Data Analysis

Graphical Models: New Mathematical Tool Could Unpick Complex Cancer Causes And Help Sociologists Mine Facebook

2008-12-17T18:30:00.000-08:00

Researchers at the University of Warwick’s Department of Statistics and Centre for Complexity Science have devised a new research tool that could help unpick the complex cell interactions that lead to cancer and also allow social scientists to mine social networking sites such as Facebook for useful insights.

An approach called “graphical models” can be used by researchers to gain an understanding of a range of systems with multiple interacting factors. These models use mathematical objects called graphs to describe and depict the probability of relationships between each of the components. When used to study molecular biology researchers may be interested in saying something about which molecules influence one another; in the social sciences researchers would use them to understand the relationships between various economic and demographic factors.

However gaining such information from a graphical model can be a very challenging exercise, because of the vast range of possible graphs needed for even a relatively small number of variables. For instance the relatively small network studied by the University of Warwick led team for this research paper had just 14 proteins which were implicated in the development of a form of cancer, but those 14 proteins had a vast number of combinations of possible mutual interactions.

Such tasks would be made much easier if the mathematical tools used to undertake the analysis could somehow embody all the current knowledge of what was likely, and or probable, in the networks they were analysing. Such a mathematical method could be viewed as mimicking how human researchers learn from data, in effect interpreting new information in light of what is already known.

The Warwick researchers led by Dr Sach Mukherjee of Warwick’s Department of Statistics and Centre for Complexity Science have devised just such a method that embeds current knowledge in the mathematical analysis to cut through the vast complexity of this type of analysis using a mechanism called “Informative Priors”.

The researchers took the 14 protein network and created a mathematical tool that was able to incorporate all of what the interactions, and limits on interactions, that were likely and/or probable in such a network of these particular proteins. This allowed a rapid and accurate analysis of the probabilities of interactions between each on the 14 proteins. The technique even able to cope with misconceptions in current understanding of particular networks as it the was designed to “overturn” any reject any data included in the “Informative Priors” that was consistently at odds with any observed new data.

Analysis with these network models was much better able to resolve complex interactions than simple, correlation-based methods. Moreover using informative priors, gave much more accurate results than analysis that incorporated no prior understanding of the network (so called “flat priors”).

The researchers will now use their new technique to examine the network of proteins behind the development of breast cancer but they are also looking at how the tool could be used in social science to mine a vast amount of useful anonymised data from social networking sites such as Facebook to gain significant new understandings of large scale interactions and relationships in society at large.

Source: materials provided by University of Warwick.

Development of a mathematical model for predicting electrically elicited quadriceps femoris muscle forces during isovelocity knee joint motion

2008-12-17T18:28:00.000-08:00

Direct electrical activation of skeletal muscles of patients with upper motor neuron lesions can restore functional movements, such as standing or walking. Because responses to electrical stimulation are highly nonlinear and time varying, accurate control of muscles to produce functional movements is very difficult.

Accurate and predictive mathematical models can facilitate the design of stimulation patterns and control strategies that will produce the desired force and motion. In the present study, we build upon our previous isometric model to capture the effects of constant angular velocity on the forces produced during electrically elicited concentric contractions of healthy human quadriceps femoris muscle.

Modeling the isovelocity condition is important because it will enable us to understand how our model behaves under the relatively simple condition of constant velocity and will enable us to better understand the interactions of muscle length, limb velocity, and stimulation pattern on the force producedby the muscle.

Methods: An additional term was introduced into our previous isometric model to predict the force responses during constant velocity limb motion. Ten healthy subjects were recruited for the study.

Using a KinCom dynamometer, isometric and isovelocity force data were collected from the human quadriceps femoris muscle in response to a wide range of stimulation frequencies and patterns. % error, linear regression trend lines, and paired t-tests were used to test how well the model predicted the experimental forces.

In addition, sensitivity analysis was performed using Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test to obtain a measure of the sensitivity of our model's output to changes in model parameters.

Results: Percentage RMS errors between modeled and experimental forces determined for each subject at each stimulation pattern and velocity showed that the errors were in general less than 20%. The coefficients of determination between the measured and predicted forces show that the model accounted for ~86% and ~85% of the variances in the measured force-time integrals and peak forces, respectively.

Conclusion: The range of predictive abilities of the isovelocity model in response to changes in muscle length, velocity, and stimulation frequency for each individual make it ideal for dynamic applications like FES cycling.

Author: Ramu Perumal, Anthony S Wexler and Stuart A Binder-Macleod
Credits/Source: Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation 2008, 5:33

2DB: a Proteomics database for storage, analysis, presentation, and retrieval of information from mass spectrometric experiments

2008-07-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

The amount of information stemming from proteomics experiments involving (multi dimensional) separation techniques, mass spectrometric analysis, and computational analysis is ever-increasing. Data from such an experimental workflow needs to be captured, related and analyzed.

Biological experiments within this scope produce heterogenic data ranging from pictures of one or two-dimensional protein maps and spectra recorded by tandem mass spectrometry to text-based identifications made by algorithms which analyze these spectra. Additionally, peptide and corresponding protein information needs to be displayed.

Results: In order to handle the large amount of data from computational processing of mass spectrometric experiments, automatic import scripts are available and the necessity for manual input to the database has been minimized. Information is in a generic format which abstracts from specific software tools typically used in such an experimental workflow.

The software is therefore capable of storing and cross analysing results from many algorithms. A novel feature and a focus of this database is to facilitate protein identification by using peptides identified from mass spectrometry and link this information directly to respective protein maps.

Additionally, our application employs spectral counting for quantitative presentation of the data. All information can be linked to hot spots on images to place the results into an experimental context.

A summary of identified proteins, containing all relevant information per hot spot, is automatically generated, usually upon either a change in the underlying protein models or due to newly imported identifications. The supporting information for this report can be accessed in multiple ways using the user interface provided by the application.

Conclusions: We present a proteomics database which aims to greatly reduce evaluation time of results from mass spectrometric experiments and enhance result quality by allowing consistent data handling.

Import functionality, automatic protein detection, and summary creation act together to facilitate data analysis. In addition, supporting information for these findings is readily accessible via the graphical user interface provided.

The database schema and the implementation, which can easily be installed on virtually any server, can be downloaded in the form of a compressed file from our project webpage.

Author: Jens Allmer, Sebastian Kuhlgert and Michael Hippler
Credits/Source: BMC Bioinformatics 2008, 9:302

Systems Properties Of Insulin Signaling Revealed

2008-06-26T03:13:00.000-07:00

A team of Swedish researchers has characterized the properties of new signalling systems human insulin in fat cells. Their mathematical modelling provides a better understanding of energy level maintenance (through the hormone insulin) within our bodies.

Entravé function of insulin is the cardinal cause of type 2 diabetes, which currently affects nearly 250 million people worldwide. The disease causes a metabolic malfunction due to incorrect information transfer of insulin concentration in the blood inside the cells of liquid (the cytosol). This transfer of information is through a complex network of protein-protein interactions. The skeleton of the network was characterized, but the systems details, including the relative importance and the time scales of interactions, were hitherto unknown.

Because of the complexity of the network, it has proved difficult to reach such an understanding through simple systems experimental techniques and reasoning. Hence, the team collected experimentally time series data on human fat cells in vitro and evaluated various explanations by translating mechanistic explanations corresponding mathematical models.

In this study, modeling indicated that the recycling of receptors or between the membrane and the cytosol, or reactions of proteins activated lowest in the network are involved in the transfer of information during the first minutes after insulin stimulation.

As more detailed data are available, the authors predict that mathematical modelling will become an increasingly important tool for data analysis, and to promote understanding of insulin and cellular signalling.

-------------------------------------------------- ------

Journal reference:

Citation: Cedersund G, J Roll, Ulfhielm E, Danielsson A, Tidefelt H, et al. Model-Based Testing Assumption of the main mechanisms in the initial phase of Insulin Signaling. Comput Biol, 4 (6): e1000096. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000096
Adapted from material supplied by the Public Library of Science, via EurekAlert! A service of AAAS.

Literature-aided meta-analysis of microarray data: a compendium study on muscle development and disease

2008-06-26T03:11:00.000-07:00

Comparative analysis of microarray expression studies is difficult because of the great influence of technical factors on the experimental results. Yet, highlighted differentially expressed genes May allusion to the same biological processes.

However, Conservative manually transfer of genes to biological processes, as pursued by the Gene Ontology (GO) consortium, is incomplete and limited. We automatic assumption that the association of genes with biological processes through thesaurus-controlled mining Medline summaries would be more effective.

