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Temporal Correlation (temporal + correlation)
Selected AbstractsTemporal correlations and clustering of landslidesEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 10 2010Annette Witt Abstract This paper examines temporal correlations and temporal clustering of a proxy historical landslide time series, 2255 reported landslides 1951,2002, for an area in the Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy. Landslide intensity is measured by the number of reported landslides in a day (DL) and in an ,event' (Sevent) of consecutive days with landsliding. The non-zero values in both time series DL and Sevent are unequally spaced in time, and have heavy-tailed frequency-size distributions. To examine temporal correlations, we use power-spectral analysis (Lomb periodogram) and surrogate data analysis, confronting our original DL and Sevent time series with 1000 shuffled (uncorrelated) versions. We conclude that the landslide intensity series DL has strong temporal correlations and Sevent has likely temporal correlations. To examine temporal clustering in DL and Sevent, we consider extremes over different landslide intensity thresholds. We first examine the statistical distribution of interextreme occurrence times, ,, and find Weibull distributions with parameter , << 1·0 [DL] and , < 1·0 [Sevent]; thus DL and Sevent each have temporal correlations, but Sevent to a lesser degree. We next examine correlations between successive interextreme occurrence times, ,. Using autocorrelation analysis applied to ,, combined with surrogate data analysis, we find for DL linear correlations in ,, but for Sevent inconclusive results. However, using Kendall's rank correlation analysis we find for both DL and Sevent the series of , are strongly correlated. Finally, we apply Fano Factor analysis, finding for both DL and Sevent the timings of extremes over a given threshold exhibit a fractal structure and are clustered in time. In this paper, we provide a framework for examining time series where the non-zero values are strongly unequally spaced and heavy-tailed, particularly important in the Earth Sciences due to their common occurrence, and find that landslide intensity time series exhibit temporal correlations and clustering. Many landslide models currently are designed under the assumption that landslides are uncorrelated in time, which we show is false. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Compression of Human Motion Capture Data Using Motion Pattern IndexingCOMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 1 2009Qin Gu I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Three-Dimensional Graphics and Realism; E.4 [Coding and Information Theory]: Data Compaction and Compression Abstract In this work, a novel scheme is proposed to compress human motion capture data based on hierarchical structure construction and motion pattern indexing. For a given sequence of 3D motion capture data of human body, the 3D markers are first organized into a hierarchy where each node corresponds to a meaningful part of the human body. Then, the motion sequence corresponding to each body part is coded separately. Based on the observation that there is a high degree of spatial and temporal correlation among the 3D marker positions, we strive to identify motion patterns that form a database for each meaningful body part. Thereafter, a sequence of motion capture data can be efficiently represented as a series of motion pattern indices. As a result, higher compression ratio has been achieved when compared with the prior art, especially for long sequences of motion capture data with repetitive motion styles. Another distinction of this work is that it provides means for flexible and intuitive global and local distortion controls. [source] Extinction risk under coloured environmental noiseECOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2000Mikko Heino Positively autocorrelated red environmental noise is characterized by a strong dependence of expected sample variance on sample length. This dependence has to be taken into account when assessing extinction risk under red and white uncorrelated environmental noise. To facilitate a comparison between red and white noise, their expected variances can be scaled to be equal, but only at a chosen time scale. We show with a simple one-dimensional population dynamics model that the different but equally reasonable choices of the time scale yield qualitatively different results on the dependence of extinction risk on the colour of environmental noise: extinction risk might increase as well as decrease when the temporal correlation of noise increases. [source] Observed and SST-forced seasonal rainfall variability across tropical AmericaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 12 2001Vincent Moron Abstract Three experiments starting from different initial conditions have been made with the ECHAM-4 atmospheric General Circulation Model (GCM) integrated at T30 resolution forced with the observed sea-surface temperature (SST) over the period 1960,1994. The tropical America modes of seasonal rainfall anomalies whose time variation is most accurately simulated by the GCM have been searched for using Singular Value Decomposition Analyses (SVDA) and Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) between observed and model fields. The leading modes revealed by SVDA and CCA are highly similar, even though the ordering of the modes showed some fluctuation. A first skilful rainfall anomaly mode has weights of the same sign almost everywhere in tropical America, except along the western coast and the sub-tropical margins. This mode appears in all of the four seasons assessed. A second major skilful mode is usually a bipolar