.

Tumor size and number of lymph node (LN) metastases are well known as the most important prognostic factors of breast cancer. We hypothesized that very small breast cancers with LN metastasis represent a progressive biologic behavior and evaluated tumor size stratified by LN metastasis. Data between 1990 and 2010 were obtained retrospectively from the Korean Breast Cancer Society Registry with inclusion criteria of female, non-metastatic, unilateral, and T1/2 breast cancer. We collected the following variables: age at surgery, tumor size, number of LN metastases, nuclear grade (NG), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), estrogen receptor status, progesterone receptor status, and epidermal growth factor receptor-2 status. Patient characteristics were compared by means of independent t-tests for continuous variables and the Chi-square or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. Kaplan-Meier curves, with corresponding results of log-rank tests, were constructed for breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS). Five- and eight-year breast cancer-specific mortality (BCSM) was obtained in groups of 300 patients, followed by smoothing according to the confidence interval using the lowess method. We identified 39,826 breast cancer patients who met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 1433 (3.6%) patients died due to breast cancer. The median follow-up duration was 63.4 (3-255) months. In the multivariate analysis, age at surgery, NG, LVI, subtype, and tumor size-nodal interactions were independently associated with BCSM. The N1 group had lower BCSS for T1a than T1b. The N2+group also had lower BCSS for T1b than T1c or T2. In the N1 group of tumors smaller than 10mm, 5- and 8-year BCSM decreased with larger tumor size. Patients with very small tumors with LN metastasis have decreased BCSM according to increase tumor size. Small tumors with LN metastasis could have aggressive biological behavior.

Road Map Inference: A Segmentation and Grouping Framework

We propose a new segmentation and grouping framework for road map inference from GPS traces. We first present a progressive Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Application with Noise (DBSCAN) algorithm with an orientation constraint to partition the whole point set of the traces into clusters that represent road segments. A new point cluster grouping algorithm, according to the topological relationship and spatial proximity of the point clusters to recover the road network, is then developed. After generating the point clusters, the robust Locally-Weighted Scatterplot Smooth (Lowess) method is used to extract their centerlines. We then propose to build the topological relationship of the centerlines by a Hidden Markov Model (HMM)-based map matching algorithm; and to assess whether the spatial proximity between point clusters by assuming the distances from the points to the centerline comply with a Gaussian distribution. Finally, the point clusters are grouped according to their topological relationship and spatial proximity to form strokes for recovering the road map. Experimental results show that our algorithm is robust to noise and varied sampling rates. The generated road maps show high geometric accuracy.

Runoff potentiality of a watershed through SCS and functional data analysis technique.

Runoff potentiality of a watershed was assessed based on identifying curve number (CN), soil conservation service (SCS), and functional data analysis (FDA) techniques. Daily discrete rainfall data were collected from weather stations in the study area and analyzed through lowess method for smoothing curve. As runoff data represents a periodic pattern in each watershed, Fourier series was introduced to fit the smooth curve of eight watersheds. Seven terms of Fourier series were introduced for the watersheds 5 and 8, while 8 terms of Fourier series were used for the rest of the watersheds for the best fit of data. Bootstrapping smooth curve analysis reveals that watersheds 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 are with monthly mean runoffs of 29, 24, 22, 23, 26, and 27 mm, respectively, and these watersheds would likely contribute to surface runoff in the study area. The purpose of this study was to transform runoff data into a smooth curve for representing the surface runoff pattern and mean runoff of each watershed through statistical method. This study provides information of runoff potentiality of each watershed and also provides input data for hydrological modeling.

