Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) ensembles are commonly used to assess the uncertainty and confidence in weather forecasts. Spaghetti plots are conventional tools for meteorologists to directly ...examine the uncertainty exhibited by ensembles, where they simultaneously visualize isocontours of all ensemble members. To avoid visual clutter in practical usages, one needs to select a small number of informative isovalues for visual analysis. Moreover, due to the complex topology and variation of ensemble isocontours, it is often a challenging task to interpret the spaghetti plot for even a single isovalue in large ensembles. In this paper, we propose an interactive framework for uncertainty visualization of weather forecast ensembles that significantly improves and expands the utility of spaghetti plots in ensemble analysis. Complementary to state-of-the-art methods, our approach provides a complete framework for visual exploration of ensemble isocontours, including isovalue selection, interactive isocontour variability exploration, and interactive sub-region selection and re-analysis. Our framework is built upon the high-density clustering paradigm, where the mode structure of the density function is represented as a hierarchy of nested subsets of the data. We generalize the high-density clustering for isocontours and propose a bandwidth selection method for estimating the density function of ensemble isocontours. We present novel visualizations based on high-density clustering results, called the mode plot and the simplified spaghetti plot. The proposed mode plot visually encodes the structure provided by the high-density clustering result and summarizes the distribution of ensemble isocontours. It also enables the selection of subsets of interesting isocontours, which are interactively highlighted in a linked spaghetti plot for providing spatial context. To provide an interpretable overview of the positional variability of isocontours, our system allows for selection of informative isovalues from the simplified spaghetti plot. Due to the spatial variability of ensemble isocontours, the system allows for interactive selection and focus on sub-regions for local uncertainty and clustering re-analysis. We examine a number of ensemble datasets to establish the utility of our approach and discuss its advantages over state-of-the-art visual analysis tools for ensemble data.
The transition from non–muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) to muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is detrimental to bladder cancer (BLCA) patients. Here, we aimed to study the underlying ...mechanism of the subtype transition. Gene set variation analysis (GSVA) revealed the epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) signalling pathway with the most positive correlation in this transition. Then, we built a LASSO Cox regression model of an EMT‐related gene signature in BLCA. The patients with high risk scores had significantly worse overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) than those with low risk scores. The EMT‐related gene signature also performed favourably in the accuracy of prognosis and in the subtype survival analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses demonstrated that the EMT‐related gene signature, pathological N stage and age were independent prognostic factors for predicting survival in BLCA patients. Furthermore, the predictive nomogram model was able to effectively predict the outcome of BLCA patients by appropriately stratifying the risk score. In conclusion, we developed a novel EMT‐related gene signature that has tumour‐promoting effects, acts as a negative independent prognostic factor and might facilitate personalized counselling and treatment in BLCA.
Transfer function (TF) design is a central topic in direct volume rendering. The TF fundamentally translates data values into optical properties to reveal relevant features present in the volumetric ...data. We propose a semi-automatic TF design scheme which consists of two steps: First, we present a clustering process within 1D/2D TF domain based on the proximities of the respective volumetric features in the spatial domain. The presented approach provides an interactive tool that aids users in exploring clusters and identifying features of interest (FOI). Second, our method automatically generates a TF by iteratively refining the optical properties for the selected features using a novel feature visibility measurement. The proposed visibility measurement leverages the similarities of features to enhance their visibilities in DVR images. Compared to the conventional visibility measurement, the proposed feature visibility is able to efficiently sense opacity changes and precisely evaluate the impact of selected features on resulting visualizations. Our experiments validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach by demonstrating the advantages of integrating feature similarity into the visibility computations. We examine a number of datasets to establish the utility of our approach for semi-automatic TF design.
This work proposes a facile fabrication strategy for thermally conductive graphite nanosheets/poly(lactic acid) sheets with ordered GNPs (o-GNPs/PLA)
via
fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing ...technology. Further combinations of o-GNPs/PLA with Ti
3
C
2
T
x
films prepared by vacuum-assisted filtration were carried out by “layer-by-layer stacking-hot pressing” to be the thermally conductive Ti
3
C
2
T
x
/(o-GNPs/PLA) composites with superior electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE). When the content of GNPs was 18.60 wt% and 4 layers of Ti
3
C
2
T
x
(6.98 wt%) films were embedded, the in-plane thermal conductivity coefficient (
λ
||
) and EMI SE (EMI SE
||
) values of the thermally conductive Ti
3
C
2
T
x
/(o-GNPs/PLA) composites significantly increased to 3.44 W·m
–1
·K
–1
and 65 dB (3.00 mm), increased by 1223.1% and 2066.7%, respectively, compared with
λ
||
(0.26 W·m
–1
·K
–1
) and EMI SE
||
(3 dB) of neat PLA matrix. This work offers a novel and easily route for designing and manufacturing highly thermally conductive polymer composites with superior EMI SE for broader application.