Hence, we developed a novel algorithm (LAMA: Literature-Aided meta-analysis) to quantify the similarity between transcriptomics studies. We evaluated our algorithm on a large collection of 102 microarray studies published in muscle development and disease and compared the similarity measures based on gene duplication and over-representation of biological processes assigned by GO.

Results: Although the overlap in the two genes and over-GO-which was poor, LAMA found much more biologically significant links between studies, with much weaker influence of technical factors. LAMA properly grouped muscular dystrophy, regeneration and myositis studies, and linked patient and studies mouse model.

LAMA also gets the connection of biological concepts. Among other new discoveries, we Cullin proteins associated ubiquitinylation a class of proteins, genes with a regulated during muscle regeneration, while ubiquitinylation has already been reported to be undertaken during the reverse process: muscular atrophy.

Conclusion: Our literature based on an analysis of association is able to find hidden biological common denominators in microarray studies, and circumvent the need for raw data analysis or Conservative genes annotation of databases.

Author: Rob Jelier, Peter AC 't Hoen, Ellen Sterrenburg, Johan T. den Dunnen, Gert-Jan van Ommen B., Jan A. Kors and Barend Mons
Credits / Source: BMC Bioinformatics 2008, 9:291

Big Ten Network Turns to STATS for Enhanced Broadcast Support and Web Site Content

2008-05-23T00:34:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO & NORTHBROOK, Ill. STATS LLC, the world’s leading sports information provider, and the Big Ten Network announced today the completion of a long-term agreement to incorporate STATS’ content, research and production resources into the Big Ten Network’s broadcasts and web site. The partnership began with the launch of the Big Ten Network in August 2007.

“Today’s sports culture is built around fans being able to receive information that can give perspective and analysis before, during and after the game. STATS is the industry leader in sports statistics and has a proven track record in providing the type of relevant and timely data that our viewers want,” said Leon Schweir, Big Ten Network Executive Producer and Vice President for Production.

“We’re very proud to have been a part of the Big Ten Network’s successful debut season. The Big Ten Network is setting a new standard in collegiate programming and we believe STATS’ data, content and analysis will be a strong part of their product for years to come,” said Steve Byrd, STATS’ Executive Vice President.

The Big Ten Network’s web site, www.bigtennetwork.com, utilizes STATS’ in-depth collegiate content including player and team stats, leader boards, in-progress play-by-play and scores. In addition, STATS provides Associated Press news, headlines and photos.

STATS is also the Big Ten Network’s exclusive statistical provider for its game telecasts and studio shows. STATS’ comprehensive broadcast support includes both traditional pre-game statistical packages for graphics as well as real-time score updates from around the country. Big Ten Network will also utilize STATS’ industry renowned web-based statistics tool, STATS Pass®, along with its celebrated game notes and immediate access to its expert research staff.

About Big Ten Network

The Big Ten Network is dedicated to covering the Big Ten Conference and its 11 member institutions. The Big Ten Network provides unprecedented access to an extensive schedule of conference sports events and shows; original programs in academics, the arts and sciences; campus activities; and associated personalities. Sports programming includes live coverage of more major men’s and women’s events than ever before, along with news, highlights and analysis, all complemented by hours of university-produced campus programming. The network is available to all cable and satellite carriers and television distributors nationwide, with most programs offered in stunning high-definition television (HDTV). The Big Ten Network is a joint venture between subsidiaries of the Big Ten Conference and Fox Cable Networks. For more information regarding the Big Ten Network, visit www.BigTenNetwork.com.

About STATS LLC

With more than 25 years of experience in sophisticated sports data collection, processing and distribution, STATS is the world's leading sports information, content and statistical analysis company. STATS offers a worldwide portfolio of sports information solutions, including the company’s hallmark of real-time scores, historical sports information and turnkey fantasy sports operation, along with AP editorial content, breaking sports news and photos. STATS’ innovative sports information solutions are utilized in numerous business segments: professional teams; sports broadcast production, cable and satellite networks; interactive television; broadband, wireless and internet; game developers and fantasy sports providers; print media and wire services. STATS is owned jointly by the Associated Press and News Corporation, with corporate offices in Bangalore, Barcelona, Beijing, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Milan, Mumbai, Münster, New York, The Hague and Tokyo. www.stats.com

Contacts

Big Ten Network
Mike Vest
312-665-0737
mike.vest@bigtennetwork.com
or
STATS LLC
Nick Stamm
847-583-2110
stamm@stats.com

Mathematical modeling and analysis of insulin clearance in vivo

2008-05-23T00:33:00.000-07:00

Analyzing the dynamics of insulin concentration in the blood is necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the effects of insulin in vivo. Insulin removal from the blood has been addressed in many studies.

The results are highly variable with respect to insulin clearance and the relative contributions of hepatic and renal insulin degradation.

Results: We present a dynamic mathematical model of insulin concentration in the blood and of insulin receptor activation in hepatocytes. The model describes renal and hepatic insulin degradation, pancreatic insulin secretion and nonspecific insulin binding in the liver.

Hepatic insulin receptor activation by insulin binding, receptor internalization and autophosphorylation is explicitly included in the model. We present a detailed mathematical analysis of insulin degradation and insulin clearance.

Stationary model analysis shows that degradation rates, relative contributions of the different tissues to total insulin degradation and insulin clearance highly depend on the insulin concentration.

Conclusions: This study provides a detailed dynamic model of insulin concentration in the blood and of insulin receptor activation in hepatocytes.

Experimental data sets from literature are used for the model validation. We show that essential dynamic and stationary characteristics of insulin degradation are nonlinear and depend on the actual insulin concentration.
Author: Markus Koschorreck and Ernst Dieter Gilles
Credits/Source: BMC Systems Biology 2008, 2:43

Published on: 2008-05-13

Source: 7thSpace.

Modeling How We See Natural Scenes

2008-05-23T00:31:00.000-07:00

Sophisticated mathematical modeling methods and a "CatCam" that captures feline-centric video of a forest are two elements of a new effort to explain how the brain's visual circuitry processes real scenes. The new model of the neural responses of a major visual-processing brain region promises to significantly advance understanding of vision.

Valerio Mante and colleagues published a description of their model and its properties in an article in the May 22, 2008, issue of the journal Neuron.

The researchers sought to develop the new model because until now, studies of the visual system have used simple stimuli such as dots, bars and gratings.

"Such simple, artificial stimuli present overwhelming advantages in terms of experimental control: their simple visual features can be tailored to isolate and study the function of one or few of the several mechanisms shaping the responses of visual neurons," wrote the researchers. "Ultimately, however, we need to understand how neurons respond not only to these simple stimuli but also to image sequences that are arbitrarily complex, including those encountered in natural vision. The visual system evolved while viewing complex scenes, and its function may be uniquely adapted to the structure of natural images," they wrote.

Specifically, the researchers sought to model the neuronal response the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) in the thalamus, a brain region that processes raw visual signals received from the retina.

To gather data for the model, they first recorded from LGN neurons in anesthetized cats, as the cats were presented with images of drifting gratings of different sizes, locations and spatial and temporal frequency. They also varied luminance and contrast of the images.

From these data, they created a mathematical model that aimed to describe how these neurons respond and adapt to such complex, changing stimuli. Their ultimate goal was to create a model that would describe not just neural response to the gratings, but to the complexities of natural scenes.

To test their model, they presented cats with two kinds of natural scenes, while recording from LGN neurons. One of these scenes was video recorded from a "CatCam" mounted on the head of a cat as it roamed through a forest. The other was short sequences from the cartoon Disney movie Tarzan.

The researchers found that their model predicted "much of the responses to complex, rapidly changing stimuli... Specifically, the model captures how these responses are affected by changes in luminance and contrast level, overcoming many of the shortcomings of simpler models," they wrote.

"Even though our model does not capture the operation of all known nonlinear mechanisms, it promises to be a useful tool to understand the computations performed by the early visual system," they wrote.

Mante and colleagues have provided "a long-needed bridge between the two stimulus worlds," wrote Garrett Stanley of the Georgia Institute of Technology, in a preview of the paper in the same issue of Neuron.

"By creating an encoding model from a set of experiments involving sinusoidal gratings at different mean luminances and contrasts, and subsequently demonstrating that this model predicts the neuronal response to an entirely different class of visual stimuli based on the visual scene alone, Mante, et al. have made this problem general and provided a powerful description of the encoding properties of the pathway," wrote Stanley.

