Application of Bayesian Super-Resolution to Spectroscopic Data for Precise Characterization of Spectral Peak Shape

The number of data points of digitally recorded spectra have been limited by the number of multichannel detectors employed, which sometimes impedes the precise characterization of spectral peak shape. Here we describe a methodology to increase the number of data points as well as the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio by applying Bayesian super-resolution in the analysis of spectroscopic data. In our present method, first, the hyperparameters for the Bayesian super-resolution are determined by a virtual experiment imitating actual experimental data, and the precision of the super-resolution reconstruction is confirmed by the calculation of errors from the ideal values. For validation of the super-resolution reconstruction of spectroscopic data, we applied this method to the analysis of Raman spectra. From 200 Raman spectra of a reference Si substrate with a data interval of about 0.8 cm−1, super-resolution reconstruction with a data interval of 0.01 cm−1 was successfully achieved with the promised precision. From the super-resolution spectrum, the Raman scattering peak of the reference Si substrate was estimated as 520.55 (+0.12, −0.09) cm−1, which is comparable to the precisely determined value reported in previous works. The present methodology can be applied to various kinds of spectroscopic analysis, leading to increased precision in the analysis of spectroscopic data and the ability to detect slight differences in spectral peak positions and shapes.

An Overview of Occurrence and Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Sewage/Wastewater

Nowadays, the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in sewage/wastewater is a major environmental concern. Their precise characterization and suitable treatment/disposal is a must else it pollutes the surface water bodies and causes major distress on aquatic lives and human health. Also, the up-gradation of the sewage/wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is a must to consider the removal of these pollutants and to provide the best quality effluent for various reuse purposes. Mostly, the conventional treatment methods are inefficient for their removal, and hence, the most advanced and refined treatment options are needed for their effective treatment. In this chapter, we have highlighted the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in various water samples and their treatment options are reviewed. It was recommended that integrated treatment systems are more efficient, economical, and environmental friendly than single stand-alone treatment. Further advancement and modifications in the treatment options are required to overcome the shortcomings regarding pharmaceutical removal to achieve the legal standard discharge limit.

A generic hidden Markov model for multi-parent populations

A common step in the analysis of multi-parent populations is genotype reconstruction: identifying the founder origin of haplotypes from dense marker data. This process often makes use of a probability model for the pattern of founder alleles along chromosomes, including the relative frequency of founder alleles and the probability of exchanges among them, which depend on a model for meiotic recombination and on the mating design for the population. While the precise experimental design used to generate the population may be used to derive a precise characterization of the model for exchanges among founder alleles, this can be tedious, particularly given the great variety of experimental designs that have been proposed. We describe an approximate model that can be applied for a variety of multi-parent populations. We have implemented the approach in the R/qtl2 software, and we illustrate its use in applications to publicly-available data on Diversity Outbred and Collaborative Cross mice.

“By order of His Majesty the King”: The Painter-Restorers of the Art Collection of Ferdinand II of Portugal

This study reveals and discusses the role played by five painter-restorers – António Manuel da Fonseca, António Tomás da Fonseca, Carl Kathan, Gaetano Marmocchi, and Étienne Le Roy – at the service of King Ferdinand II of Portugal, from 1850 to 1864. It draws on a dataset of more than one hundred and fifty restored paintings, used here as evidence of the painter-restorers’ activity and versatility in the private art market, as well as of the king’s commitment to managing, repairing and preserving his collection of paintings. Ultimately, by identifying the paintings that have been restored by order of the “Artist King” and relating them to the restorers, this research opens the door for direct analyses and a more precise characterization of the methods and techniques used by these painter-restorers in 19th century Europe.