The Sulfur Carrier Protein TusA Has a Pleiotropic Role in Escherichia coli That Also Affects Molybdenum Cofactor Biosynthesis*

The Escherichia coli L-cysteine desulfurase IscS mobilizes sulfur from L-cysteine for the synthesis of several biomolecules such as iron-sulfur (FeS) clusters, molybdopterin, thiamin, lipoic acid, biotin, and the thiolation of tRNAs. The sulfur transfer from IscS to various biomolecules is mediated by different interaction partners (e.g. TusA for thiomodification of tRNAs, IscU for FeS cluster biogenesis, and ThiI for thiamine biosynthesis/tRNA thiolation), which bind at different sites of IscS. Transcriptomic and proteomic studies of a ΔtusA strain showed that the expression of genes of the moaABCDE operon coding for proteins involved in molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis is increased under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Additionally, under anaerobic conditions the expression of genes encoding hydrogenase 3 and several molybdoenzymes such as nitrate reductase were also increased. On the contrary, the activity of all molydoenzymes analyzed was significantly reduced in the ΔtusA mutant. Characterization of the ΔtusA strain under aerobic conditions showed an overall low molybdopterin content and an accumulation of cyclic pyranopterin monophosphate. Under anaerobic conditions the activity of nitrate reductase was reduced by only 50%, showing that TusA is not essential for molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis. We present a model in which we propose that the direction of sulfur transfer for each sulfur-containing biomolecule is regulated by the availability of the interaction partner of IscS. We propose that in the absence of TusA, more IscS is available for FeS cluster biosynthesis and that the overproduction of FeS clusters leads to a modified expression of several genes.

244 CHANGES IN THE TRANSCRIPTOME OF THE BOVINE PRE-IMPLANTATION EMBRYO INDUCED BY COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR-2

Colony-stimulating factor-2 (CSF-2) is a cytokine expressed in bovine oviduct and endometrium that has been reported to improve the proportion of embryos that become blastocysts in vitro and survive after transfer to recipients. One effect of CSF-2 that might be related to increased embryonic survival is a preferential increase in the number of cells in the inner cell mass. The objective of the current study was to determine changes in the embryo transcriptome caused by CSF-2 that promote blastocyst formation and establishment and maintenance of pregnancy after transfer. Bovine embryos were produced in vitro and cultured in KSOM-BE2 +10 ng/mL recombinant BoCSF-2 added at Day 5 after insemination. On Day 6 (24 h after treatment), embryos at the morula and early blastocyst stage were harvested and stored in groups of 50 at -80°C. A total of 4 pools of GM-colony-stimulating factor treated blastocysts and 4 control blastocysts were subjected to transcriptional profiling using the Bos taurus 2-color Agilent chip (4 × 44 K format). Before labeling, total RNA starting sample was spiked with control genes (artificial clones) of known concentration provided by Agilent. Labeling was done simultaneously with complimentary RNA (cRNA) amplification. Two rounds of linear RNA amplification were employed. Images were extracted using the Agilent Feature Extraction Software (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA) and normalized within arrays by the Lowess method. Statistical analysis was performed using the JMP Genomics program (SAS Inst., Cary, NC, USA). The normalized data were log2 transformed, and the quantile normalization method was used to normalize data between arrays. Differences in gene expression were determined using PROC ANOVA (fixed false discovery rate = 0.01). Only genes with a 1.5-fold difference and P &lt; 0.05 were considered differentially expressed. A total of 216 genes were differentially expressed between CSF-2 and control embryos. Of these, 141 could be annotated (61 genes up-regulated and 80 genes down-regulated by CSF-2). These included 13 genes involved in Wnt pathways, including 5 inhibitors of Wnt signaling (FRP, MAB21L2, PCDH24, PDE7, PPPR23A) that were up-regulated by CSF-2 and 5 genes involved in transmission of Wnt signals (WNT16, ROR2, CSNK2B, CELSR2, DTX3) that were down-regulated by CSF-2. Several other genes associated with differentiation were down-regulated by CSF-2 including CXCL12, FEZF1, PLD2, and RGS12. Expression of 1 gene that inhibits apoptosis (PRKAR2B) was increased by CSF-2, whereas expression of 6 genes involved in apoptosis pathways (DAPK1, MADD, NOD2, PIK3IP1, RIPK3, RNF7) were down-regulated. Results indicate that CSF-2 promotes pluripotency and decreases apoptosis in bovine pre-implantation embryos. This research was supported by USDA-AFRI. B. Loureiro andL. Oliveira were supported by a CAPES (Brazil)/Fulbright Fellowship.