The researchers include Valerio Mante, Vincent Bonin, and Matteo Carandini, of the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, CA.

Adapted from materials provided by Cell Press, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Guidance Software to Offer HBGary Responder™ for Live Memory Analysis in Digital Investigations

2008-05-23T00:30:00.000-07:00

Solution Enables Forensic Community to Automatically Identify and Analyze Key Evidence Found in Live Memory

PASADENA, Calif.Guidance Software Inc. (NASDAQ:GUID), The World Leader in Digital Investigations(TM), today announced a strategic alliance with HBGary Inc., a leading provider of security assessment solutions and services. Through this relationship, Guidance Software adds HBGary‘s unique live memory (RAM and volatile data) analysis solutions to its portfolio of digital investigative offerings.

HBGary Responder™ gives forensic labs and government agencies the ability to collect digital evidence residing in live memory for prosecution, disciplinary action or intelligence gathering. Investigators can preserve volatile memory data, analyze the content and report on all live memory activity across the network.

“We have entered a new era in security risks. Today’s increasingly sophisticated cybercrime incidents require agile yet expert digital forensic tools that can immediately assess an organization’s latest security breach. This alliance with Guidance Software will help organizations protect their confidential information and meet their necessary compliance,” said Greg Hoglund, CEO of HBGary, Inc.

With the enhanced view of live memory provided by HBGary Responder, investigators using EnCase® for their digital investigations can now detect, diagnose and respond to potential security incidents. Additionally, agencies now have access to a comprehensive profile of a subject, including their running processes, activities, open files, passwords and instant messages.

"Until now, investigators who needed to augment their computer forensic activities to include live memory capture and analysis were forced to rely on a time-consuming process using complicated, cobbled-together tools that could not scale to fit user needs," said Gary Ulaner, Director of Product Management, Guidance Software. “No other product on the market has the ability to remediate and secure a rogue process hidden in RAM or volatile data like HBGary Responder. This capability, coupled with Guidance Software’s industry-leading EnCase solution, is a powerful solution for those who wish to expand their digital investigations to include live memory analysis.”

About Guidance Software (GUID)

Guidance Software is recognized worldwide as the industry leader in digital investigative solutions. Its EnCase(r) platform provides the foundation for government, corporate and law enforcement organizations to conduct thorough, network-enabled, and court-validated computer investigations of any kind, such as responding to eDiscovery requests, conducting internal investigations, responding to regulatory inquiries or performing data and compliance auditing — all while maintaining the integrity of the data. There are more than 27,000 licensed users of the EnCase technology worldwide, and thousands attend Guidance Software's renowned training programs annually. Validated by numerous courts, corporate legal departments, government agencies and law enforcement organizations worldwide, EnCase is also frequently honored with industry awards and recognition from eWEEK, SC Magazine, Network Computing, and the Socha-Gelbmann survey.

About HBGary, Inc.

HBGary, Inc. was founded in 2003 by renowned security expert Greg Hoglund. Mr. Hoglund and his team are internationally known experts in the field of windows internals, software reverse engineering, bug identification, rootkit techniques and countermeasures. Today HBGary specializes in developing advanced computer analysis solutions for Information Assurance (IA) analysts, Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERT’s), and Computer Forensic Investigators to detect, diagnose, and respond to computer intrusions and other cyber crime activities. The company, which is headquartered in Silicon Valley , is privately held. For more information on the company, please visit: http://www.hbgary.com.

Contacts

Guidance Software Inc.
Ed Essa, 626-229-9191, x247
ed.essa@guidancesoftware.com

Maple 12 Delivers Major Innovations in Engineering Analysis and Design

2008-05-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

Latest edition of Maplesoft’s flagship product breaks new ground in engineering software with an extensive new feature set

WATERLOO, Canada--Maplesoft™, the leading provider of high-performance software tools for engineering, science and mathematics, today announced the next release of Maple™, the company’s hugely popular tool to solve complex mathematical problems and create rich technical documents. Maple is already an industry standard tool in engineering and scientific circles. Maple 12 introduces an extensive range of new tools built on Maple’s fundamental technology platform of smart documents, powerful mathematics, and seamless connectivity to the engineering design toolchain.

One of the most significant features of this release is the direct connectivity between Maple 12 and popular CAD systems such as SolidWorks® and Autodesk Inventor®. CAD users will now be able to deploy powerful mathematical capabilities to dramatically extend the range of analysis on CAD models. Based on major industry trends and extensive consultation with its user base, the product also offers new ways to develop sophisticated mathematical models faster and more accurately than ever before. A new collection of Dynamic Systems modeling tools essential in dynamic modeling, control design, and signal processing is yet another important addition to the new release. These tools will add convenient frequency domain analysis, state space analysis, and more to Maple’s already extensive mathematical tool set.

“Maple 12 offers a bold new set of features to dramatically extend the analytical reach of engineers. Many of the new features truly break new ground and set the stage for great levels of analytical productivity.” said Jim Cooper, CEO of Maplesoft. “I am confident that Maple 12 will spark greater creativity, efficiency, and effectiveness in design and analysis.”

Pilot users of Maple 12 have responded positively. “Changes in Maple 12 have made it much easier for me to program big calculations. Once I understood the efficacy of this method, my code became not only faster, but much easier to read and understand,” said Dr. Marvin Weinstein, Theoretical Physicist at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.

Major new features of Maple 12 include:

Connectivity to CAD systems and the engineering workflow

* In addition to the groundbreaking ability to connect Maple 12 and popular CAD systems directly, users are now able to deploy powerful mathematical capabilities to dramatically extend the range of analysis on CAD models. In addition, Maple 12’s knowledge-documentation tools allow engineers to tag designs electronically with rich technical documentation and calculations. As a result, design calculations are integrated seamlessly into the overall engineering workflow.
* Additional connectivity innovations include MATLAB® code import and translation to enable the easy migration of legacy code to new Maple documents, and database connectivity to allow Maple 12 applications to directly access external datasets stored in popular SQL databases.

New Analysis Tools

* The new Dynamic Systems package offers a large selection of analytic and graphing tools for linear time-invariant systems, which are essential in control systems development.
* New Wavelets support provides easy access to the most powerful suite of wavelet tools in any general-purpose computation package. Wavelet analysis is an important technique in key areas such as image compression and image and signal analysis, complementing classical techniques such as FFT.
* New plotting capabilities dramatically simplify the creation of complex engineering plots. New plot types include dual axis plots, polar plots, and specialized engineering plots such as frequency domain responses and root-locus plots.
* Major enhancements to the differential equation and differential-algebraic equation (DAE) solvers strengthen Maple’s world-leading position in this critical area.

Smarter Documents

Maple’s exclusive smart document technology is greatly enhanced with a range of new features. Performing even the most complex mathematical task or creating the most sophisticated technical application is easier than ever.

* Improvements to customizable interactive components: Users now have a greater choice in buttons, controls, and other interface tools. In addition, the new Exploration Assistant allows users to create interactive mini-applications to explore the parameters of their expressions instantly.
* Code editor: For advanced users who develop custom code, Maple 12 includes tools that make Maple scripts and procedures easier to write. The code editor makes the creation of any advanced application faster; the final result is easily distributed, attractive, and easy to use.
* “Clickable” enhancements: Maple has received rave reviews for its “clickable” approach to math, which uses mouse clicks, menus, and palettes, and more, instead of the conventional command-line approach still in use by many systems. Maple 12 offers a wide range of improvements that enhance the overall usability of the system.

Pricing and Availability:

Single user professional licenses of Maple 12 are available for US $1895. Volume and upgrade discounts apply. Maple 12 is available directly from the Maplesoft Web Store or by contacting Maplesoft Sales at 1-800-267-6583. Outside of the US & Canada, the product is available from your local Maplesoft reseller.

About Maplesoft

Maplesoft is the leading provider of high-performance software tools for engineering, science, and mathematics. Its product suite reflects the philosophy that given great tools, people can do great things. Maplesoft has transformed the way engineers, scientists, and mathematicians use math, enabling them to work better, faster, and smarter.

Organizations around the world have applied Maplesoft solutions in nearly every technical field including engineering design, operations research, scientific research, and financial analysis. Maplesoft's commercial customer base includes Allied Signal, BMW, Boeing, DaimlerChrysler, DreamWorks, Ford, General Electric, Hewlett Packard, Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Raytheon, Robert Bosch, Sun Microsystems, Toyota, and Tyco.