north,south (N,S) rainfall anomaly pattern (clear in December,March, DJFM; March,May, MAM; and June,September, JJAS). A large portion of the skill of the first rainfall anomaly mode (same sign anomalies across tropical America except small patches along the western coast) is through variance that is in common with the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI). In addition to forcing from the central/eastern tropical Pacific SST, there also appears a contribution from contrasting SST anomalies in the tropical Atlantic. This rainfall mode is usually a regional portion of a more large-scale mode encompassing at least the whole tropical zone (especially in DJFM, MAM and September,November, SON). Analysis of the relationship of this mode with GCM circulation features reveals that a rainfall deficit (respectively excedent) over the main rainbelt of the tropical America region is associated with strengthening (respectively weakening) of the sub-tropical westerly jet streams, a global warming (respectively cooling) of the tropical atmosphere, an anomalous divergence (respectively convergence) in the lower levels and an anomalous convergence (respectively divergence) in the upper levels over tropical America and in the region of the Atlantic Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Such global features are not so apparent for the dominant mode of JJAS, even though the correlations with El Niño,Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indicators (as SOI or NINO3 SST index) are as high as for the other seasons. The bipolar N,S rainfall anomaly mode in tropical America is mostly related to anomalous N,S gradient of SST anomalies in the tropical Atlantic. The atmospheric circulation anomalies emphasize changes in 850 hPa meridional winds in the tropical Atlantic. However, there is also interannual variance of this rainfall mode in both the model and observations that is unexplained by tropical Atlantic SSTs, but which is explained by central/eastern tropical Pacific SSTs and, potentially, SSTs from other tropical and extratropical areas. This is especially true in MAM. Some differences in the details of the model and observed teleconnection patterns are noted. Such differences can be used to statistically adjust the model simulations using the CCA or SVDA modes as basis patterns. Both statistical approaches have been applied and the results are consistent between the two. The increase of skill is stronger when temporal correlation (the pattern correlation) between the model and observed pattern is high (low) as for JJAS. The skill is moderate to high around the whole Amazon basin, but remains relatively low inside the Amazon basin, though reliability of the observations themselves may influence this result. Averaged over all the seasons, about 15,35% (35,55%) of the interannual grid-box (regional) seasonal rainfall variance is skilfully simulated from the observed SST forcing. Copyright © 2001 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Performance of Markov models for frame-level errors in IEEE 802.11 wireless LANsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, Issue 6 2009Gennaro Boggia Abstract Interference among different wireless hosts is becoming a serious issue due to the growing number of wireless LANs based on the popular IEEE 802.11 standard. Thus, an accurate modeling of error paths at the data link layer is indispensable for evaluating system performance and for tuning and optimizing protocols at higher layers. Error paths are usually described looking at sequences of consecutive correct or erroneous frames and at the distributions of their sizes. In recent years, a number of Markov-based stochastic models have been proposed in order to statistically characterize these distributions. Nevertheless, when applied to analyze the data traces we collected, they exhibit several flaws. In this paper, to overcome these model limitations, we propose a new algorithm based on a semi-Markov process, where each state characterizes a different error pattern. The model has been validated by using measures from a real environment. Moreover, we have compared our method with other promising models already available in the literature. Numerical results show that our proposal performs better than the other models in capturing the long-term temporal correlation of real measured traces. At the same time, it is able to estimate first-order statistics with the same accuracy of the other models, but with a minor computational complexity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Using temporal correlation for fault localization in dynamically changing networksINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NETWORK MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2008Maitreya Natu A mobile ad hoc network creates a dynamic environment where node mobility can cause periodic changes in routes. Most existing fault localization algorithms assume availability of a complete and/or deterministic dependency model. Such assumptions cannot be made in the dynamically changing networks. This paper is aimed at developing a fault diagnosis architecture and algorithm to address the issue of dynamically changing dependencies in networks. We propose an architecture to capture the changes in dependencies and introduce a temporal correlation algorithm to perform fault diagnosis with the dynamically changing dependency information. We present an experimental evaluation of our work through simulation results using Qualnet. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Ka-band link optimization with rate adaptation for Mars and lunar communicationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKING, Issue 2 2007Jun Sun Abstract On-going development of Ka-band capability for the Deep Space Networks (DSN) will radically increase the bandwidth available to support advanced mission concepts envisioned for future robotic as well as human exploration of Mars and beyond. While Ka-band links can operate at much higher data rate than X-band, they are much more susceptible to fluctuating weather conditions and manifest a significant trade-off between throughput and availability. If the operating point is fixed, the maximum average throughput for deep space Ka-band link is achieved at about 80% availability, i.e. weather-related outages will occur about 20% of the time. Low availability increases the complexity of space mission operation, while higher availability would require additional link margins that lowers the overall throughput. To improve this fundamental throughput-availability trade-off, data rate adaptation based on real-time observation of the channel condition is necessary. In this paper, we model the Ka-band channel using a Markov process to capture the impact of the temporal correlation in weather conditions. We then develop a rate adaptation algorithm to optimize the data rate based on real time feedback on the measured channel conditions. Our algorithm achieves both higher throughput and link availability as compared to the constant rate scheme presently in use. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The role of early neural activity in the maturation of turtle retinal functionJOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 4 2001EVELYNE SERNAGOR In the developing vertebrate retina, ganglion cells fire spontaneous bursts of action potentials long before the eye becomes exposed to sensory experience at birth. These early bursts are synchronised between neighbouring retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), yielding unique spatiotemporal patterns: ,waves' of activity sweep across large retinal areas every few minutes. Both at retinal and extraretinal levels, these embryonic retinal waves are believed to guide the wiring of the visual system using hebbian mechanisms of synaptic strengthening. In the first part of this review, we recapitulate the evidence for a role of these embryonic spontaneous bursts of activity in shaping developing complex receptive field properties of RGCs in the turtle embryonic retina. We also discuss the role of visual experience in establishing RGC visual functions, and how spontaneous activity and visual experience interact to bring developing receptive fields to maturation. We have hypothesised that the physiological changes associated with development reflect modifications in the dendritic arbours of RGCs, the anatomical substrate of their receptive fields. We demonstrate that there is a temporal correlation between the period of receptive field expansion and that of dendritic growth. Moreover, the immature spontaneous activity contributes to dendritic growth in developing RGCs. Intracellular staining of RGCs reveals, however, that immature receptive fields only rarely show direct correlation with the layout of the corresponding dendritic tree. To investigate the possibility that not only the presence of the spontaneous activity, but even the precise spatiotemporal patterns encoded in retinal waves might contribute to the refinement of retinal neural circuitry, first we must clarify the mechanisms mediating the generation and propagation of these waves across development. In the second part of this review, we present evidence that turtle retinal waves, visualised using calcium imaging, exhibit profound changes in their spatiotemporal patterns during development. From fast waves sweeping across large retinal areas and recruiting many cells on their trajectory at early stages, waves become slower and eventually stop propagating towards hatching, when they become stationary patches of neighbouring coactive RGCs. A developmental switch from excitatory to inhibitory GABAA responses appears to mediate the modification in spontaneous activity patterns while the retina develops. Future chronic studies using specific spatiotemporal alterations of the waves will shed a new light on how the wave dynamics help in sculpting retinal receptive fields. [source] The anatomy of predator,prey dynamics in a changing climateJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2007CHRISTOPHER C. WILMERS Summary 1Humans are increasingly influencing global climate and regional predator assemblages, yet a mechanistic understanding of how climate and predation interact to affect fluctuations in prey populations is currently lacking. 2Here we develop a modelling framework to explore the effects of different predation strategies on the response of age-structured prey populations to a changing climate. 3We show that predation acts in opposition to temporal correlation in climatic conditions to suppress prey population fluctuations. 4Ambush predators such as lions are shown to be more effective at suppressing fluctuations in their prey than cursorial predators such as wolves, which chase down prey over long distances, because they are more effective predators on prime-aged adults. 