Calculation of mixed mode stress intensity factors using an alternating method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakai, Takayuki

1999-01-01

In this study, mixed mode stress intensity factors (K I and K II ) of a square plate with a notch were calculated using a finite element alternating method. The obtained results were compared with the ones by a finite element method, and it was shown that the finite element alternating method can accurately estimate mixed mode stress intensity factors. Then, using this finite element alternating method, mixed mode stress intensity factors were calculated as changing the size and position of the notch, and its simplified equations were proposed. (author)

Alternative Administrative Certification: Socializing Factors Influencing Program Choice

Science.gov (United States)

Bickmore, Dana L.; Bickmore, Steven T.; Raines, Sarah

2013-01-01

This study used an organizational socialization lens to examine factors influencing participants' decision to pursue the principalship and choice to engage in an alternate administration certification program. Through an analysis of participant focus groups and interviews, factors emerged from the codes that were compared with dimensions of…

[Factors determining the selection of treatment options of complementary and alternative medicine].

Science.gov (United States)

Zörgő, Szilvia; Purebl, György; Zana, Ágnes

2016-04-10

Complementary and alternative medicine have undoubtedly been gaining ground on the healthcare market, thus the vital question arises why patients choose these treatments, oftentimes at the cost of discontinuing the Western medical therapy. The aim of the authors was to investigate and scrutinize factors leading to the utilization of various alternative medical services. The basis of this qualitative research was medical anthropological fieldwork conducted at a clinic of Traditional Chinese Medicine including participant observation (355 hours), unstructured interviews with patients (n = 93) and in-depth interviews (n = 14). Patients of alternative medical systems often do not receive a diagnosis, explanation or cure for their illness from Western medicine, or they do not agree with what they are offered. In other instances, patients choose alternative medicine because it exhibits a philosophical congruence with their already existing explanatory model, that is, previous concepts of world, man or illness. A particular therapy is always part of a cultural system and it is embedded in a specific psycho-social context, hence choice of therapy must be interpreted in accordance with this perspective.

Alternative dimensional models of personality disorder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Widiger, Thomas A; Simonsen, Erik

2005-01-01

The recognition of the many limitations of the categorical model of personality disorder classification has led to the development of quite a number of alternative proposals for a dimensional classification. The purpose of this article is to suggest that future research work toward the integration...... of these alternative proposals within a common hierarchical structure. An illustration of a potential integration is provided using the constructs assessed within existing dimensional models. Suggestions for future research that will help lead toward a common, integrative dimensional model of personality disorder...

Testing multi-alternative decision models with non-stationary evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsetsos, Konstantinos; Usher, Marius; McClelland, James L

2011-01-01

Recent research has investigated the process of integrating perceptual evidence toward a decision, converging on a number of sequential sampling choice models, such as variants of race and diffusion models and the non-linear leaky competing accumulator (LCA) model. Here we study extensions of these models to multi-alternative choice, considering how well they can account for data from a psychophysical experiment in which the evidence supporting each of the alternatives changes dynamically during the trial, in a way that creates temporal correlations. We find that participants exhibit a tendency to choose an alternative whose evidence profile is temporally anti-correlated with (or dissimilar from) that of other alternatives. This advantage of the anti-correlated alternative is well accounted for in the LCA, and provides constraints that challenge several other models of multi-alternative choice.

Extracting the Evaluations of Stereotypes: Bi-factor Model of the Stereotype Content Structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pablo Sayans-Jiménez

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Stereotype dimensions—competence, morality and sociability—are fundamental to studying the perception of other groups. These dimensions have shown moderate/high positive correlations with each other that do not reflect the theoretical expectations. The explanation for this (e.g., halo effect undervalues the utility of the shared variance identified. In contrast, in this work we propose that this common variance could represent the global evaluation of the perceived group. Bi-factor models are proposed to improve the internal structure and to take advantage of the information representing the shared variance among dimensions. Bi-factor models were compared with first order models and other alternative models in three large samples (300–309 participants. The relationships among the global and specific bi-factor dimensions with a global evaluation dimension (measured through a semantic differential were estimated. The results support the use of bi-factor models rather than first order models (and other alternative models. Bi-factor models also show a greater utility to directly and more easily explore the stereotype content including its evaluative content.