Maplesoft’s products help reduce error, shorten design time, and manage data, models and results. Maple™, its flagship product, solves complex mathematical problems and creates rich technical documents. Its extensive range of tools is built on Maple’s fundamental technology platform of smart documents, powerful mathematics, and seamless connectivity to the engineering design tool chain.

Maplesoft is at the forefront of dramatically enhancing the analytical productivity of engineers and scientists. Visit www.maplesoft.com to learn more.

Contacts

Maplesoft
Tina George, +1 519 747 2373 ext 352
tgeorge@maplesoft.com

RETINOBASE: a web database, data mining and analysis platform for gene expression data on retina

2008-05-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

The retina is a multi-layered sensory tissue that lines the back of the eye and acts at the interface of input light and visual perception. Its main function is to capture photons and convert them into electrical impulses that travel along the optic nerve to the brain where they are turned into images.

It consists of neurons, nourishing blood vessels and different cell types, of which neural cells predominate. Defects in any of these cells can lead to a variety of retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, Leber congenital amaurosis and glaucoma.

Recent progress in genomics and microarray technology provides extensive opportunities to examine alterations in retinal gene expression profiles during development and diseases. However, there is no specific database that deals with retinal gene expression profiling.

In this context we have built RETINOBASE, a dedicated microarray database for retina.DescriptionRETINOBASE is a microarray relational database, analysis and visualization system that allows simple yet powerful queries to retrieve information about gene expression in retina. It provides access to gene expression meta-data and offers significant insights into gene networks in retina, resulting in better hypothesis framing for biological problems that can subsequently be tested in the laboratory.

Public and proprietary data are automatically analyzed with 3 distinct methods, RMA, dChip and MAS5, then clustered using 2 different K-means and 1 mixture models method. Thus, RETINOBASE provides a framework to compare these methods and to optimize the retinal data analysis.

RETINOBASE has three different modules, "Gene Information", "Raw Data System Analysis" and "Fold change system Analysis" that are interconnected in a relational schema, allowing efficient retrieval and cross comparison of data. Currently, RETINOBASE contains datasets from 28 different microarray experiments performed in 5 different model systems: drosophila, zebrafish, rat, mouse and human.

The database is supported by a platform that is designed to easily integrate new functionalities and is also frequently updated.

Conclusions: The results obtained from various biological scenarios can be visualized, compared and downloaded. The results of a case study are presented that highlight the utility of RETINOBASE.

Overall, RETINOBASE provides efficient access to the global expression profiling of retinal genes from different organisms under various conditions.

Author: Ravi Kiran Reddy Kalathur, Nicolas Gagniere, Guillaume Berthommier, Laetitia Poidevin, Wolfgang Raffelsberger, Raymond Ripp, Thierry Leveillard and Olivier Poch
Credits/Source: BMC Genomics 2008, 9:208

nCode Adds Advanced Statistical Analysis Tools to ICE-flow GlyphWorks for Auto, Aerospace Design Engineers

2008-04-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

Visual Numerics IMSL C Numerical Library Offers Curve Fitting Algorithm, Among Others to Enhance Data Analysis

HOUSTON, TX and SOUTHFIELD, MI--(April 15, 2008) - Today, Visual Numerics, Inc., a 37-year producer of advanced numerical analysis and visualization software, announced that nCode International, a leading developer of data analysis software, data acquisition systems and durability solutions, has embedded the IMSL® C Numerical Library into nCode's ICE-flow GlyphWorks product. Many of the world's major automotive and aerospace manufacturers rely on ICE-flow GlyphWorks data analysis software, which provides a graphical, process-oriented environment that enables engineers to rapidly extract useful information from vast amounts of measured data. The addition of the IMSL C Library gives these engineers access to more sophisticated statistical analysis tools to help them save time and budget in durability testing and better understand product usage.

Traditionally, nCode's customers use GlyphWorks to make better design engineering decisions for planes, trains and automobiles. Increasingly these companies are under pressure to analyze real-world usage data, and then apply that analysis to improve product testing and maintenance schedules. To better meet these demands, nCode looked to Visual Numerics to expand their product's statistical analysis capabilities. By offering functions from the IMSL C Library as part of GlyphWorks, customers now have access to advanced statistical tools to better understand trends in their data, and compare data across design projects.

"Our customers constantly look for ways to improve their designs and operations for product durability, so they need access to the best analysis tools to make more intelligent decisions with their data," said Jon Aldred, product manager, nCode. "We partnered with Visual Numerics because their numerical libraries offer the most comprehensive, tested statistical functionality available, support the major computing platforms, and were easily embeddable into the GlyphWorks solution."

IMSL C Library's statistical algorithms include curve fitting for linear regression, polynomial regression up to 9th order, and spline fitting. For example, by using curve fitting, design engineers can mathematically determine the relationship between load and strain on a component. Having established the relationship between load and strain under controlled loads, this information enables engineers to convert other measured real-world strain data to loads and understand the actual loading environment that a component experiences. GlyphWorks enables these steps to be automated on many datasets and gigabytes of measured data into one graphical process.

"As experts in statistical analysis technologies, Visual Numerics gives companies like nCode access to more than 3000 complex algorithms that would otherwise take decades to build, so they can focus on their core business -- durability and fatigue testing," said Andy McClure, director of North American sales, Visual Numerics. "By adding numerical libraries to GlyphWorks, we also put the power of advanced analytical capabilities into their customers' hands, enabling them to become much smarter about their data in less time."

nCode also expanded their agreement with Visual Numerics to incorporate the IMSL C Library into their GlyphBuilder product option, which uses the Python scripting language and allows customers to add their own customized functions or analysis based on IMSL Library capabilities into the GlyphWorks environment. This expanded capability is scheduled to release later this summer.

About nCode International

nCode is a leading developer of durability, test & measurement, data analysis, asset monitoring, and product design (CAE Durability) solutions. nCode offers a unique combination of data measurement and acquisition instruments, powerful analysis software, and services that help customers eliminate unexpected failures by measuring and converting durability, performance and operational data into information from which intelligent business decisions can be made that improve Product Lifecycle Performance (PLP) and reduce costs. Established in 1982, nCode has direct offices in Europe, North America, and Asia. For more information about nCode, please visit www.ncode.com.

About Visual Numerics, Inc.

Visual Numerics has provided technical software solutions for numerical analysis and visualization for more than three decades. The company's software products help users understand complex data from a variety of sources and build business-critical applications. Visual Numerics offers two product lines: the IMSL® Numerical Libraries for powerful mathematical and statistical analysis and the PV-WAVE® visual data analysis development environment. Visual Numerics also offers consulting services for applications that involve mathematical, statistical, or visual data analysis to meet today's business analytical needs.

Major corporations, academic institutions, and research laboratories worldwide use Visual Numerics' software tools, including such high profile companies as: SAP; Teradata; Bear, Stearns & Company; Barclays Global Investors; Priceline.com; Humana; Sandia National Laboratories; and Boeing Company. This large and diverse customer base is supported through a direct sales force, wholly owned international subsidiaries, and international distributors. For more information about Visual Numerics, please visit www.vni.com.

Trademark Statement:

Visual Numerics, IMSL and PV-WAVE are registered trademarks of Visual Numerics, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. JMSL, JWAVE, TS-WAVE and Knowledge in Motion are trademarks of Visual Numerics, Inc.

nCode products include: ICE-flow GlyphWorks, Library, and DesignLife, SoMat eDAQ, and eDAQ-lite. The nCode Logo, nCode, ICE-flow GlyphWorks, ICE-flow Library, ICE-flow DesignLife, SoMat eDAQ, and eDAQ-lite are trademarks or registered trademarks of nCode International Corporation in the USA and/or other countries.

Baylor and 454 Publish Sequence and Analysis of James Watson’s Genome

2008-04-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and 454 Life Sciences published the complete DNA sequence and analysis of the human diploid genome of James Watson, Ph.D. Dr. Watson, after consultation with a genetic counselor, chose to make the sequence data publicly available, omitting only the Apo E gene and neighboring sequence associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

The sequencing, which was completed within two months and reported in June 2007, used 454’s Genome Sequencer FLX™ system and marked the first individual genome to be sequenced for less than $1 million. The genome was analyzed using the 454 Sequencing technology to 7.4 redundancy, facilitating a detailed comparison against the publicly available reference human sequence.

The data analysis revealed the presence of 3.3 million SNPs including more than 600,000 previously uncharacterized SNPs compared to the reference sequence. Furthermore, the data allowed the researcher team to detect over 200,000 insertion and deletion polymorphisms as well as copy number variations including the large-scale gain and loss of chromosomal segments.