In this paper, we assemble a well-defined sample of early-type gravitational lenses extracted from a large collection of 158 systems, and use the redshift distribution of galactic-scale lenses to ...test the standard cosmological model (
Λ
CDM) and the modified gravity theory (DGP). Two additional sub-samples are also included to account for possible selection effect introduced by the detectability of lens galaxies. Our results show that independent measurement of the matter density parameter (
Ω
m
) could be expected from such strong lensing statistics. Based on future measurements of strong lensing systems from the forthcoming LSST survey, one can expect
Ω
m
to be estimated at the precision of
Δ
Ω
m
∼
0.006
, which provides a better constraint on
Ω
m
than
Planck
2015 results. Moreover, use the lens redshift test is also used to constrain the characteristic velocity dispersion of the lensing galaxies, which is well consistent with that derived from the optical spectroscopic observations. A parameter
f
E
is adopted to quantify the relation between the lensing-based velocity dispersion and the corresponding stellar value. Finally, the accumulation of detectable galactic lenses from future LSST survey would lead to more stringent fits of
Δ
f
E
∼
10
-
3
, which encourages us to test the global properties of early-type galaxies at much higher accuracy.
P2X receptors are non-selective cation channels gated by extracellular ATP, and the P2X7 receptor subtype plays a crucial role in the immune and nervous systems. Altered expression and dysfunctions ...of P2X7 receptors caused by genetic deletions, mutations, and polymorphic variations have been linked to various diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and hypertension. Despite the availability of crystal structures of P2X receptors, the mechanism of competitive antagonist action for P2X receptors remains controversial. Here, we determine the crystal structure of the chicken P2X7 receptor in complex with the competitive P2X antagonist, TNP-ATP. The structure reveals an expanded, incompletely activated conformation of the channel, and identified the unique recognition manner of TNP-ATP, which is distinct from that observed in the previously determined human P2X3 receptor structure. A structure-based computational analysis furnishes mechanistic insights into the TNP-ATP-dependent inhibition. Our work provides structural insights into the functional mechanism of the P2X competitive antagonist.P2X receptors are nonselective cation channels that are gated by extracellular ATP. Here the authors present the crystal structure of chicken P2X7 with its bound competitive antagonist TNP-ATP and give mechanistic insights into TNP-ATP dependent inhibition through further computational analysis and electrophysiology measurements.
Abstract
The Lorentz violation (LV) effect of ultra-relativistic particles can be tested by gamma-ray burst (GRB) neutrinos and photons. The IceCube Collaboration has observed plenty of ultra-high ...energy neutrinos, including four PeV scale neutrinos. Recent studies suggested a possible energy dependent speed variation of GRB neutrinos in a similar way to that of GRB photons. Here we find that all four PeV neutrinos with associated GRB candidates can satisfy a regularity found from TeV neutrinos about a linear form correlation between the observed time difference and the LV factor. Such regularity indicates a Lorentz violation scale E
LV
= (6.5 ± 0.4) × 10
17
GeV, which is comparable with that determined by GRB photons. We also suggest that neutrinos and anti-neutrinos can be superluminal and subluminal respectively due to opposite signs of LV correction.
This work studies the experiments of two-photon processes at BESIII from a theoretical viewpoint in light-cone quantum field theory. We adopt the momentum space wave function of the pion in the ...light-cone formalism by two forms of the Brodsky-Huang-Lepage (BHL) prescription and the light-cone holographic QCD. We find that the wave function got by the light-cone holographic QCD can be related to the BHL wave function by a Jacobian factor. Then we calculate the transition form factor (TFF) of the two-photon process by these two wave functions under the light-cone quark model. We compare the calculated results with the preliminary experimental data at BESIII and also other theoretical calculations.
We calculate the gluon Sivers function of the proton in the valence-x region using a light-cone spectator model with the presence of the gluon degree of freedom. We obtain the values of the ...parameters by fitting the model resulting gluon density distribution to the known parametrization. We find that our results agree with the recent phenomenological extraction of the gluon Sivers function after considering the evolution effect. We also estimate the mean transverse momentum of the gluon in a transversely polarized proton and find that it is within the range implied by the Burkardt sum rule.
•The quantitative expression relationship between roots and soil detachment capacity was be explored.•Quantify the critical root mass density that made the soil detachment capacity stable.•Develop a ...prediction model to simulate the soil detachment capacity with a higher prediction accuracy.
Plant roots significantly affect soil erosion, although the mechanism of how roots affect the soil detachment rate (SDR) by overland flow on the Loess Plateau is not fully understood. This study was conducted to investigate the mechanism of how roots affect SDR using natural undisturbed soil samples taken from five sampling plots with the dominant species of Agropyron cristatum, Caragana korshinskii, Medicago sativa, Caragana korshinskii, and Robinia pseudoacacia. Bare land was used as the control plot. The samples were subjected to flow scouring through hydraulic flume experiments under six different shear stresses. The results showed that the roots could significantly reduce the SDR by >83.48% compared with the bare soil. The herbs with fibrous roots (A. cristatum) had a strong root-reducing effect on the SDR. Due to the weaker root-reducing effect of herbs with taproots, the comprehensive reducing effect of herb roots was lower than that of shrubs (C. korshinskii). Because of the higher soil organic matter, the tree roots (R. pseudoacacia) still had a higher reduction effect on the SDR even with a smaller root content, and its SDR was between that of herbs and shrubs. The SDR could be divided into 3 zones based on root mass density (RMD): zone Ⅰ (SDR is sensitive to root action), zone Ⅱ (the effect of soil properties on SDR is prominent), and zone III (SDR is relatively stable). The critical conditions between different zones and the main controlling factors affecting the SDR in different zones were analyzed. The prediction accuracy of the SDR model could be improved by constructing the model using the zoning method (NSE > 0.95). A prediction model of SDR suitable for root-soil complexes of different plant species was developed (NSE = 0.90).
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