5We model climate as a Markov process and explore the consequences of future changes in climatic autocorrelation for population dynamics. We show that the presence of healthy predator populations will be particularly important in dampening prey population fluctuations if temporal correlation in climatic conditions increases in the future. [source] Spatiotemporal Correlation Between Phase Singularities and Wavebreaks During Ventricular FibrillationJOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 10 2003YEN-BIN LIU M.D. Introduction: Phase maps and the detection of phase singularities (PSs) have become a well-developed method for characterizing the organization of ventricular fibrillation (VF). How precisely PS colocalizes with wavebreak (WB) during VF, however, is unknown. Methods and Results: We performed optical mapping of 27 episodes of VF in nine Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts. A WB is a point where the activation wavefront and the repolarization waveback meet. A PS is a site where its phase is ambiguous and its neighboring pixels exhibit a continuous phase progression from ,, to +,. The correlation coefficient between the number of WBs and PSs was 0.78 ± 0.09 for each heart and 0.81 for all VF episodes (P < 0.001), indicating a significant temporal correlation. We then superimposed the WBs and PSs for every 100 frames of each episode. These maps showed a high degree of spatial colocalization. To quantify spatial colocalization, the spatial shifts between the cumulative maps of WBs and PSs in corresponding frames were calculated by automatic alignment to obtain maximum overlap between these two maps. The spatial shifts were 0.04 ± 0.31 mm on the x-axis and 0.06 ± 0.27 mm on the y-axis over a 20 × 20 mm2 mapped field, indicating highly significant spatial correlation. Conclusion: Phase mapping provides a convenient and robust approach to quantitatively describe wave propagation and organization during VF. The close spatiotemporal correlation between PSs and WBs establishes that PSs are a valid alternate representation of WB during VF and further validated the use of phase mapping in the study of VF dynamics. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 14, pp. 1103-1109, October 2003) [source] Reproduction Phase-Related Expression of ,-Endorphin-Like Immunoreactivity in the Nucleus Lateralis Tuberis of the Female Indian Major Carp Cirrhinus mrigala: Correlation with the Luteinising Hormone Cells-Ovary AxisJOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 5 2006A. J. Sakharkar Abstract The present study aimed to determine whether ,-endorphin immunoreactivity (bEP-ir) in the neurones of the nucleus lateralis tuberis (NLT) is linked to the seasonal cycle and shows correlation with the number of luteinising hormone (LH) cells in the pituitary gland and ovaries in the teleost, Cirrhinus mrigala. Although LH cells were moderately immunostained during the resting phase (December to January), the morphological profile suggested increased synthetic and secretory activity during the preparatory (February to April) and prespawning (May to June) phases. However, LH immunoreactivity was greatly reduced (P < 0.001) in the spawning (July to August) phase, suggesting massive discharge of the hormone; this pool was partly replenished in the postspawning (September to November) phase. The ovaries grew rapidly in the preparatory and prespawning phases; maximal size was attained during spawning, when ovulation occurred. Thereafter, the ovaries regressed. The NLT of C. mrigala is divisible into the pars lateralis (NLTl) and medialis (NLTm). During the postspawning and resting phases, bEP-ir was readily detectable in the NLTm as well as NLTl neurones. However, a steady reduction in the immunoreactivity was observed in the NLTm neurones during the preparatory through spawning phases (P < 0.001), suggesting a negative correlation with the LH cells-ovary axis. Thus, the inhibitory influence of ,-endorphin on the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-LH axis appears to be attenuated during the preparatory through spawning phases. This may be necessary for the rapid stimulation of the axis culminating in spawning. Neurones of the NLTl also showed a gradual reduction in bEP-ir during the preparatory and prespawning phases (P < 0.01) and may therefore play a similar role. However, significant augmentation of the immunoreactivity was noticed in these neurones during the spawning phase (P < 0.001), the physiological significance of which is unknown. Although the present study demonstrated a temporal correlation between the ,-endorphin in the NLT, LH cells and the ovary, we suggest that the peptide in the NLTl and NLTm may show functional duality during the spawning phase. [source] Isotopic climate record in a Holocene stalagmite from Ursilor Cave (Romania)JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 4 2002Bogdan Petroniu Onac Abstract The PU-2 stalagmite from Ursilor Cave provides the first dated Romanian isotope record for the Holocene. The overall growth rate of the speleothem was 3.5 cm kyr,1, corresponding to a temporal resolution of 142 y between each isotope analysis. The ,Hendy' tests indicate that isotopic equilibrium conditions occurred during the formation of PU-2, and hence that it is suitable for palaeoclimatic studies. The relationship between ,18O and temperature was found to be positive. This can be interpreted either as rain-out with distance from the west-northwest ocean source of evaporation or shifts in air mass source with changing North Atlantic Oscillation indices. Applying five U,Th thermal ionisation mass spectrometric (TIMS) dates to a 17.5 cm isotope profile (,18O and ,13C) along the stalagmite growth axis enabled a tentative interpretation of the palaeoclimate signal over the past 7.1 kyr. Spikes of depleted isotopic ,18O values are centred near ca. 7, ca. 5.2 and ca. 4 ka, reflecting cool conditions. The record shows two warm intervals between ca. 3.8 and ca. 3.2 ka (the maximum warmth) and from ca. 2 to ca. 1.4 ka, when the ,18O values were less negative than present. The ,Holocene Climate Optimum' spanning the time interval from ca. 6.8 to ca. 4.4 ka is not well expressed in the PU-2 stalagmite. Individual spikes of lighter ,13C are interpreted as indicative of periods of heavy rainfall, at ca. 7, ca. 5.5, and ca. 3.5 ka. The overall trend to lighter ,13C in the PU-2 stalagmite may reflect a gradual decrease in water,rock interaction. The results demonstrate that the effect of North Atlantic oceanic changes extended to the investigated area. Nevertheless, some differences in temporal correlation and intensity of stable isotopic response to these climatic events have been found, but the exact nature of these differences and the underlying mechanism is yet to be determined. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Correlation between the occurrence of 1H-MRS lipid signal, necrosis and lipid droplets during C6 rat glioma developmentNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 4 2003Sonja Zoula Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the possible correlation between the 1H MRS mobile lipid signal, necrosis and lipid droplets in C6 rat glioma. First, the occurrence of necrosis and lipid droplets was determined during tumor development, by a histological analysis performed on 34 rats. Neither necrosis nor lipid droplets were observed before 18 days post-implantation. At later stages of development, both necrosis and lipid droplets were apparent, the lipid droplets being mainly located within the necrotic areas. Using a second group of eight rats, a temporal correlation was evidenced between mobile lipid signal detected by in vivo single-voxel one- (136,ms echo time) and two-dimensional J -resolved 1H MR spectroscopy, and the presence of necrosis and lipid droplets on the histological sections obtained from the brains of the same rats. Finally, spatial distribution of the mobile lipid signal was analyzed by chemical-shift imaging performed on a third group of eight animals, at the end of the tumor growth. The spectroscopic image corresponding to the resonance of mobile lipids had its maximum intensity in the center of the tumor where necrotic regions were observed on the histological sections. These necrotic areas contained large amounts of lipid droplets. All these results suggest that mobile lipids detected in vivo by 1H MRS (136,ms echo time) in C6 rat brain glioma arise mainly from lipid droplets located in necrosis. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Cancer biomarker discovery via low molecular weight serum proteome profiling , Where is the tumor?PROTEOMICS - CLINICAL APPLICATIONS, Issue 12 2007Michael T. Davis Abstract Time-course analyses of rapidly processed serum performed in parallel by SELDI and nanoscale LC-MS/MS have revealed the temporal correlation of several literature-based disease markers with ex vivo driven events such that their in vivo existence in healthy subjects is questionable. Identification by MS/MS reveals these putative biomarkers to be byproducts of the coagulation cascade and platelet activation and suggests plasmatic analysis may be preferred. In a pilot plasmatic study, a cohort of naïve prostate cancer (PCa) samples were uniformly distinguished from their age-matched controls (n,=,20) on the basis of multiple peptidic components; most notably by a derivative of complement C4 at 1863,m/z (GLEEELQFSLGSKINVK, C41353,1369). The fully tryptic nature of this and other putative PCa discriminants is consistent with the cleavage specificity of common blood proteases and questions the need for tumor-derived proteolytic activities as has been proposed. In light of the known correlation of disregulated hemostasis with malignant disease, we suggest the underlying differentiating phenomena in these types of analyses may lie in the temporal disparity of sample activation such that the case (patient) samples are preactivated while the control samples are not. [source] Synchronization of enteric neuronal firing during the murine colonic MMCTHE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 3 2005Nick J. Spencer DiI (1,1,didodecyl-3,3,3,,3,-tetramethylindocarbecyanine perchlorate) retrograde labelling and intracellular electrophysiological techniques were used to investigate the mechanisms underlying the generation of spontaneously occurring colonic migrating myoelectric complexes (colonic MMCs) in mice. In isolated, intact, whole colonic preparations, simultaneous intracellular electrical recordings were made from pairs of circular muscle (CM) cells during colonic MMC activity in the presence of nifedipine (1,2 ,m). During the intervals between colonic MMCs, spontaneous inhibitory junction potentials (IJPs) were always present. The amplitudes of spontaneous IJPs were highly variable (range 1,20 mV) and occurred asynchronously in the two CM cells, when separated by 1 mm in the longitudinal axis. Colonic MMCs occurred every 151 ± 7 s in the CM and consisted of a repetitive discharge of cholinergic rapid oscillations in membrane potential (range: 1,20 mV) that were superimposed on a slow membrane depolarization (mean amplitude: 9.6 ± 0.5 mV; half-duration: 25.9 ± 0.7 s). During the rising (depolarizing) phase of each colonic MMC, cholinergic rapid oscillations occurred simultaneously in both CM cells, even when the two electrodes were separated by up to 15 mm along the longitudinal axis of the colon. Smaller amplitude oscillations (< 5 mV) showed poor temporal correlation between two CM cells, even at short electrode separation distances (i.e. < 1 mm in the longitudinal axis). When the two electrodes were separated by 20 mm, all cholinergic rapid oscillations and IJPs in the CM (regardless of amplitude) were rarely, if ever, coordinated in time during the colonic MMC. Cholinergic rapid oscillations were blocked by atropine (1 ,m) or tetrodotoxin (1 ,m). Slow waves were never recorded from any CM cells. DiI labelling showed that the maximum projection length of CM motor neurones and interneurones along the bowel was 2.8 mm and 13 mm, respectively. When recordings were made adjacent to either oral or anal cut ends of the colon, the inhibitory or excitatory phases of