“Overall, these results agree well with recent results of sequencing of a single individual by traditional methods,” wrote the researchers. “However, in addition to being faster and significantly less expensive, this sequencing technology avoids the arbitrary loss of genomic sequences inherent in random shotgun sequencing by bacterial cloning because it amplifies DNA in a cell-free system.”

The study is published in the April 17 issue of Nature.

Explorative data analysis of MCL reveals gene expression networks implicated in survival and prognosis supported by explorative CGH analysis

2008-04-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an incurable B cell lymphoma and accounts for 6% of all non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. On the genetic level, MCL is characterized by the hallmark translocation t(11;14) that is present in most cases with few exceptions.

Both gene expression and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) data vary considerably between patients with implications for their prognosis.

Methods: We compare patients over and below the median of survival. Exploratory principal component analysis of gene expression data showed that the second principal component correlates well with patient survival.

Explorative analysis of CGH data shows the same correlation.

Results: On chromosome 7 and 9 specific genes and bands are delineated which improve prognosis prediction independent of the previously described proliferation signature.

We identify a compact survival predictor of seven genes for MCL patients. After extensive re-annotation using GEPAT, we established protein networks correlating with prognosis.

Well known genes (CDC2, CCND1) and further proliferation markers (WEE1, CDC25, aurora kinases, BUB1, PCNA, E2F1) form a tight interaction network, but also non-proliferative genes (SOCS1, TUBA1B CEBPB) are shown to be associated with prognosis. Furthermore we show that aggressive MCL implicates a gene network shift to higher expressed genes in late cell cycle states and refine the set of non-proliferative genes implicated with bad prognosis in MCL.

Conclusions: The results from explorative data analysis of gene expression and CGH data are complementary to each other.

Including further tests such as Wilcoxon rank test we point both to proliferative and non-proliferative gene networks implicated in inferior prognosis of MCL and identify suitable markers both in gene expression and CGH data.

Author: Steffen Blenk, Julia C Engelmann, Stefan Pinkert, Markus Weniger, Joerg Schultz, Andreas Rosenwald, Hans K Mueller-Hermelink, Tobias Muller and Thomas Dandekar
Credits/Source: BMC Cancer 2008, 8:106

nCode To Present At The 2008 Automotive Testing Expo Europe

2008-04-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

nCode will be presenting at the Automotive Testing Expo- - Europe in May. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Vervoort, Senior Application Engineer, will demonstrate the benefits of using GlyphWorks supporting ASAM standards in his talk "Powerful Test Data Analysis using ASAM ODS."

Grobenzell, Germany (PRWEB) April 2, 2008 -- nCode International, a leading developer of data analysis software, data acquisition systems and durability solutions will be presenting at the Automotive Testing Expo -- Europe in May. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Vervoort, Senior Application Engineer, will demonstrate the benefits of using GlyphWorks supporting ASAM standards in his talk "Powerful Test Data Analysis using ASAM ODS."

Dr.-Ing Vervoort's presentation will demonstrate how time and cost savings can be generated when using GlyphWorks as an interface to the ASAM ODS database. GlyphWorks is one of the most powerful and flexible data analysis environments available in today's market.

nCode, an ASAM member, is working to ensure its software supports ASAM standards. GlyphWorks now uses functionality available in ASAM ODS and offers the ASAM community a corporately available graphical two way interface to ASAM data in an easy to use analysis environment. Together, GlyphWorks and ASAM ODS are improving analysis efficiency in major OEMS such as PSA Peugeot Citroën. GlyphWorks and ASAM ODS are today being used to process and manage terabytes of data from proving grounds, customer monitoring sites and laboratory test rigs.

The software makes it easy to graphically build a multi-step process; for interactive or batch based analysis. Reporting is built in, allowing engineers to quickly understand large volumes of data and make informed decisions. The new generation GlyphWorks 5, part of the ICE-flow Analysis family, supports a unlimited number of process steps and huge multi-channel file sizes, with both powerful pre-built and custom 'glyphs' for all post test analysis, including durability and fatigue, frequency analysis and accelerated testing.

The presentation will be on May 06 2008 at 1:15 P.M. nCode will be at stand 1042 at the 2008 Automotive Testing Expo in Stuttgart which will serve as the official launch of its latest product release, ICE-flow 5.

About nCode International
nCode is a leading developer of durability, test & measurement, data analysis, asset monitoring, and product design (CAE Durability) solutions. nCode offers a unique combination of data measurement and acquisition instruments, powerful analysis software, and services that help customers eliminate unexpected failures by measuring and converting durability, performance and operational data into information from which intelligent business decisions can be made that improve Product Life Performance (PLP) and reduce costs. Established in 1982, nCode has direct offices in Europe, North America, and Asia. For more information about nCode, please visit www.ncode.com.

nCode products include: ICE-flow GlyphWorks, Library, and DesignLife, SoMat eDAQ, and eDAQ-lite. The nCode Logo, nCode, ICE-flow GlyphWorks, ICE-flow Library, ICE-flow DesignLife, SoMat eDAQ, and eDAQ-lite are trademarks or registered trademarks of nCode International Corporation in the USA and/or other countries.

Harmonic Software Releases O-Matrix v6.4 for Data Analysis

2008-04-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

BRECKENRIDGE, CO, Apr 2, 2008 - Harmonic Software Inc., a provider of scientific, engineering, and technical computing software, today announced that O-Matrix Version 6.4 is now available. This release includes numerous IO functionality and performance enhancements, new string handling functions including regular expressions, FFT and linear algebra performance enhancements.

O-Matrix 6.4 also provides the most significant performance enhancements of any release to date. Most O-Matrix functions, operators, and language constructs were updated to provide optimal performance. O-Matrix performance now far exceeds typical interactive math environments and often rivals solutions implemented in traditional compiled languages such as C++ and FORTRAN. Authors of computationally-intensive applications can now implement their solutions directly with the interpreted easy-to-use O-Matrix matrix language. Benchmarks for version 6.4 are available at: http://www.omatrix.com/bench.html.

Overall, O-Matrix is the fastest matrix computation package we tested. - SciViews

Some of the new capabilities in version 6.4 include:

Reading text file headers;
User-specified value separators;
Reading data with missing values;
Write and read functions for the new O-Matrix native binary file form
String searching with regular expressions;
String replacement,
Pricing

Harmonic Software strives to provide high-quality, well-supported computing solutions at a reasonable price. O-Matrix Version 6.4 is priced at $245. Academic, government and upgrade discounts are available.

About Harmonic Software Inc.

Since 1992 Harmonic Software Inc. has been providing high-performance data analysis and visualization solutions. Now, with a broad range of customers in industries including earth sciences, petroleum engineering, signal processing, and financial analysis, O-Matrix has become the choice for technical computing professionals requiring high-performance data analysis.

For more information, visit http://www.omatrix.com

Some Cancer Trials May Have Incorrectly Reported Success: Review Finds Flaws In Study Design And Analysis

2008-03-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

A new study reviewing 75 group-randomized cancer trials over a five-year stretch shows that fewer than half of those studies used appropriate statistical methods to analyze the results. The review suggests that some trials may have reported that interventions to prevent disease or reduce cancer risks were effective when in fact they might not have been.

More than a third of the trials contained statistical analyses that the reviewers considered inappropriate to assess the effects of an intervention being studied. And 88 percent of those studies reported statistically significant intervention effects that, because of analysis flaws, could be misleading to scientists and policymakers, the review authors say.

“We cannot say any specific studies are wrong. We can say that the analysis used in many of the papers suggests that some of them probably were overstating the significance of their findings,” said David Murray, lead author of the review study and professor and chair of epidemiology in the College of Public Health at Ohio State University.

“If researchers use the wrong methods, and claim an approach was effective, other people will start using that approach. And if it really wasn’t effective, then they’re wasting time, money and resources and going down a path that they shouldn’t be going down.”

Murray and colleagues call for investigators to collaborate with statisticians familiar with group-randomized study methods and for funding agencies and journal editors to ensure that such studies show evidence of proper design planning and data analysis.

In group-randomized trials, researchers randomly assign identifiable groups to specific conditions and observe outcomes for members of those groups to assess the effects of an intervention under study.

These trials are used to investigate interventions that operate at a group level, manipulate the social or physical environment, or cannot be delivered to individuals in the same way a pill or surgical procedure can. For example, a group-randomized trial might study the use of mass media to promote cancer screenings and then assess how many screenings result among groups that receive different kinds of messages.

