Sam (Corridor Digital) has been experimenting with 3D printing scans of his ears for binaural sound capture. He's using a pair of Sennheiser wireless lav mics inside the fake ear's canals. For a quick proof of concept experiment, this worked extremely well.

We all have to make decisions with the best information we have. But, in these times, we have to be willing to change it up.

Where's the beef? In California, it is still available, but meat eaters might need to settle for cuts other than prime steaks. The industry is dealing with production backups caused by coronavirus pandemic.

Tumor cells can spread to distant sites through their ability to switch between mesenchymal and amoeboid (bleb-based) migration. Because of this difference, inhibitors of metastasis must account for each migration mode. However, the role of vimentin in amoeboid migration has not been determined. Because amoeboid leader bleb–based migration (LBBM) occurs in confined spaces and vimentin is known to strongly influence cell-mechanical properties, we hypothesized that a flexible vimentin network is required for fast amoeboid migration. To this end, here we determined the precise role of the vimentin intermediate filament system in regulating the migration of amoeboid human cancer cells. Vimentin is a classic marker of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and is therefore an ideal target for a metastasis inhibitor. Using a previously developed polydimethylsiloxane slab–based approach to confine cells, RNAi-based vimentin silencing, vimentin overexpression, pharmacological treatments, and measurements of cell stiffness, we found that RNAi-mediated depletion of vimentin increases LBBM by ∼50% compared with control cells and that vimentin overexpression and simvastatin-induced vimentin bundling inhibit fast amoeboid migration and proliferation. Importantly, these effects were independent of changes in actomyosin contractility. Our results indicate that a flexible vimentin intermediate filament network promotes LBBM of amoeboid cancer cells in confined environments and that vimentin bundling perturbs cell-mechanical properties and inhibits the invasive properties of cancer cells.

Umberto Amato, Anestis Antoniadis, Italia De Feis.

Source: Statistics Surveys, Volume 14, 32--70.

Abstract:
We present and compare some nonparametric estimation methods (wavelet and/or spline-based) designed to recover a one-dimensional piecewise-smooth regression function in both a fixed equidistant or not equidistant design regression model and a random design model. Wavelet methods are known to be very competitive in terms of denoising and compression, due to the simultaneous localization property of a function in time and frequency. However, boundary assumptions, such as periodicity or symmetry, generate bias and artificial wiggles which degrade overall accuracy. Simple methods have been proposed in the literature for reducing the bias at the boundaries. We introduce new ones based on adaptive combinations of two estimators. The underlying idea is to combine a highly accurate method for non-regular functions, e.g., wavelets, with one well behaved at boundaries, e.g., Splines or Local Polynomial. We provide some asymptotic optimal results supporting our approach. All the methods can handle data with a random design. We also sketch some generalization to the multidimensional setting. To study the performance of the proposed approaches we have conducted an extensive set of simulations on synthetic data. An interesting regression analysis of two real data applications using these procedures unambiguously demonstrates their effectiveness.

Johann Gagnon-Bartsch, Yotam Shem-Tov.

Source: The Annals of Applied Statistics, Volume 13, Number 3, 1464--1483.

Abstract:
The gold standard for identifying causal relationships is a randomized controlled experiment. In many applications in the social sciences and medicine, the researcher does not control the assignment mechanism and instead may rely upon natural experiments or matching methods as a substitute to experimental randomization. The standard testable implication of random assignment is covariate balance between the treated and control units. Covariate balance is commonly used to validate the claim of as good as random assignment. We propose a new nonparametric test of covariate balance. Our Classification Permutation Test (CPT) is based on a combination of classification methods (e.g., random forests) with Fisherian permutation inference. We revisit four real data examples and present Monte Carlo power simulations to demonstrate the applicability of the CPT relative to other nonparametric tests of equality of multivariate distributions.

Knowledge about objects encompasses not only their prototypical features but also complex, atypical, semantic knowledge (e.g., "Pizza was invented in Naples"). This fMRI study of male and female human participants combines univariate and multivariate analyses to consider the cortical representation of this more complex semantic knowledge. Using the categories of food, people, and places, this study investigates whether access to spatially related geographic semantic knowledge (1) involves the same domain-selective neural representations involved in access to prototypical taste knowledge about food; and (2) elicits activation of neural representations classically linked to places when this geographic knowledge is accessed about food and people. In three experiments using word stimuli, domain-relevant and atypical conceptual access for the categories food, people, and places were assessed. Results uncover two principles of semantic representation: food-selective representations in the left insula continue to be recruited when prototypical taste knowledge is task-irrelevant and under conditions of high cognitive demand; access to geographic knowledge for food and people categories involves the additional recruitment of classically place-selective parahippocampal gyrus, retrosplenial complex, and transverse occipital sulcus. These findings underscore the importance of object category in the representation of a broad range of knowledge, while showing how the cross recruitment of specialized representations may endow the considerable flexibility of our complex semantic knowledge.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We know not only stereotypical things about objects (an apple is round, graspable, edible) but can also flexibly combine typical and atypical features to form complex concepts (the metaphorical role an apple plays in Judeo-Christian belief). In this fMRI study, we observe that, when atypical geographic knowledge is accessed about food dishes, domain-selective sensorimotor-related cortical representations continue to be recruited, but that regions classically associated with place perception are additionally engaged. This interplay between categorically driven representations, linked to the object being accessed, and the flexible recruitment of semantic stores linked to the content being accessed, provides a potential mechanism for the broad representational repertoire of our semantic system.