the colonic MMC were absent, respectively. In summary, during the colonic MMC, cholinergic rapid oscillations of similar amplitudes occur simultaneously in two CM cells separated by large distances (up to 15 mm). As this distance was found to be far greater than the projection length of any single CM motor neurone, we suggest that the generation of each discrete cholinergic rapid oscillation represents a discreet cholinergic excitatory junction potential (EJP) that involves the synaptic activation of many cholinergic motor neurones simultaneously, by synchronous firing in many myenteric interneurones. Our data also suggest that ascending excitatory and descending inhibitory nerve pathways interact and reinforce each other. [source] Concurrent tracking of alcohol use and bipolar disorder symptomsBIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 4 2006David E Fleck Objectives:, Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are common co-occurring conditions in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), but it is unclear whether or not AUD and BD symptoms are temporally correlated. The primary aim of this analysis was to examine concurrent symptom tracking and how the relative onsets of AUD and BD influence the concurrent tracking of symptoms. Methods:, Participants met DSM-IV criteria for bipolar I disorder, manic or mixed, with no prior hospitalizations and minimal treatment. Patients were rated for alcohol use and bipolar symptom severity on a weekly basis for up to 7 years. For analysis purposes, patients were placed into groups with no AUD (BD Only; n = 21), onset of AUD either concurrent with or after the onset of bipolar symptoms (BD First; n = 32), and onset of AUD at least 1 year before the onset of bipolar symptoms (AUD First; n = 18). Results:, None of the patient groups demonstrate consistent positive or negative temporal correlations between alcohol use and affective symptoms. However, there were significant between-group differences on the relationship of symptom tracking and age of BD onset. For the AUD First group, the correlation between age of BD onset and symptom tracking was positive 0.41. However, for the BD First and BD Only groups the correlations were negative (,0.32 and ,0.41, respectively). Moreover, for patients whose BD onset was ,18 years old, the correlation between age of onset and tracking was ,0.47. Conclusions:, These findings suggest that although there is no direct temporal correlation of AUD and BD symptoms in subgroups of BD patients, age at illness onset contributes to the complex relationship between BD and AUD. For younger patients there may be a greater likelihood that alcohol use and bipolar symptoms increase or decrease in unison. [source] Temporal correlations and clustering of landslidesEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 10 2010Annette Witt Abstract This paper examines temporal correlations and temporal clustering of a proxy historical landslide time series, 2255 reported landslides 1951,2002, for an area in the Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy. Landslide intensity is measured by the number of reported landslides in a day (DL) and in an ,event' (Sevent) of consecutive days with landsliding. The non-zero values in both time series DL and Sevent are unequally spaced in time, and have heavy-tailed frequency-size distributions. To examine temporal correlations, we use power-spectral analysis (Lomb periodogram) and surrogate data analysis, confronting our original DL and Sevent time series with 1000 shuffled (uncorrelated) versions. We conclude that the landslide intensity series DL has strong temporal correlations and Sevent has likely temporal correlations. To examine temporal clustering in DL and Sevent, we consider extremes over different landslide intensity thresholds. We first examine the statistical distribution of interextreme occurrence times, ,, and find Weibull distributions with parameter , << 1·0 [DL] and , < 1·0 [Sevent]; thus DL and Sevent each have temporal correlations, but Sevent to a lesser degree. We next examine correlations between successive interextreme occurrence times, ,. Using autocorrelation analysis applied to ,, combined with surrogate data analysis, we find for DL linear correlations in ,, but for Sevent inconclusive results. However, using Kendall's rank correlation analysis we find for both DL and Sevent the series of , are strongly correlated. Finally, we apply Fano Factor analysis, finding for both DL and Sevent the timings of extremes over a given threshold exhibit a fractal structure and are clustered in time. In this paper, we provide a framework for examining time series where the non-zero values are strongly unequally spaced and heavy-tailed, particularly important in the Earth Sciences due to their common occurrence, and find that landslide intensity time series exhibit temporal correlations and clustering. Many landslide models currently are designed under the assumption that landslides are uncorrelated in time, which we show is false. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Bayesian estimation of evoked and induced responsesHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 9 2006Karl Friston We describe an extension of our empirical Bayes approach to magnetoencephalography/electroencephalography (MEG/EEG) source reconstruction that covers both evoked and induced responses. The estimation scheme is based on classical covariance component estimation using restricted maximum likelihood (ReML). We have focused previously on the estimation of spatial covariance components under simple assumptions about the temporal correlations. Here we extend the scheme, using temporal basis functions to place constraints on the temporal form of the responses. We show how the same scheme can estimate evoked responses that are phase-locked to the stimulus and induced responses that are not. For a single trial the model is exactly the same. In the context of multiple trials, however, the inherent distinction between evoked and induced responses calls for different treatments of the underlying hierarchical multitrial model. We derive the respective models and show how they can be estimated efficiently using ReML. This enables the Bayesian estimation of evoked and induced changes in power or, more generally, the energy of wavelet coefficients. Hum Brain Mapp, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The impact of vertical resolution on regional model simulation of the west African summer monsoonINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 10 2008Leonard M. Druyan Abstract The RM3 regional climate model is used to simulate the west African summer monsoon for six June,September seasons using NCEP reanalysis data for lateral boundary forcing. The study compares the performance of the previously published 16-level version with a newly tested 28-level version, both running on a horizontal grid with 0.5° spacing, in order to determine what improvements in simulations are achieved by increased vertical resolution. Comparisons between the performances include diagnostics of seasonal mean precipitation rates and circulation, vertical profiles of cumulus heating rates, frequencies of shallow and deep convection and diagnostics related to transient African easterly waves (AEWs). The characteristics of a composite AEW simulated at both vertical resolutions are presented. Results show that the most significant impact of increasing the vertical resolution is stronger circulation, stronger vertical wind shear and higher amplitude AEWs. The simulations with higher vertical resolution also achieve higher peaks of cumulus latent heating rates. Spatial,temporal correlations between simulated daily 700 mb meridional winds versus corresponding NCEP reanalysis data and simulated daily precipitation versus estimates from the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) archive were equally high at both vertical resolutions. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Detecting the effects of introduced species: a case study of competition between Apis and BombusOIKOS, Issue 3 2006Diane M. Thomson Developing tools for rapid assessment of introduced species impacts is one of the most important challenges in invasion ecology. Most assessments of impact rely on correlational data or other indirect measures. Yet few studies have evaluated invasion effects using multiple, simultaneously applied monitoring and experimental approaches, in order to compare easily obtained metrics with more difficult but direct measures of reproductive success or population dynamics. In this study, I use data from an experimental test of introduced honey bee (Apis mellifera) impacts on native bumble bees (Bombus spp.) to address two major questions: 1) how well did observational data on niche overlap and spatial correlations between Apis and Bombus predict the results of experimental tests of competitive effects? and 2) how well did effects of the experimental Apis manipulations on Bombus foragers, which are easy to observe, predict changes in reproductive success of colonies, which are difficult to measure? Niche overlap between Apis and Bombus varied substantially, but increased to levels as high as 80,90% during periods of resource scarcity. Correlations between numbers of Apis foragers and numbers of Bombus foragers were also highly variable, but I detected a significant negative relationship in only one of the seven months observed. In contrast, the experimental results showed that mean numbers of Bombus foragers observed on a given transect increased significantly with greater distance from introduced Apis colonies. Of these three measures (niche overlap, correlations in abundances, and effects of experimental introductions), only the experimental data on forager abundances accurately estimated competitive effects on colony reproductive success previously reported for the same experiment, and the correlational data in particular completely failed to predict the effects observed in the experimental study. This work suggests that great caution is warranted in making assessments of invasion impact on the basis of spatial or temporal correlations between invasive and native species. Thus, investing in even small and limited experimental studies may be more valuable than extensive observational work in quantifying invasion impacts. [source] Rodents, plants, and precipitation: spatial and temporal dynamics of consumers and resourcesOIKOS, Issue 3 2000S. K. Morgan Ernest Resource/consumer dynamics are potentially mediated by both limiting resources and biotic interactions. We examined temporal correlations between precipitation, plant cover, and rodent density, with varying time lags using long-term data from two sites in the Chihuahuan desert of North America: the Sevilleta Long-term Ecological Research site (LTER), New Mexico, USA and a site near Portal, Arizona, USA. We also calculated the spatial correlations in precipitation, plant cover, and rodent dynamics among six sites, five at Sevilleta and one at Portal. At Sevilleta, all three variables were temporally correlated, with plant cover responding to precipitation during the same growing season and rodent populations lagging at least one season behind. At Portal, plant stem count was also correlated with precipitation during the same growing season, but there was no significant correlation between rodents and either precipitation or plant growth. Spatial correlations in plant cover and rodent populations between sites reflected the localized