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Very Flexible (very + flexible)
Selected AbstractsAdding tuples to Java: a study in lightweight data structuresCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 5-6 2005C. van Reeuwijk Abstract Java classes are very flexible, but this comes at a price. The main cost is that every class instance must be dynamically allocated. Also, their access by reference introduces pointer de-references and complicates program analysis. These costs are particularly burdensome for small, ubiquitous data structures such as coordinates and state vectors. For such data structures a lightweight representation is desirable, allowing such data to be handled directly, similar to primitive types. A number of proposals introduce restricted or mutated variants of standard Java classes that could serve as lightweight representation, but the impact of these proposals has never been studied. Since we have implemented a Java compiler with lightweight data structures we are in a good position to do this evaluation. Our lightweight data structures are tuples. As we will show, using tuples can result in significant performance gains: for a number of existing benchmark programs we gain more than 50% in performance relative to our own compiler, and more than 20% relative to Sun's Hotspot 1.4 compiler. We expect similar performance gains for other implementations of lightweight data structures. With respect to the expressiveness of Java, lightweight variants of standard Java classes have little impact. In contrast, tuples add a different language construct that, as we will show, can lead to substantially more concise program code. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Organization and mode of secretion of the granular prismatic microstructure of Entodesma navicula (Bivalvia: Mollusca)ACTA ZOOLOGICA, Issue 2 2009Elizabeth M. Harper The term homogeneous has been applied to molluscan microstructures that lack a readily discernible microstructure and as a result, it has become rather a ,dustbin' term, covering a multitude of unrelated finely crystalline textures. Here we investigate in detail the outer ,homogeneous' layer of the lyonsiid bivalve Entodesma navicula. The apparently equigranular crystals (up to 10 µm) are, in fact, short prisms which grow in a dense organic matrix with their c -axes and fibre axes coincident, perpendicular to the growth surface. These prisms are distinct from the aragonitic prisms grown by other bivalves in both their morphology and their mode of growth and so we propose the term granular prismatic microstructure. The organic content of granular prisms (7.4%) is the highest yet recorded for any molluscan microstructure and it is apparent that the short prisms have grown within a gel-filled space. Although this high organic content is likely to make the microstructure metabolically expensive to produce, it has the benefit of making the valves very flexible. This may be advantageous in the intertidal zone inhabited by E. navicula by allowing a tight seal between the valves. [source] Interpolation processes using multivariate geostatistics for mapping of climatological precipitation mean in the Sannio Mountains (southern Italy)EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 3 2005Nazzareno Diodato Abstract The spatial variability of precipitation has often been a topic of research, since accurate modelling of precipitation is a crucial condition for obtaining reliable results in hydrology and geomorphology. In mountainous areas, the sparsity of the measurement networks makes an accurate and reliable spatialization of rainfall amounts at the local scale difficult. The purpose of this paper is to show how the use of a digital elevation model can improve interpolation processes at the subregional scale for mapping the mean annual and monthly precipitation from rainfall observations (40 years) recorded in a region of 1400 km2 in southern Italy. Besides linear regression of precipitation against elevation, two methods of interpolation are applied: inverse squared distance and ordinary cokriging. Cross-validation indicates that the inverse distance interpolation, which ignores the information on elevation, yields the largest prediction errors. Smaller prediction errors are produced by linear regression and ordinary cokriging. However, the results seem to favour the multivariate geostatistical method including auxiliary information (related to elevation). We conclude that ordinary cokriging is a very flexible and robust interpolation method because it can take into account several properties of the landscape; it should therefore be applicable in other mountainous regions, especially where precipitation is an important geomorphological factor. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Resource allocation for statistical quality of service provision in buffered crossbar switches,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, Issue 6 2008Qiang Duan Abstract The buffered crossbar switch is a promising switching architecture that plays a crucial role for providing quality of service (QoS) in computer networks. Sufficient amount of resources,bandwidth and buffer space,must be allocated in buffered crossbar switches for QoS provision. Resource allocation based on deterministic QoS objectives might be too conservative in practical network operations. To improve resource utilization in buffered crossbar switches, we study the problem of resource allocation for statistical QoS provision in this paper. First, we develop a model and techniques for analyzing the probabilistic delay performance of buffered crossbar switches, which is described by the delay upper bound with a prescribed violation probability. Then, we determine the required amounts of bandwidth and buffer space to achieve the probabilistic delay objectives for different traffic classes in buffered crossbar switches. In our analysis, we apply the effective arrival envelope to specify traffic load in a statistical manner and characterize switch service capacity by using the service curve technique. Instead of just focusing on one specific type of scheduler, the model and techniques developed in this paper are very flexible and can be used for analyzing buffered crossbar switches with a wide variety of scheduling algorithms. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Simultaneous genotyping to detect myostatin gene polymorphism in beef cattle breedsJOURNAL OF ANIMAL BREEDING AND GENETICS, Issue 6 2002M. E. Miranda Summary The myostatin gene codes for a growth factor involved in muscle development, and polymorphism in this gene can have important economic consequences. Nine mutations affecting the amino-acidic sequence have already been described, six of which are disruptive, inactivating the protein and causing bovine muscular hypertrophy. As the number of known mutations grows, it is necessary to develop a simple, routinely usable technique able to screen individuals in all populations. The oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) is proposed here for the rapid genotyping of the nine mutations known affecting the coding sequence in the main breeds of beef cattle. This technique showed its ability to reveal the genotype of individuals being a good tool to determine the frequency of each mutation in a population. The procedure is very flexible as new mutations can be added and removed at any time. Depending on the genotype of each individual, the technique allows breeders to make quick decisions on matings and general selection tendencies. Zusammenfassung Simultane Genotypisierung von Polymorphismen im Myostatin-Gen in Fleischrinderrassen Das Myostatin-Gen kodiert für einen Wachstumsfaktor, der in die Muskelentwicklung eingebunden ist und Polymorphismen in diesem Gen können daher wichtige ökonomische Konsequenzen haben. Bisher wurden neun Mutationen, die Auswirkungen auf die Aminosäuresequenz haben, beschrieben. Sechs davon inaktivieren das Protein und verursachen bovine muskuläre Hypertrophie. Da die Anzahl der bekannten Mutationen in diesem Gen steigt, ist es notwendig, eine einfache, in der Routine einsetzbare Methode zu entwickeln, um Individuen in allen Populationen untersuchen zu können. Zur schnellen Genotypisierung der neun bekannten Mutationen, welche die kodierende Sequenz in den Hauptfleischrinderrassen betreffen, wird hier der Oligo-Ligationsassay (OLA) vorgeschlagen. Durch diese Technik ist es möglich, den Genotyp jedes Individuums und die Frequenz jeder einzelnen Mutation in der Population festzustellen. Die Prozedur ist sehr flexibel, da zu jedem Zeitpunkt neue Mutationen hinzugefügt bzw. weggelassen werden können. Diese Methode erlaubt dem Züchter, in Abhängigkeit vom Genotyp jedes Individiums schnelle Entscheidungen über die Anpaarung und die allgemeine Selektionsrichtung zu treffen. [source] A survey in indexing and searching XML documentsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 6 2002Robert W.P. Luk XML holds the promise to yield (1) a more precise search by providing additional information in the elements, (2) a better integrated search of documents from heterogeneous sources, (3) a powerful search paradigm using structural as well as content specifications, and (4) data and information exchange to share resources and to support cooperative search. We survey several indexing techniques for XML documents, grouping them into flat-file, semistructured, and structured indexing paradigms. Searching techniques and supporting techniques for searching are reviewed, including full text search and multistage search. Because searching XML documents can be very flexible, various search result presentations are discussed, as well as database and information retrieval system integration and XML query languages. We also survey various retrieval models, examining how they would be used or extended for retrieving XML documents. To conclude the article, we discuss various open issues that XML poses with respect to information retrieval and database research. [source] Bootstrap predictive inference for ARIMA processesJOURNAL OF TIME SERIES ANALYSIS, Issue 4 2004Lorenzo Pascual Abstract., In this study, we propose a new bootstrap strategy to obtain prediction intervals for autoregressive integrated moving-average processes. Its main advantage over other bootstrap methods previously proposed for autoregressive integrated processes is that variability due to parameter estimation can be incorporated into prediction intervals without requiring the backward representation of the process. Consequently, the procedure is very flexible and can be extended to processes even if their backward representation is not available. Furthermore, its implementation is very simple. The asymptotic properties of the bootstrap prediction densities are obtained. Extensive finite-sample Monte Carlo experiments are carried out to compare the performance of the proposed strategy vs. alternative procedures. The behaviour of our proposal equals or outperforms the alternatives in most of the cases. Furthermore, our bootstrap strategy is also applied for the first time to obtain the prediction density of processes with moving-average components. [source] Effects of temporal and spatial variations in food supply on the space and habitat use of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris L.)JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, Issue 2 2000Peter W. W. Lurz Abstract In non-native conifer plantations characterized by strong spatial and temporal variations in the availability of tree seeds in Spadeadam Forest, northern England, the home range and habitat use of red squirrels Sciurus vulgaris was very flexible. Males tended to have much larger home ranges than females and core-areas of most breeding females seemed mutually exclusive. Adult female red squirrels were found to increase their home range and core-area size in forest patches where food was less abundant. Home-range size was significantly related to home-range quality and the extent of overlap by other females. In contrast with high-quality continuous conifer forests: (1) a considerable proportion of adult males and females at Spadeadam shifted home range, (2) both sexes had much larger home ranges than reported from other habitats in Britain or Belgium. Many ranges were multinuclear, particularly from January onwards, when supplies of seeds become depleted through consumption and seed shed. Squirrels tracked the availability of conifer seeds (lodgepole pine cones throughout the study, Norway spruce cones in spring 1992 and Sitka spruce cones in autumn 1993) and intensively used several non-adjacent activity centres in temporally food-rich patches. Consequently, habitat preference changed markedly with time. The