Extracting the Evaluations of Stereotypes: Bi-factor Model of the Stereotype Content Structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Sayans-Jiménez, Pablo; Cuadrado, Isabel; Rojas, Antonio J; Barrada, Juan R

2017-01-01

Stereotype dimensions-competence, morality and sociability-are fundamental to studying the perception of other groups. These dimensions have shown moderate/high positive correlations with each other that do not reflect the theoretical expectations. The explanation for this (e.g., halo effect) undervalues the utility of the shared variance identified. In contrast, in this work we propose that this common variance could represent the global evaluation of the perceived group. Bi-factor models are proposed to improve the internal structure and to take advantage of the information representing the shared variance among dimensions. Bi-factor models were compared with first order models and other alternative models in three large samples (300-309 participants). The relationships among the global and specific bi-factor dimensions with a global evaluation dimension (measured through a semantic differential) were estimated. The results support the use of bi-factor models rather than first order models (and other alternative models). Bi-factor models also show a greater utility to directly and more easily explore the stereotype content including its evaluative content.

Examining Pedestrian Injury Severity Using Alternative Disaggregate Models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abay, Kibrom Araya

2013-01-01

This paper investigates the injury severity of pedestrians considering detailed road user characteristics and alternative model specification using a high-quality Danish road accident data. Such detailed and alternative modeling approach helps to assess the sensitivity of empirical inferences...... to the choice of these models. The empirical analysis reveals that detailed road user characteristics such as crime history of drivers and momentary activities of road users at the time of the accident provides an interesting insight in the injury severity analysis. Likewise, the alternative analytical...... specification of the models reveals that some of the conventionally employed fixed parameters injury severity models could underestimate the effect of some important behavioral attributes of the accidents. For instance, the standard ordered logit model underestimated the marginal effects of some...

Modeling and Measurements of Alternating Magnetic Signatures of Ships

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhiqiang Wu

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The alternating electric and magnetic fields are new contributors to the global electromagnetic silencing of ships. Thus, modeling and measurements of alternating magnetic signatures should be a research priority in maritime engineering. In this paper, an alternating horizontal electric dipole is adopted to model the electromagnetic fields related with corrosion. Formulas for alternating magnetic fields generated in shallow sea by horizontal electric dipole are derived based on an air-sea-seabed three-layered model and a numerical computer is also applied. In addition, the alternating magnetic fields of a ship are measured using a tri-axis fluxgate magnetometer fixed in a swaying platform. The characteristics of these fields are analyzed. Finally, the equivalent dipole moment of the trial ship is predicted by contrasting the model results and the observed data.

The structure of PTSD symptoms: a test of alternative models using confirmatory factor analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Elklit, Ask; Shevlin, Mark

2007-09-01

This study aimed to examine the structure of self-reported post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Based on previous factor analytic findings and the DSM-IV formulation, six confirmatory factor models were specified and estimated that reflected different symptom clusters. The analyses were based on responses from 1116 participants who had suffered whiplash injuries and screened for full or subclinical PTSD using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. A correlated four-factor model with re-experiencing, avoidance, dysphoria and arousal factors fitted the data very well. Correlations with criteria measures showed that these factors were associated with other trauma related variables in a theoretically predictable way and showed evidence of unique predictive utility. These results concur with previous research findings using different trauma populations but do not reflect the current DSM-IV symptom groupings.

Exploring the Assessment of the DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders With the Personality Assessment Inventory.

Science.gov (United States)

Busch, Alexander J; Morey, Leslie C; Hopwood, Christopher J

2017-01-01

Section III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed. [DSM-5]; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) contains an alternative model for the diagnosis of personality disorder involving the assessment of 25 traits and a global level of overall personality functioning. There is hope that this model will be increasingly used in clinical and research settings, and the ability to apply established instruments to assess these concepts could facilitate this process. This study sought to develop scoring algorithms for these alternative model concepts using scales from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). A multiple regression strategy used to predict scores in 2 undergraduate samples on DSM-5 alternative model instruments: the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) and the General Personality Pathology scale (GPP; Morey et al., 2011 ). These regression functions resulted in scores that demonstrated promising convergent and discriminant validity across the alternative model concepts, as well as a factor structure in a cross-validation sample that was congruent with the putative structure of the alternative model traits. Results were linked to the PAI community normative data to provide normative information regarding these alternative model concepts that can be used to identify elevated traits and personality functioning level scores.

Big bang nucleosynthesis - The standard model and alternatives

Science.gov (United States)

Schramm, David N.

1991-01-01

The standard homogeneous-isotropic calculation of the big bang cosmological model is reviewed, and alternate models are discussed. The standard model is shown to agree with the light element abundances for He-4, H-2, He-3, and Li-7 that are available. Improved observational data from recent LEP collider and SLC results are discussed. The data agree with the standard model in terms of the number of neutrinos, and provide improved information regarding neutron lifetimes. Alternate models are reviewed which describe different scenarios for decaying matter or quark-hadron induced inhomogeneities. The baryonic density relative to the critical density in the alternate models is similar to that of the standard model when they are made to fit the abundances. This reinforces the conclusion that the baryonic density relative to critical density is about 0.06, and also reinforces the need for both nonbaryonic dark matter and dark baryonic matter.

