Facebook launched its new site Friday, offering users a less cluttered desktop appearance, darker colors and lower brightness.

You could be forgiven for thinking the television images in the experiment were from 2006. They were really from 1982: Israeli forces were clashing with Arab militants in Lebanon. The world was watching, charges were flying, and the air was thick with grievance, hurt and outrage.

A couple years ago, Washington State switched the default rule on state park fees that drivers pay (or don’t pay) when they renew their licenses. Reader Steve Loeb nicely captures what this switch looks like on the Washington State Department of Licensing site.

Some district technology leaders say having staff email addresses publicly available opens the door for phishing scams and potential hacks.

"Fixed safety cameras that detect speeding (and in some cases red light running) are known to be a generally effective method of controlling driver behaviour and producing road safety benefits. They were first introduced in South Australia in 1988 and are now in operation at more than 150 locations around the State. Data on the speeding and red light running offences recorded at each of the sites are now publicly available. If the number of offences declines over time, this is an indication that the safety cameras are becoming increasingly effective in preventing speeding or red light running behaviour. The offence rates of the five types of safety cameras in use in South Australia were examined on a site by site basis. Safety cameras located in South Australian 50-90 km/h speed limit zones in built-up areas showed a similar overall trend in offence rates: speeding offence rates decreased rapidly during the first two to three years of operation; continued declines in speeding offence rates occurred for many years after that; and red light running offences showed general declines over time but not as consistently or to the same extent as speeding offences. Making the cameras more conspicuous from the time of installation may accelerate their positive effects. Safety cameras may also prevent vehicle speeding on high speed rural roads upon installation (this could not be measured here) but there appears to be little change in offence rates after this time. This is possibly due to the more conspicuous nature of these cameras. The tolerances applied to point to point average speed measurements appear to be the same as applied to spot speed measurements and could reasonably be reduced." -- Summary.

Budapest : Franklin-Verein, 1895.

Cassel : T. Fischer, 1884.

Wurzburg : Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1895.

Edinburgh : W.P. Nimmo, [1867]

London : printed for J. Callow, 1814.

London (No. 4, Hanover Street) : Published ... for the proprietor by T.G. March ; [London] (Threadneedle Street) : Sold also by F. G. Moon ; [London] (Strand) : [Sold also by] Ackermann & Co., April 10, 1842 ([London?] : Printed by R. Lloyd)

Spatial trajectories are ubiquitous and complex signals. Their analysis is crucial in many research fields, from urban planning to neuroscience. Several approaches have been proposed to cluster trajectories. They rely on hand-crafted features, which struggle to capture the spatio-temporal complexity of the signal, or on Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) which can be more efficient but less interpretable. In this paper we present a novel ANN architecture designed to capture the spatio-temporal patterns characteristic of a set of trajectories, while taking into account the demographics of the navigators. Hence, our model extracts markers linked to both behaviour and demographics. We propose a composite signal analyser (CompSNN) combining three simple ANN modules. Each of these modules uses different signal representations of the trajectory while remaining interpretable. Our CompSNN performs significantly better than its modules taken in isolation and allows to visualise which parts of the signal were most useful to discriminate the trajectories.

Uncertainties in a structure is inevitable, which generally lead to variation in dynamic response predictions. For a complex structure, brute force Monte Carlo simulation for response variation analysis is infeasible since one single run may already be computationally costly. Data driven meta-modeling approaches have thus been explored to facilitate efficient emulation and statistical inference. The performance of a meta-model hinges upon both the quality and quantity of training dataset. In actual practice, however, high-fidelity data acquired from high-dimensional finite element simulation or experiment are generally scarce, which poses significant challenge to meta-model establishment. In this research, we take advantage of the multi-level response prediction opportunity in structural dynamic analysis, i.e., acquiring rapidly a large amount of low-fidelity data from reduced-order modeling, and acquiring accurately a small amount of high-fidelity data from full-scale finite element analysis. Specifically, we formulate a composite neural network fusion approach that can fully utilize the multi-level, heterogeneous datasets obtained. It implicitly identifies the correlation of the low- and high-fidelity datasets, which yields improved accuracy when compared with the state-of-the-art. Comprehensive investigations using frequency response variation characterization as case example are carried out to demonstrate the performance.

Ilya Pavlyukevich, Georgiy Shevchenko.

Source: Bernoulli, Volume 26, Number 2, 1381--1409.