In analyzing the outcomes of such trials, researchers should take into account any similarities among group members or any common influences affecting the members of the same group, Murray said. But too often, this review found that the common ground among group members was not factored into the final statistical analysis.

What can result is called a Type 1 error, when a difference between outcomes in groups is found that doesn’t really exist.

“In science, generally, we allow for being wrong 5 percent of the time. If you use the wrong analysis methods with this kind of study, you might be wrong half the time. We’re not going to advance science if we’re wrong half the time,” said Murray, also a member of the Cancer Control Program in Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The review identified 75 articles published in 41 journals that reported intervention results based on group-randomized trials related to cancer or cancer risk factors from 2002 to 2006. Thirty-four of the articles, or 45 percent, reported the use of appropriate methods used to analyze the results. Twenty-six articles, or 35 percent, reported only inappropriate methods were used in the statistical analysis. Eight percent of the articles used a combination of appropriate and inappropriate methods, and nine articles had insufficient information to even judge whether the analytic methods were appropriate or not.

“Am I surprised by these findings? No, because we have done reviews in other areas and have seen similar patterns,” Murray said. “It’s not worse in cancer than anywhere else, but it’s also not better. What we’re trying to do is simply raise the awareness of the research community that you need to attend to these special problems that we have with this kind of design.”

The use of inappropriate analysis methods is not considered willful or in any way designed to skew results of a trial, Murray noted.

“I’ve seen creative reasons people give in their papers for using the methods they use, but I’ve never seen anybody say it was done to get a more significant effect. But that’s what can happen if you use the wrong methods and that’s the danger,” he said. “What we want to know from a trial is what really happened. If an intervention doesn’t work, we need to know that, too, so we can try something else.”

The review also is not an indictment of the study design. Murray is a proponent of such trials and was the first U.S. expert to author a textbook on the subject (Design and Analysis of Group-Randomized Trials, Oxford University Press, 1998).

He also is a co-investigator on three group-randomized trials in progress at Ohio State. Two trials use specific clinics as the assigned groups. One is analyzing the effectiveness of having specially trained guides help cancer patients negotiate the health-care system. The second is investigating the effectiveness of aggressive physician promotion of colorectal cancer screening for patients with cancer risk factors. A third trial will use Appalachian counties as groups to compare the effectiveness of a media campaign to promote colorectal cancer screenings.

“We’re not trying to discourage people from using this design. It remains the best design available if you have an intervention that can’t be studied at the individual level,” Murray said.

The review appears online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. This review study was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society.

Murray conducted the review with Sherri Pals of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Jonathan Blitstein of RTI International in Research Triangle Park, N.C.; Catherine Alfano of the Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion in Ohio State’s College of Public Health; and Jennifer Lehman of Ohio State’s Department of Family Medicine.

Adapted from materials provided by Ohio State University.

Ice-Flow Glyphworks Adds Python Scripting Language

2008-03-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

Software Enables Users to Create Entirely Custom Glyphs

Southfield, Michigan - February 19, 2008 - nCode International, a leading developer of data analysis software, data acquisition systems and durability solutions, today announced the latest update release of ICE-flow GlyphWorks, including the introduction of a 'GlyphBuilder' capability which uses the Python scripting language. This provides a unique way for users to add specific or proprietary methods into an "off-the shelf" analysis framework and effectively opens up GlyphWorks to a whole range of applications.

ICE-flow GlyphWorks data analysis software provides a graphical, process-oriented environment that enables engineers to rapidly extract useful information from vast amounts of measured data. Complete multi-step analysis processes can be easily created using individual function building blocks called 'glyphs'. The new GlyphBuilder capability provides a Scripting glyph which enables users to now program their own glyphs using Python.

GlyphWorks customers include many of the world's major automotive and aerospace manufacturers such as Ford Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citron and Lockheed Martin, who require the ability to process large amounts of test data. These companies often have proprietary analysis methods that cannot be included in a commercial software product. This new scripting capability enables them to cost-effectively retain the knowledge in-house while gaining the productivity benefits of using a standard analysis tool such as GlyphWorks. Other applications include the ability to add support for new or unusual file formats or accessing other third party tools.

Python is a powerful object-oriented programming language that is developed and maintained by a global community of open source developers. The language is the basis of applications used by tens of thousands of companies and organizations worldwide including, Google and NASA, and used in other engineering products such as ABAQUS. Python developers can easily take advantage of the graphical environment of GlyphWorks for visualizing and reporting engineering data including 3D displays and mapping of GPS data.

"The Scripting glyph in ICE-flow GlyphWorks empowers new customer specific functionality," says Jon Aldred, ICE-flow GlyphWorks Product Manager. "The Scripting glyph allows GlyphWorks users to rapidly build custom functions - and to incorporate these in GlyphWorks processes. The scripting capability truly unleashes the power of GlyphWorks and we expect this functionality to be rapidly adopted. Python provides an excellent choice for scripting because of its ease of use and wide acceptance in many industries including engineering."

The Scripting glyph is available for Windows 32-bit platforms in the ICE-flow 4.1 ISR3 update release and will be available across all platforms at the next major release in Spring 2008.

To learn more about the Scripting glyph visit www.ncode.com www.ncode.com/> or to view a pre-recorded webinar, Create Your Own Glyphs with Python, visit www.ncode.com/WebinarDetail.aspx?webinar_id=40 (http://email.ncode.co.uk/exchange/pr/Drafts/RE:%20PRESS%20RELEASE:%20ArcelorMittal%20Selects%20ICE-flow%20Software%20To%20Conduct%20Study.EML/www.ncode.com/WebinarDetail.aspx?webinar_id=40) .

About nCode International

nCode is a leading developer of durability, test & measurement, data analysis, asset monitoring, and product design (CAE Durability) solutions. nCode offers a unique combination of data measurement and acquisition instruments, powerful analysis software, and services that help customers eliminate unexpected failures by measuring and converting durability, performance and operational data into information from which intelligent business decisions can be made that improve Product Life Performance (PLP) and reduce costs. Established in 1982, nCode has direct offices in Europe, North America, and Asia. For more information about nCode, please visit www.ncode.com.

nCode products include: ICE-flow GlyphWorks, Library, and DesignLife, SoMat eDAQ, and eDAQ-lite. The nCode Logo, nCode, ICE-flow GlyphWorks, ICE-flow Library, ICE-flow DesignLife, SoMat eDAQ, and eDAQ-lite are trademarks or registered trademarks of nCode International Corporation in the USA and/or other countries.

About Python

Python is a powerful object-oriented programming language that is developed and maintained by a global community of open source developers under the oversight of the Python Software Foundation. Python is very easy to learn and can significantly increase programmer productivity. The language is the basis of applications used by tens of thousands of companies and organizations worldwide, and its user base is growing rapidly. Additional information and downloads are available at www.python.org (http://www.python.org/) .

Python: Copyright (c) 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Python Software Foundation; All Rights Reserved.

ABAQUS is a trademark of Abaqus, Inc.
Contacts:

Marketing:
Erin C. Bush-Waynick Marketing Manager
26555 Evergreen Road, Ste. 700
Southfield MI 48076
USA

CyberOptics to Display Process Insight at APEX 2008

2008-03-19T17:50:00.000-07:00

CyberOptics Corporation announced that it will feature Process Insight statistical process control (SPC) software in booth 2215 at the upcoming APEX 2008 exhibition and conference, scheduled to take place April 1-3, 2008, in Las Vegas.

Process Insight is a fully featured SPC software package based on an enterprise-level database and open computing standards. Process Insight provides complete analysis of process performance. Offering comprehensive SPC charting capabilities, the software is a common interface for SE 300 Ultra and Flex Ultra HR for data analysis and correlation. It features chart-specific alarms to signal out-of-control data and trends, and data output from an SQL database for connection into shop floor control software. Not only does Process Insight provide real-time information to operators and customers, but it also can be integrated into a shop floor management system, allowing full traceability.

New features include greater capability for integrating data between SE 300 SPI and Flex AOI by correlating data between systems. Additionally, numerous enhanced charts provide improved yield analysis, display of SE 300 defect images, moving average trending and lot code charting. As another standard feature, Process Insight now can pre-schedule reports for convenient data analysis.

By offering real-time SPC, Process Insight provides updates within line cycle times to allow for real-time corrective action. Additionally, it features tools to access and manage all system data to allow for historical analysis. Data output for shop floor management system integration allows users to identify trends and increase yields.