Application of Bayesian Super-Resolution to Spectroscopic Data for Precise Characterization of Spectral Peak Shape

The number of data points of digitally recorded spectra have been limited by the number of multi-channel detectors employed, which sometimes inhibits the precise characterization of spectral peak shape. Here we describe a methodology to increase the number of data points as well as the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio by applying Bayesian super-resolution in the analysis of spectroscopic data. In our present method, first the hyperparameters for the Bayesian super-resolution are determined by a virtual experiment imitating actual experimental data, and the precision of the super-resolution reconstruction is confirmed by the calculation of errors from the ideal values. For validation of the super-resolution reconstruction of spectroscopic data, we applied this method to the analysis of Raman spectra. From 200 Raman spectra of a reference Si substrate with a data interval of about 0.8 cm-1, super-resolution reconstruction with a data interval of 0.01 cm-1 was successfully achieved with the promised precision. From the super-resolution spectrum, the Raman scattering peak of the reference Si substrate was estimated as 520.55 (+0.12, -0.09) cm-1, which is comparable to the precisely determined value reported in previous works. The present methodology can be applied to various kinds of spectroscopic analysis, leading to increased precision in the analysis of spectroscopic data and the ability to detect slight differences in spectral peak positions and shapes.

Precise Characterization and Tracking of Stably Inherited Artificial Minichromosomes Made by Telomere-Mediated Chromosome Truncation in Brassica napus

Plant artificial minichromosomes are the next-generation technology for plant genetic engineering and represent an independent platform for expressing foreign genes and the tools for studying the structure and function of chromosomes. Minichromosomes have been successfully produced by telomere-mediated chromosome truncation in several plants. However, previous studies have primarily focused on the construction and rough characterization of minichromosomes, while the development of stably inherited minichromosomes and their precise characterization and tracking over different generations have rarely been demonstrated. In this study, a 0.35-kb direct repeat of the Arabidopsis telomeric sequence was transformed into Brassica napus to produce artificial minichromosomes, which were analyzed by multifluorescence in situ hybridization (multi-FISH), Southern hybridization, and primer extension telomere rapid amplification (PETRA). The stably inherited minichromosomes C2 and C4 were developed by crossing transgenic plants with wild-type plants and then selfing the hybrids. Notably, two truncation sites on chromosomes C2 and C4, respectively, were identified by resequencing; thus, the artificial minichromosomes were tracked over different generations with insertion site-specific PCR. This study provided two stably inherited minichromosomes in oilseed rape and describes approaches to precisely characterize the truncation position and track the minichromosomes in offspring through multi-FISH, genome resequencing, and insertion site-specific PCR.

Dalla medicina reattiva alla medicina di precisione

In recent years, there has been increased awareness of a concept of medicine based on individual differences taking into consideration genetic variability, environment, characteristics of the microbiome and individual lifestyles. It makes use of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics techniques, obtaining a large amount of information which enables a more precise characterization of the patient. This model expands to the principles of prediction, prevention, personalization and participation, including all medical specialties. In nephrology, the application of precision medicine could play a central role, thanks to the information available today in multiple fields: for example the impact of alterations in the intestinal microbiota on the progression of chronic renal failure, in polycystic disease, in diabetic nephropathy and in the personalized approach to the transition period before the beginning of hemodialysis therapy.

Formalizing Opponent Modeling with the Rock, Paper, Scissors Game

In simple dyadic games such as rock, paper, scissors (RPS), people exhibit peculiar sequential dependencies across repeated interactions with a stable opponent. These regularities seem to arise from a mutually adversarial process of trying to outwit their opponent. What underlies this process, and what are its limits? Here, we offer a novel framework for formally describing and quantifying human adversarial reasoning in the rock, paper, scissors game. We first show that this framework enables a precise characterization of the complexity of patterned behaviors that people exhibit themselves, and appear to exploit in others. This combination allows for a quantitative understanding of human opponent modeling abilities. We apply these tools to an experiment in which people played 300 rounds of RPS in stable dyads. We find that although people exhibit very complex move dependencies, they cannot exploit these dependencies in their opponents, indicating a fundamental limitation in people’s capacity for adversarial reasoning. Taken together, the results presented here show how the rock, paper, scissors game allows for precise formalization of human adaptive reasoning abilities.