Abstract:
In this paper, we study the Stratonovich stochastic differential equation $mathrm{d}X=|X|^{alpha }circ mathrm{d}B$, $alpha in (-1,1)$, which has been introduced by Cherstvy et al. ( New J. Phys. 15 (2013) 083039) in the context of analysis of anomalous diffusions in heterogeneous media. We determine its weak and strong solutions, which are homogeneous strong Markov processes spending zero time at $0$: for $alpha in (0,1)$, these solutions have the form egin{equation*}X_{t}^{ heta }=((1-alpha)B_{t}^{ heta })^{1/(1-alpha )},end{equation*} where $B^{ heta }$ is the $ heta $-skew Brownian motion driven by $B$ and starting at $frac{1}{1-alpha }(X_{0})^{1-alpha }$, $ heta in [-1,1]$, and $(x)^{gamma }=|x|^{gamma }operatorname{sign}x$; for $alpha in (-1,0]$, only the case $ heta =0$ is possible. The central part of the paper consists in the proof of the existence of a quadratic covariation $[f(B^{ heta }),B]$ for a locally square integrable function $f$ and is based on the time-reversion technique for Markovian diffusions.

Peter J. Diggle, Emanuele Giorgi, Julienne Atsame, Sylvie Ntsame Ella, Kisito Ogoussan, Katherine Gass.

Source: Statistical Science, Volume 35, Number 1, 42--50.

Abstract:
Vector-borne diseases have long presented major challenges to the health of rural communities in the wet tropical regions of the world, but especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In this paper, we describe the contribution that statistical modelling has made to the global elimination programme for one vector-borne disease, onchocerciasis. We explain why information on the spatial distribution of a second vector-borne disease, Loa loa, is needed before communities at high risk of onchocerciasis can be treated safely with mass distribution of ivermectin, an antifiarial medication. We show how a model-based geostatistical analysis of Loa loa prevalence survey data can be used to map the predictive probability that each location in the region of interest meets a WHO policy guideline for safe mass distribution of ivermectin and describe two applications: one is to data from Cameroon that assesses prevalence using traditional blood-smear microscopy; the other is to Africa-wide data that uses a low-cost questionnaire-based method. We describe how a recent technological development in image-based microscopy has resulted in a change of emphasis from prevalence alone to the bivariate spatial distribution of prevalence and the intensity of infection among infected individuals. We discuss how statistical modelling of the kind described here can contribute to health policy guidelines and decision-making in two ways. One is to ensure that, in a resource-limited setting, prevalence surveys are designed, and the resulting data analysed, as efficiently as possible. The other is to provide an honest quantification of the uncertainty attached to any binary decision by reporting predictive probabilities that a policy-defined condition for action is or is not met.

These parks are less popular, but no less spectacular

The bacterial strain can break down some of the toxic components of polyurethane plastic

The sites include the 5,000-year-old tomb of Meresankh III, the Red Monastery and the Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Barquq

The snazzy search is part of the telescope’s 30th anniversary celebration

Solar Opposites (date: 5/9/2020 - Rank: 4)

The NBA is looking at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla., as a possible playing site should the 2019-20 season resume, and has even gotten the OK from Disney to use the site, Stadium's Shams Charania reported Wednesday.

Frankly, Trump doesn’t give a damn.

Do you enjoy making home improvements? Do you have a flare for design and have some SOLIDWORKS skills? Perhaps, you just want to install a fence? Depending on when and where you purchased your home it may have a fence

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I TOOK a bottle of Cot home the other day to share with a friend and his reaction got me thinking about the subject matter for this week's column, so here’s to wines and blends you may not have come across.

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School-based health clinics for teachers and their families can significantly lower a district's health care costs and slightly reduce teacher absenteeism, a new study finds.

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Dental composites composed of bisphenol A (BPA) derivatives are common alternatives to amalgam, but may release BPA. Gestational BPA exposure has been associated with poorer behavior in children. A safety trial of amalgam found worse psychosocial outcomes for children randomized to composites.

In the trial, greater exposure to bisphenol-A-glycidyl-methacrylate-based dental composite in children aged 6 to 10 years was associated with worse self-reported psychosocial functioning at 5-year follow-up. There were no such associations with exposure to dental amalgam or urethane-dimethacrylate-based polyacid-modified composite (compomer). (Read the full article)

Previous evaluations of local reactions after the fifth diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine in children 4 to 6 years of age have revealed that vaccination in the thigh is associated with a lower risk of local reactions compared with vaccination in the arm.

Among children 12 to 35 months of age, injection of DTaP vaccine in the thigh is associated with a lower risk of local reactions compared with vaccination in the arm. (Read the full article)

Children are taking more medications than ever before. Medication errors in the hospital are common. Less is known about the medication errors that occur in children's homes, and there are no studies that examine the entire process.

We reviewed 963 medications in the homes of children with cancer at 3 sites. We found 3.6 errors with injury and 36 errors with potential for injury per 100 patients. Interventions should target common and dangerous errors at home. (Read the full article)

The traditional process-focused approach to quality improvement has not remedied NICUs’ inconsistency in quality of care delivery across clinically important measures. Global measurement of quality may induce broad, systems-based improvement, but must be formally studied.