About CyberOptics Corporation

Founded in 1984, CyberOptics is a recognized leader in process yield and throughput improvement solutions for the global electronics assembly and semiconductor capital equipment markets. Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, CyberOptics conducts operations in North America, Asia and Europe. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.cyberoptics.com .

Mercury Computer Systems Announces Avizo Software Product Line for Engineering Data Visualization and Analysis

2008-03-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

CHELMSFORD, Mass. – March 10, 2008 – Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY) announced Avizo™, a new software product line that provides high-end 3D image and simulation data visualization and analysis capabilities within an intuitive workflow and easy-to-use graphical user interface.

Avizo offers a comprehensive, versatile, scalable application framework that addresses all aspects of 3D scientific and industrial data visualization, processing, analysis, and presentation. Based on Open Inventor® by Mercury, Avizo delivers high-quality and high-performance 3D graphics capabilities, including Flow data, Scalar, Vector and Tensor visualization; as well as state-of-the-art image segmentation, 3D reconstruction and quantification tools. Avizo is a versatile tool, perfectly suitable for managing multiphysics data, and its open architecture allows all users to create new custom components such as specific file readers and writers, computation modules, and even new visualization modules.

Initially marketed under the amira® brand, and widely used in the Life Sciences and biomedical research markets, the Avizo product line delivers powerful visualization and analysis capabilities for applications in all visual simulation fields, including computer-aided engineering, materials science, geosciences, and general scientific and industrial activities.

“3D visualization has revolutionized the understanding and simulation of scientific phenomena, both for research and industrial activities,” said Jean Bernard Cazeaux, Vice President of the Visualization Sciences Group at Mercury Computer Systems. “Leveraging our 20 years of expertise in advanced 3D graphics technology and user interfaces, the Avizo product line delivers advanced visualization and data analysis software tools to address todays challenges of design and quality processes in all fields of engineering.”

Avizo 5 has already been adopted by numerous scientists and engineers, and will be presented during the upcoming Aerospace Testing, Design and Manufacturing Expo, in Munich, Germany, as well as during the annual SAE World Congress in Detroit, USA.

Avizo 5 is now available for Linux® and Windows®, 32- and 64-bit environments, and support for additional platforms is planned. Packaged in configurable Editions and Extensions, the Avizo product line provides a comprehensive application framework that fits diverse fields of research. For more information on Avizo, visit 3dviz.mc.com/avizo, or contact Mercury at (866) 627-6951.

Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. – Where Challenges Drive Innovation™

Mercury Computer Systems is the leading provider of computing systems and software for data-intensive applications that include image processing, signal processing, and visualization. With a strong commitment to innovation, our expertise in algorithm optimization, systems development, and silicon design is blended with software application knowledge and industry-standard technologies to solve unique computing challenges. We work closely with our customers to architect solutions that have a meaningful impact on everyday life: detecting aneurysms; designing safer, more fuel-efficient aircraft; identifying security threats; discovering oil; developing new drugs; and visualizing virtually every aspect of scientific investigation.

Mercurys comprehensive, purpose-built solutions capture, process, and present data for the worlds largest medical imaging companies, 8 of the 10 top defense prime contractors, and other leading Fortune 500 and mid-market companies in semiconductor, energy, telecommunications, and other industries. Our dedication to performance excellence and collaborative innovation continues a 24-year history in enabling customers to stay at the forefront of the markets they serve.

Mercury is based in Chelmsford, Massachusetts and serves customers worldwide through a broad network of direct sales offices, subsidiaries, and distributors. We are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (NASDAQ: MRCY). Visit Mercury at www.mc.com.

Source: Mercury Computer Systems

SAS® Warranty Analysis 4.1 resolves quality issues faster for manufacturers

2008-03-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

Enhancements make it easier to keep customers happy, preserve brand value

SAS, the leader in business intelligence, says its upgraded SAS Warranty Analysis 4.1 software will give Sub-Zero, Shanghai General Motors, Whirlpool and other customers an even stronger competitive edge for identifying and resolving emerging quality issues more quickly and preserving brand value and customer satisfaction more easily.

“As a premier brand, Sub-Zero requires a premier solution,” said Josh Becker, Manager of Reliability for Sub-Zero. “SAS has always provided an excellent return on our investment. With this new release, SAS continues to add valuable functionality to an already excellent product, showing they deserve to be called the market leader in warranty analysis. We are especially looking forward to the integrated text analysis offered in the new product. This will further empower our business analysts in their quest to extract value from our warranty data.”

What does SAS® Warranty Analysis 4.1 do?

SAS Warranty Analysis 4.1 helps manufacturers take full advantage of the mountains of warranty and quality data collected from sources such as call centers and customer surveys. For example, SAS Warranty Analysis 4.1 can comb through hundreds of thousands of potential issues to automatically notify an automotive engineer of an issue with anti-lock brakes. Then, based on technician comments and other data, the software determines that the problem is warped rotors – but only from a specific supplier and only when used in hot regions. With clearer vision, the manufacturer can put corrective measures into place rapidly to protect brand value and customer satisfaction. Using SAS, manufacturers cut months out of this process.

How has SAS® Warranty Analysis 4.1 been improved over previous versions of the product?

Enhancements to SAS Warranty Analysis 4.1 automate and accelerate the time-consuming process of sifting through thousands of claims to identify the root cause of problems. By integrating text and data analysis with a new, warranty-focused user interface, SAS allows manufacturers to take the right actions more swiftly than ever.

New Product Enhancements Allow for Greater Interoperability, Tighter Adherence to Data Storage Standards and Improved Scheduling and Decision Support

2008-03-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.--Intergraph Corp. continues to evolve its solutions for design, asset, outage and mobile workforce management to enable utilities and communications providers to respond more quickly and efficiently to market opportunities, customer demands and regulatory requirements. More than 500 utilities and communications providers worldwide currently use Intergraph’s geospatially-enabled solutions to design and manage their networks.

Intergraph’s newest design and asset management software now supports Oracle Locator for storing geospatial data, allowing for greater interoperability among other corporate systems and further compliance with corporate and industry data storage standards. The software integrates geospatial data with corporate systems such as work management, outage management and network analysis to fully support planning, design, construction, operations, maintenance and emergency response functions.

Another key added feature is the ability for users to review and maintain the elevation data of mapped facilities, enabling additional data analysis and improved decision support. Lastly, the new version of Intergraph’s design and asset management software makes it simpler to take advantage of geofacilities data throughout the enterprise with Intergraph’s data analysis and display tools. It also optimizes the incorporation of locational data maintained elsewhere into design and asset management workflows.

“Simply having access to all of our disparate data from one central database saves us an incredible amount of time, and I expect will save us a great deal of money over the coming years,” said Louis Voisine, Manager, GIS & Distribution Records, Hydro Ottawa. “Before implementing an integrated system of design, asset management and outage/workforce management technology from Intergraph, we had a multitude of databases in many different places and wasted minutes to hours of time every day trying to locate information – if we ever found it at all. Between the aging utilities workforce, subsequent loss of intellectual capital and constant pressure from regulators to operate better, faster and more efficiently, we simply need these systems to survive.”

Intergraph has also recently refreshed its integrated outage and mobile workforce management product. By combining outage management features such as trouble analysis and switching operations with mobile workforce management technologies like computer aided dispatch and mobile computing, Intergraph eliminates the need for multiple systems. Recently added features to this product allow for more seamless, intuitive scheduling and outage response procedures. For example, the product now enables users to schedule routine service days or weeks in advance and also allows mobile users to rearrange their assigned jobs from the field so that the operations center knows the order in which they will be completed. The new version can also automatically elevate the priority of work orders for past due jobs that have not yet been completed, and during storms, can automatically remove routine work orders from crews’ schedules in preparation for storm restoration efforts.

“Through the use of Intergraph outage management technology, our average customer interruption durations dropped below the national average and restoration times are significantly lower,” said Vinny Crooks, Sr. Energy Management System Support Specialist at Progress Energy. “By integrating outage management, mobile workforce management, design and asset management tools from Intergraph, we have developed an entirely digital system for the monitoring and mapping of our infrastructure and dispatching of our field crews that has revolutionized the way we serve our 1.6 million electric customers in Florida.”

“Intergraph is the only company that offers a fully integrated outage and mobile workforce product and a complete design and asset management solution that seamlessly interoperate, fusing geospatial data with critical vertical applications,” said Jay Stinson, vice president of Intergraph Utilities & Communications. “We continue to innovate to ensure that Intergraph solutions are the most comprehensive and effective on the market for helping utilities and communications organizations streamline and improve their operations.”