Experimenting with new types and arrangements of furniture can radically change your students' classroom experience, writes Julia Cin.

Popularized by social media, new classroom arrangements are all the rage in K-12. But experts and educators caution there is more to it than just moving desks around.

Many employers offer flexible benefits packages to their workforce. But the Age Discrimination Regulations have cast a shadow over some schemes, leaving employers and providers unsure as to how benefits such as private medical insurance should be ac...

The Government has today announced that from next April, the right to request flexible working will be extended to all parents of children aged up to 16 years. It is estimated that an additional 4.5 million parents will benefit from the right. Sinc...

Tumor cells can spread to distant sites through their ability to switch between mesenchymal and amoeboid (bleb-based) migration. Because of this difference, inhibitors of metastasis must account for each migration mode. However, the role of vimentin in amoeboid migration has not been determined. Because amoeboid leader bleb–based migration (LBBM) occurs in confined spaces and vimentin is known to strongly influence cell-mechanical properties, we hypothesized that a flexible vimentin network is required for fast amoeboid migration. To this end, here we determined the precise role of the vimentin intermediate filament system in regulating the migration of amoeboid human cancer cells. Vimentin is a classic marker of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and is therefore an ideal target for a metastasis inhibitor. Using a previously developed polydimethylsiloxane slab–based approach to confine cells, RNAi-based vimentin silencing, vimentin overexpression, pharmacological treatments, and measurements of cell stiffness, we found that RNAi-mediated depletion of vimentin increases LBBM by ∼50% compared with control cells and that vimentin overexpression and simvastatin-induced vimentin bundling inhibit fast amoeboid migration and proliferation. Importantly, these effects were independent of changes in actomyosin contractility. Our results indicate that a flexible vimentin intermediate filament network promotes LBBM of amoeboid cancer cells in confined environments and that vimentin bundling perturbs cell-mechanical properties and inhibits the invasive properties of cancer cells.

Flexible displays for wearable devices can now be made using fish scales instead of plastic – and the new displays biodegrade within a month of being discarded

The Department of Justice has reached a settlement that will require Amcor Ltd. to divest a North Carolina plant used in the development, production and sale of certain bags used for medical purposes in order to proceed with its acquisition of the Alcan Packaging Medical Flexibles business from Rio Tinto plc.

Abstract Converting retirement savings balances into a stream of retirement income is one of the most difficult financial decisions that households need to make. New financial products, however, offer people alternative ways to receive retirement income. We propose a default decumulation solution that could be added to retirement plans to simplify decumulation choices in much…

It is modern in appearance yet traditional in operations

The material can also heal itself to keep medical devices running indefinitely.

It is hard keeping up with the latest ideas in green building, but things are changing fast.

Life can be hard for start-up companies, particularly in the current economic climate. Often the need to keep costs down means that decent office space becomes unaffordable. It can be even harder for a small company to implement a green office policy if

In the "sleepy neighborhood" of Baldwin Hills in Los Angeles, a modern Proto Home sits among a mix of single-family dwellings from over the last few

This could keep people from overheating in their wearable electronic outfits or simply in the heat of the ever-warming days

The supermarket chain executive said Kroger is working with new meat suppliers and diverting meat that would have gone to restaurants to try to stay in stock.

Parents and caregivers who adopt a more flexible approach to their children's learning can reduce behavioral challenges during the toddler years, reports a new study.

Sharma signals tapering of scheme as Johnson prepares to announce road map out of lockdown

The Yamaha® MP Series combined with the R&S®ZNBT vector network analyzer measure the high frequency characteristics of a production lot at high speed and high accuracy.

SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: Entrepreneur India, 52, demonstrated this while trying to put on a pair of knee-length black boots before heading out to a dinner in New York.

Amidst ever-extending lockdown and also the non-relenting number of daily discoveries of positive cases, a vicious cloud of confusion has covered humanities collective mindset! Suddenly things have changed for each one of us, thankfully not...

The fixtures were all due to take place in June but Friday saw the England and Wales Cricket Board extend the delay to the start of its season until July 1.

Flexible Pavement

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