nature of summer rainfall, so that sites with highly correlated summer precipitation exhibited higher correlations in plant cover and rodent populations. In general, our results indicate that limiting resources influence consumer dynamics, but these dynamics also depend crucially on the biotic interactions in the system. [source] The role of type X collagen in facilitating and regulating endochondral ossification of articular cartilageORTHODONTICS & CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2005G Shen Structured Abstract Author , Shen G Objective , This review was compiled to explore the role of type X collagen in growth, development and remodeling of articular cartilage by elucidating the linkage between the synthesis of this protein and the phenotypic changes in chondrogenesis and the onset of endochondral ossification. Design , The current studies closely dedicated to elucidating the role of type X collagen incorporating into chondrogenesis and endochondral ossification of articular cartilage were assessed and analyzed to allow for obtaining the mainstream consensus on the bio-molecular mechanism with which type X collagen functions in articular cartilage. Results , There are spatial and temporal correlations between synthesis of type X collagen and occurrence of endochondral ossification. The expression of type X collagen is confined within hypertrophic condrocytes and precedes the embark of endochondral bone formation. Type X collagen facilitates endochondral ossification by regulating matrix mineralization and compartmentalizing matrix components. Conclusion , Type X collagen is a reliable marker for new bone formation in articular cartilage. The future clinical application of this collagen in inducing or mediating endochondral ossification is perceived, e.g. the fracture healing of synovial joints and adaptive remodeling of madibular condyle. [source] Bayesian State Space Models for Inferring and Predicting Temporal Gene Expression ProfilesBIOMETRICAL JOURNAL, Issue 6 2007Yulan Liang Abstract Prediction of gene dynamic behavior is a challenging and important problem in genomic research while estimating the temporal correlations and non-stationarity are the keys in this process. Unfortunately, most existing techniques used for the inclusion of the temporal correlations treat the time course as evenly distributed time intervals and use stationary models with time-invariant settings. This is an assumption that is often violated in microarray time course data since the time course expression data are at unequal time points, where the difference in sampling times varies from minutes to days. Furthermore, the unevenly spaced short time courses with sudden changes make the prediction of genetic dynamics difficult. In this paper, we develop two types of Bayesian state space models to tackle this challenge for inferring and predicting the gene expression profiles associated with diseases. In the univariate time-varying Bayesian state space models we treat both the stochastic transition matrix and the observation matrix time-variant with linear setting and point out that this can easily be extended to nonlinear setting. In the multivariate Bayesian state space model we include temporal correlation structures in the covariance matrix estimations. In both models, the unevenly spaced short time courses with unseen time points are treated as hidden state variables. Bayesian approaches with various prior and hyper-prior models with MCMC algorithms are used to estimate the model parameters and hidden variables. We apply our models to multiple tissue polygenetic affymetrix data sets. Results show that the predictions of the genomic dynamic behavior can be well captured by the proposed models. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Concurrent tracking of alcohol use and bipolar disorder symptomsBIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 4 2006David E Fleck Objectives:, Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are common co-occurring conditions in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), but it is unclear whether or not AUD and BD symptoms are temporally correlated. The primary aim of this analysis was to examine concurrent symptom tracking and how the relative onsets of AUD and BD influence the concurrent tracking of symptoms. Methods:, Participants met DSM-IV criteria for bipolar I disorder, manic or mixed, with no prior hospitalizations and minimal treatment. Patients were rated for alcohol use and bipolar symptom severity on a weekly basis for up to 7 years. For analysis purposes, patients were placed into groups with no AUD (BD Only; n = 21), onset of AUD either concurrent with or after the onset of bipolar symptoms (BD First; n = 32), and onset of AUD at least 1 year before the onset of bipolar symptoms (AUD First; n = 18). Results:, None of the patient groups demonstrate consistent positive or negative temporal correlations between alcohol use and affective symptoms. However, there were significant between-group differences on the relationship of symptom tracking and age of BD onset. For the AUD First group, the correlation between age of BD onset and symptom tracking was positive 0.41. However, for the BD First and BD Only groups the correlations were negative (,0.32 and ,0.41, respectively). Moreover, for patients whose BD onset was ,18 years old, the correlation between age of onset and tracking was ,0.47. Conclusions:, These findings suggest that although there is no direct temporal correlation of AUD and BD symptoms in subgroups of BD patients, age at illness onset contributes to the complex relationship between BD and AUD. For younger patients there may be a greater likelihood that alcohol use and bipolar symptoms increase or decrease in unison. [source] |