About Intergraph

Intergraph Corp. is the leading global provider of spatial information management (SIM) software. Security organizations, businesses and governments in more than 60 countries rely on the company’s spatial technology and services to make better and faster operational decisions. Intergraph’s customers organize vast amounts of complex data into understandable visual representations, creating intelligent maps, managing assets, building and operating better plants and ships and protecting critical infrastructure and millions of people around the world. For more information, visit www.intergraph.com.

© 2008 Intergraph Corp. All rights reserved. Intergraph and the Intergraph logo are registered trademarks of Intergraph Corp. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Contacts

Intergraph Corp.
Angela Frechette, +1-404-539-3738
Corporate Communications Manager
Angela.Frechette@Intergraph.com

Defense Agency Fights IEDs With Help of Advanced Data Analysis

2008-03-05T04:20:00.000-08:00

CARY, N.C.--The US Department of Defense has a new ally in the fight against improvised explosive devices (IEDs). An advanced data analysis solution from SAS and Detica is in use by the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) to uncover and target the operational, financial and social networks involved in IED deployment.

JIEDDO’s mission is to lead, advocate and coordinate efforts to defeat IEDs as weapons of strategic influence; provide field commanders intelligence; and reduce casualties among both military forces and civilian populations. To help achieve those goals, the organization needed powerful analytics to gain critical, data driven insight into the structure, character, interactions and methods associated with the operational networks involved in the deployment of IEDs.

According to the Department of Defense, IEDs have caused nearly half of all casualties in Iraq and nearly 30 percent of those in Afghanistan since the start of combat operations. The insurgents who place IEDs are often supported by organized networks that finance their operations, create the devices and plan and execute attacks. The solution from SAS and Detica analyzes data from myriad sources to identify and analyze the linkages between individuals and groups that may indicate a support network. Similar technology is used to fight fraud in government agencies and commercial businesses in the UK and the US.

“SAS and Detica have worked closely with JIEDDO to create a solution that will work toward helping our armed forces fight back against the most effective weapon in the insurgent arsenal,” said Tom Mazich, SAS Vice President of Government Operations.

Before the solution could be deployed, JIEDDO had to address various data challenges. It received data from multiple sources in theater and from DOD and other US government agencies. Much of the data was not integrated or coordinated with data developed by other units or agencies, and much of it remained unstructured or lacked a common format or vocabulary. Also, data quality was problematic because of the amount that is manually keyed or handwritten, the lack of standard formats and templates, and the variety of sources.

Detica and SAS combined to provide an analytical solution that addresses the challenges of data access, integration, quality and management. JIEDDO is able to integrate existing data from all relevant sources, and with advanced analytics and reporting capabilities, provide exploitable information to field commanders.

The JIEDDO solution uses several tools, including data and text analysis, predictive modeling and optimization. Analysts and other end users receive detailed intelligence developed using data driven investigative techniques and link analysis based on social network theory. While the concepts are leading edge, it is a proven technical solution currently running in both government agencies and commercial businesses in the UK and the US.

Analysts are provided with client tools and customizable report creation and delivery capabilities that deliver intelligence in the most appropriate format for decision makers and other end users. The solution is also customizable to be implemented at all levels of security classification.

About SAS

SAS is the leader in business intelligence and analytical software and services. Customers at 44,000 sites use SAS® software to improve performance through insight from data, resulting in faster, more accurate business decisions; more profitable relationships with customers and suppliers; compliance with governmental regulations; research breakthroughs; and better products and processes. Only SAS offers leading data integration, storage, analytics and business intelligence applications within a comprehensive enterprise intelligence platform. Since 1976, SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW®. www.sas.com

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2008 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

Contacts
SAS
Trent Smith, 919-531-4726
Trent.Smith@sas.com
Visit the SAS Press Center
www.sas.com/presscenter

Malvern Launches ISys 5.0 - Powerful Chemical Imaging Analysis Software For Cross-platform Analysis

2008-02-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

Malvern, England - Malvern Instruments announced the release of ISys 5.0, the latest version of the company's chemical imaging analysis software. Rapidly becoming the industry standard for analyzing chemical imaging data, ISys is powerful and flexible, and ideal for use on a variety of analytical systems. From basic pre-processing to statistical analyses and pattern recognition algorithms, chemometric tools, and more recently domain (particle) analyses - ISys does it all with ease. ISys turns images to answers for a variety of chemical imaging techniques, providing one software platform that can be used to analyze many different kinds of data.

ISys 5.0 builds on already strong support for third party platforms, aiming to be the industry standard for cross-platform analysis. The ability to analyze mapping and imaging data from mid-infrared and Raman platforms is now extended to include the near-infrared spectral range as well. Data from Kaiser, Horiba Jobin-Yvon, Renishaw, Witech, Varian, Thermo, Bruker, PerkinElmer, and Chemimage mapping and imaging platforms can all be imported. Files in generic formats such as Grams, Matlab, ENVI, Metamorph, multi-page tiff and ASCII, can also be accessed. Other non-vibrational spectroscopic imaging data platforms can also be imported - EDAX X-ray fluorescence and Horiba Jobin Yvon XGT file formats, for example.

Changes to the software licensing structure now enable users to optimize its implementation for their unique applications. Chemometrics, Image processing and Macros are now available as separate options, purchased in addition to a base license.

ISys Macro functions have expanded to create a more complete environment for customized data processing scripts. Completely customized and automated data collection and processing steps - a QA/QC protocol for example - can be implemented easily through the standard ISys windows. This new feature greatly simplifies the day-to-day application of near infrared chemical imaging.

In answer to a key challenge in chemical image data analysis - how to get the most from the spatial dimension - ISys 5.0 substantially increases the suite of tools available for image analysis. An example of this is Particle Proximity Statistics, which provides quantitative characterization of the co-localization of different chemical species. A coating thickness tool permits the statistical analysis of coating heterogeneity, giving standard deviations, as well as minimum and maximum thicknesses.

These changes demonstrate the continued commitment by Malvern Instruments to keep ISys at the forefront of chemical image analysis.

SOURCE: Malvern Instruments

Aitken Scientific's bespoke software streamlines data analysis for Purite water filtering units

2008-02-19T21:59:00.000-08:00

Thame, UK – Aitken Scientific's specialist scientific software is providing improved data access to Purite water purification units for fully traceable water quality monitoring in laboratory, healthcare and industrial applications.

Aitken's highly qualified software engineers used their instrument interfacing expertise to create intelligent custom software for the collection and storage of water data ranging from temperature to feed quality. The previous data capture system could gather the large amounts of data generated but with output limited to a lengthy printout, identifying trends or potential problems was a laborious and inefficient process. Generating results in a graphical format for straightforward trend analysis, the new database management system is searchable by date to allow effective maintenance monitoring.

Logged data is now more accessible and the user friendly interface allows personnel to make informed decisions on water quality. By closely monitoring machine alarms, preventative maintenance schedules can be implemented reducing equipment downtime and improving water quality.

For further media information please contact:

James Stirling
Business Development Manager

Aitken Scientific Ltd
Oxford House,
Oxford Road,
Thame,
Oxfordshire,
OX9 2AH
United Kingdom

Phone: 01844 214773
Fax: 01844 215022
E-mail: aitken-sci@momentumws.co.uk
Web: www.aitken-sci.com

Aitken Scientific has 25 years of experience of providing practical scientific software solutions for complex problems. Alongside software packages developed in-house, Aitken Scientific custom build intelligent software for instrument interfacing and control, machine control applications, validated systems including 21 CFR Part 11, LIMS interfacing, data capture solutions, sample tracking and mobile software solutions.

Aitken Scientific has an international reputation for providing high quality, dependable, cost effective software solutions with unprecedented levels of customer service. This is achieved by experienced, approachable, creative and flexible teams with many years of experience in robotics software and automated laboratory equipment. At the end of a project, the client owns the intellectual property of all fully bespoke software systems, is provided with the source code of products developed for that project and has long term support provided by the team that provided the software engineering service. Customers of Aitken Scientific find that their bespoke software solutions have a longer life expectancy and are more versatile than any equivalent off-the-shelf automation software package.

Aitken Scientific is proud of its customer focus, expertise in writing scientific software and the ability to be creative whilst being pragmatic. Its sensible, efficient and cost effective approach to all projects has attracted such clients as Anachem, AstraZenaca International, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer to name but a few, along with very successful partnerships with several specialist manufacturers.