squirrels seemed to maximize nitrogen intake and to avoid the smaller seeds when possible. This resulted in an overall preference for a mixed diet of lodgepole pine and spruce seeds and avoidance of Sitka spruce seeds when Norway spruce seeds were available. These results lend support to the hypothesis of Ostfeld (1985) that when food is sparse and patchily distributed, females should develop intrasexual territoriality, concentrating their activity in food-rich patches, while males should be non-territorial and adapt their space use to the distribution of females. [source] An automated quantitation of short echo time MRS spectra in an open source software environment: AQSESNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 5 2007Jean-Baptiste Poullet Abstract This paper describes a new quantitation method called AQSES for short echo time magnetic resonance spectra. This method is embedded in a software package available online from www.esat.kuleuven.be/sista/members/biomed/new/ with a graphical user interface, under an open source license, which means that the source code is freely available and easy to adapt to specific needs of the user. The quantitation problem is mathematically formulated as a separable nonlinear least-squares fitting problem, which is numerically solved using a modified variable-projection procedure. A macromolecular baseline is incorporated into the fit via nonparametric modelling, efficiently implemented using penalized splines. Unwanted components such as residual water are removed with a maximum-phase FIR filter. Constraints on the phases, dampings and frequencies of the metabolites can be imposed. AQSES has been tested on simulated MR spectra with several types of disturbance and on short echo time in vivo proton MR spectra. Results show that AQSES is robust, easy to use and very flexible. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Statistical modelling of insect behavioural responses in relation to the chemical composition of test extractsPHYSIOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 4 2001Alan Hern Abstract. The use of generalized linear models (GLM) for relating changes in insect behaviour to changes in the chemical composition of a plant extract is presented and applied to data from an experimental study of the olfactory response of Cydia pomonella L. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) to apple volatiles. The volatiles were collected from healthy apples, artificially damaged apples or apples infested with C. pomonella larvae (either instar I, IV or V). These treatments produced a blend of 23 major components and the chemical composition of the blends differed substantially amongst the treatments. A statistically significant relationship was found between the concentration of hexyl hexanoate and 2-methylbutyl acetate in each extract and the number of moths moving upwind. Statistically significant models were developed which suggested that a relationship exists between the concentration of Z,E -,-farnesene, hexyl hexanoate and 2-methylbutyl acetate and the number and duration of movements made by the moths. Subsequently Y-tube assays were carried out to validate the predictions made with respect to the orientation of mated female C. pomonella. The results of these assays confirm hexyl hexanoate as an attractant. There were indications that 2-methylbutyl acetate acted as a repellent although differences were not statistically significant. Previous bioassays have shown that C. pomonella displays a statistically significant negative linear dose,response to ,-farnesene (Hern & Dorn, 1999). The statistical methods employed are very flexible and fairly easy to implement, offering the potential to screen plant extracts for bioactive compounds with a minimum of biological constraints. Their general applicability has yet to be demonstrated and as such these analyses only offer evidence of statistical relationships; the results must be validated by additional bioassays before conclusions can be drawn. [source] Attribute control charts using generalized zero-inflated Poisson distributionQUALITY AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL, Issue 7 2008Nan Chen Abstract This paper presents a control charting technique to monitor attribute data based on a generalized zero-inflated Poisson (GZIP) distribution, which is an extension of ZIP distribution. GZIP distribution is very flexible in modeling complicated behaviors of the data. Both the technique of fitting the GZIP model and the technique of designing control charts to monitor the attribute data based on the estimated GZIP model are developed. Simulation studies and real industrial applications illustrate that the proposed GZIP control chart is very flexible and advantageous over many existing attribute control charts. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Structure of cyclized green fluorescent proteinACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D, Issue 9 2002Andreas Hofmann Crystals of cyclic green fluorescent protein (cGFP) engineered by the previously reported split intein technology [Iwai et al. (2001), J. Biol. Chem.276, 16548,16554] were obtained and the structure was solved using molecular replacement. Although the core of the protein can unambiguously be fitted from the first to the last residue of the genuine sequence, the electron density in the region of the linker peptide is rather poor owing to the high water content of the crystals. Therefore, it is concluded that this part of the protein is highly disordered in the present structure and is very flexible. This is supported by the absence of crystal contacts in the linker-peptide region and the fact that the core of the protein exhibits a very similar conformation to that known from other GFP structures, thereby not implicating any constraints arising from the presence of the artificial linker. Nevertheless, the density is consistent with the loop being intact, as confirmed by mass spectroscopy of dissolved crystals. The present structure contains an antiparallel cGFP dimer where the dimer interface is clearly different from other crystal structures featuring two GFP molecules. This adds further support to the fact that the cylinder surface of GFP is rather versatile and can employ various polar and non-polar patches in protein,protein interactions. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||