An Alternative Approach to the Extended Drude Model

Science.gov (United States)

Gantzler, N. J.; Dordevic, S. V.

2018-05-01

The original Drude model, proposed over a hundred years ago, is still used today for the analysis of optical properties of solids. Within this model, both the plasma frequency and quasiparticle scattering rate are constant, which makes the model rather inflexible. In order to circumvent this problem, the so-called extended Drude model was proposed, which allowed for the frequency dependence of both the quasiparticle scattering rate and the effective mass. In this work we will explore an alternative approach to the extended Drude model. Here, one also assumes that the quasiparticle scattering rate is frequency dependent; however, instead of the effective mass, the plasma frequency becomes frequency-dependent. This alternative model is applied to the high Tc superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (Bi2212) with Tc = 92 K, and the results are compared and contrasted with the ones obtained from the conventional extended Drude model. The results point to several advantages of this alternative approach to the extended Drude model.

Alternatives to quintessence model building

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avelino, P.P.; Beca, L.M.G.; Pinto, P.; Carvalho, J.P.M. de; Martins, C.J.A.P.

2003-01-01

We discuss the issue of toy model building for the dark energy component of the universe. Specifically, we consider two generic toy models recently proposed as alternatives to quintessence models, respectively known as Cardassian expansion and the Chaplygin gas. We show that the former is entirely equivalent to a class of quintessence models. We determine the observational constraints on the latter, coming from recent supernovae results and from the shape of the matter power spectrum. As expected, these restrict the model to a behavior that closely matches that of a standard cosmological constant Λ

Alternative biosphere modeling for safety assessment of HLW disposal taking account of geosphere-biosphere interface of marine environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Tomoko; Ishiguro, Katsuhiko; Naito, Morimasa; Ikeda, Takao; Little, Richard

2001-03-01

In the safety assessment of a high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal system, it is required to estimate radiological impacts on future human beings arising from potential radionuclide releases from a deep repository into the surface environment. In order to estimated the impacts, a biosphere model is developed by reasonably assuming radionuclide migration processes in the surface environment and relevant human lifestyles. It is important to modify the present biosphere models or to develop alternative biosphere models applying the biosphere models according to quality and quantify of the information acquired through the siting process for constructing the repository. In this study, alternative biosphere models were developed taking geosphere-biosphere interface of marine environment into account. Moreover, the flux to dose conversion factors calculated by these alternative biosphere models was compared with those by the present basic biosphere models. (author)

Modelling response times in multi-alternative categorization with TVA

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blurton, Steven Paul; Kyllingsbæk, Søren; Bundesen, Claus

, such as trial-to-trial variation in the Poisson processing rates and an extension of the random walk to n-alternatives. In an empirical test of the model we fitted the random walk model to data of a binary and a four-alternative orientation discrimination task. In both cases, the model predictions closely...

Method for exploiting bias in factor analysis using constrained alternating least squares algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Keenan, Michael R.

2008-12-30

Bias plays an important role in factor analysis and is often implicitly made use of, for example, to constrain solutions to factors that conform to physical reality. However, when components are collinear, a large range of solutions may exist that satisfy the basic constraints and fit the data equally well. In such cases, the introduction of mathematical bias through the application of constraints may select solutions that are less than optimal. The biased alternating least squares algorithm of the present invention can offset mathematical bias introduced by constraints in the standard alternating least squares analysis to achieve factor solutions that are most consistent with physical reality. In addition, these methods can be used to explicitly exploit bias to provide alternative views and provide additional insights into spectral data sets.

Candidiasis: predisposing factors, prevention, diagnosis and alternative treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, Natália; Ferreira, Isabel C F R; Barros, Lillian; Silva, Sónia; Henriques, Mariana

2014-06-01

Candidiasis is the most common opportunistic yeast infection. Candida species and other microorganisms are involved in this complicated fungal infection, but Candida albicans continues to be the most prevalent. In the past two decades, it has been observed an abnormal overgrowth in the gastrointestinal, urinary and respiratory tracts, not only in immunocompromised patients, but also related to nosocomial infections and even in healthy individuals. There is a widely variety of causal factors that contribute to yeast infection which means that candidiasis is a good example of a multifactorial syndrome. Due to rapid increase in the incidence in these infections, this is the subject of numerous studies. Recently, the focus of attention is the treatment and, above all, the prevention of those complications. The diagnosis of candidiasis could become quite complicated. Prevention is the most effective "treatment," much more than eradication of the yeast with antifungal agents. There are several aspects to consider in the daily routine that can provide a strength protection. However, a therapeutic approach is necessary when the infection is established, and therefore, other alternatives should be explored. This review provides an overview on predisposition factors, prevention and diagnosis of candidiasis, highlighting alternative approaches for candidiasis treatment.