We present a systematically developed and robust composite indicator, the Baby-MONITOR, to assess the quality of care delivered to very low birth weight infants in the NICU setting. (Read the full article)

Public awareness and usage of physician-rating Web sites have been increasing over the last few years. Such ratings can influence adults’ decisions about choosing a physician, but their influence on decisions for children’s physicians has not been characterized.

In this nationally representative survey of parents, we found that the majority (74%) are aware of rating Web sites and slightly more than one-quarter (28%) had sought information on rating Web sites when choosing a primary care physician for their children. (Read the full article)

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Malaria parasites invade and replicate within red blood cells (RBCs), extensively modifying their structure and gaining access to the extracellular environment by placing the plasmodial surface anion channel (PSAC) into the RBC membrane. Expression of members of the cytoadherence linked antigen gene 3 (clag3) family is required for PSAC activity, a process that is regulated epigenetically. PSAC is a well-established route of uptake for large, hydrophilic antimalarial compounds and parasites can acquire resistance by silencing clag3 gene expression, thereby reducing drug uptake. We found that exposure to sub-IC50 concentrations of the histone methyltransferase inhibitor chaetocin caused substantial changes in both clag3 gene expression and RBC permeability, reversing acquired resistance to the antimalarial compound blasticidin S that is transported through PSAC. Chaetocin treatment also altered progression of parasites through their replicative cycle, presumably by changing their ability to modify chromatin appropriately to enable DNA replication. These results indicate that targeting histone modifiers could represent a novel tool for reversing epigenetically acquired drug resistance in P. falciparum.

Continuous spread of antimalarial drug resistance is a threat to current chemotherapy efficacy. Therefore, characterizing the genetic diversity of drug resistance markers is needed to follow treatment effectiveness and further update control strategies. Here, we genotyped Plasmodium falciparum resistance gene markers associated with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) in isolates from pregnant women in Ghana. The prevalence of the septuple IRNI-A/FGKGS/T pfdhfr/pfdhps haplotypes including the pfdhps A581G and A613S/T mutations was high at delivery among post-SP treatment isolates (18.2%) compared to those of first-antenatal care (before initiation of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP); 6.1%; p = 0.03). Regarding the pfk13 marker gene, two non-synonymous mutations (N458D and A481C) were detected at positions previously related to artemisinin resistance in isolates from Southeast-Asia. These mutations were predicted in silico to alter the stability of the pfk13 propeller-encoding domain. Overall, these findings highlight the need for intensified monitoring and surveillance on additional mutations associated with increased SP resistance as well as emergence of resistance against artemesinin derivatives.

The rapid evolution of resistance in the malaria parasite to every single drug developed against it calls for the urgent identification of new molecular targets. Using a stain specific for the detection of intracellular amyloid deposits in live cells we have detected the presence of abundant protein aggregates in Plasmodium falciparum blood stages and female gametes cultured in vitro, in the blood stages of mice infected by Plasmodium yoelii, and in the mosquito stages of the murine malaria species Plasmodium berghei. Aggregated proteins could not be detected in early rings, the parasite form that starts the intraerythrocytic cycle. A proteomics approach was followed to pinpoint actual aggregating polypeptides in functional P. falciparum blood stages, which resulted in the identification of 369 proteins, with roles particularly enriched in nuclear import-related processes. Five aggregation-prone short peptides selected from this protein pool exhibited different aggregation propensity according to Thioflavin-T fluorescence measurements, and were observed to form amorphous aggregates and amyloid fibrils in transmission electron microscope images. The results presented suggest that generalized protein aggregation might have a functional role in malaria parasites. Future antimalarial strategies based on the upsetting of the pathogen's proteostasis and therefore affecting multiple gene products could represent the entry to new therapeutic approaches.

The official UEFA EURO 2016 website has been nominated for two categories in the sixth Annual Lovie Awards which honour the best of the European internet.

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Anyone with an organization, a small business, or just a passion needs a website to share it with the world. These are the best website builders we've tested for making it easy to create full-featured, mobile-compatible sites on a budget and with no coding required.

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The Chinese government is getting local ISPs and cloud service providers to practice taking websites offline quickly when they are deemed harmful.

Governor Jack Markell, Delaware State Housing Authority, and their partners are pleased to announce the launch of a free housing locator website providing information about rental housing across the First State.

Governor Markell and the Delaware State Housing Authority announced the launch of a free housing locator website providing information about rental housing across the First State.

DOVER, DE – For anyone in Delaware looking to buy a home, Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) has launched a new website that provides convenient and detailed information about the authority’s homeownership programs and the home-buying process. The website, www.kissyourlandlordgoodbye.com, connects potential homebuyers in the state with resources on low interest mortgage loans, down payment […]

With the spread of COVID-19, Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute has launched a new website that provides resources for researchers, policy-makers and the general public to inform and to address impacts of the pandemic — with a focus on its broader implications for individuals, families, communities, and the commonwealth.