A Monte Carlo modeling alternative for the API Gamma Ray Calibration Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galford, J.E.

2017-01-01

The gamma ray pit at the API Calibration Facility, located on the University of Houston campus, defines the API unit for natural gamma ray logs used throughout the petroleum logging industry. Future use of the facility is uncertain. An alternative method is proposed to preserve the gamma ray API unit definition as an industry standard by using Monte Carlo modeling to obtain accurate counting rate-to-API unit conversion factors for gross-counting and spectral gamma ray tool designs. - Highlights: • A Monte Carlo alternative is proposed to replace empirical calibration procedures. • The proposed Monte Carlo alternative preserves the original API unit definition. • MCNP source and materials descriptions are provided for the API gamma ray pit. • Simulated results are presented for several wireline logging tool designs. • The proposed method can be adapted for use with logging-while-drilling tools.

Personality profile of binge drinking in university students is modulated by sex. A study using the Alternative Five Factor Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Adan, Ana; Navarro, José Francisco; Forero, Diego A

2016-08-01

The prevalence of binge drinking (BD), found especially among young people, is increasing worldwide and has become an important social and health concern. We studied, for the first time, the personality profile, using the Alternative Five Factor Model, among university students with BD and healthy controls, taking into account the possible influence of sex. 70 participants with BD (30 men) and 70 healthy controls (30 men) were included, selected to control for characteristics that are known to be related to BD (physical and mental disorders, consumption of other drugs, circadian rhythms), completed the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ). The scores on Neuroticism-Anxiety and Impulsive Sensation-Seeking were higher in the BD group compared to the controls (pAnxiety are due to higher scores in the women's group (p=0.014), while those in Impulsive Sensation-Seeking are due to higher scores in the men's group (p=0.009), both in the Impulsivity and in the Sensation-Seeking subscales (p<0.045). Sex could be a factor that modulates the endophenotype of drug dependence (impulsive and anxious personality) and the prevention and/or treatment programs for BD should include not only the management of the personality risk factors but also different tailored approaches according to sex. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling the Effects of Harvest Alternatives on Mitigating Oak Decline in a Central Hardwood Forest Landscape.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen J Wang

Full Text Available Oak decline is a process induced by complex interactions of predisposing factors, inciting factors, and contributing factors operating at tree, stand, and landscape scales. It has greatly altered species composition and stand structure in affected areas. Thinning, clearcutting, and group selection are widely adopted harvest alternatives for reducing forest vulnerability to oak decline by removing susceptible species and declining trees. However, the long-term, landscape-scale effects of these different harvest alternatives are not well studied because of the limited availability of experimental data. In this study, we applied a forest landscape model in combination with field studies to evaluate the effects of the three harvest alternatives on mitigating oak decline in a Central Hardwood Forest landscape. Results showed that the potential oak decline in high risk sites decreased strongly in the next five decades irrespective of harvest alternatives. This is because oak decline is a natural process and forest succession (e.g., high tree mortality resulting from intense competition would eventually lead to the decrease in oak decline in this area. However, forest harvesting did play a role in mitigating oak decline and the effectiveness varied among the three harvest alternatives. The group selection and clearcutting alternatives were most effective in mitigating oak decline in the short and medium terms, respectively. The long-term effects of the three harvest alternatives on mitigating oak decline became less discernible as the role of succession increased. The thinning alternative had the highest biomass retention over time, followed by the group selection and clearcutting alternatives. The group selection alternative that balanced treatment effects and retaining biomass was the most viable alternative for managing oak decline. Insights from this study may be useful in developing effective and informed forest harvesting plans for managing oak

Alternative models for academic family practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yarnall Kimberly SH

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Future of Family Medicine Report calls for a fundamental redesign of the American family physician workplace. At the same time, academic family practices are under economic pressure. Most family medicine departments do not have self-supporting practices, but seek support from specialty colleagues or hospital practice plans. Alternative models for academic family practices that are economically viable and consistent with the principles of family medicine are needed. This article presents several "experiments" to address these challenges. Methods The basis of comparison is a traditional academic family medicine center. Apart of the faculty practice plan, our center consistently operated at a deficit despite high productivity. A number of different practice types and alternative models of service delivery were therefore developed and tested. They ranged from a multi-specialty office arrangement, to a community clinic operated as part of a federally-qualified health center, to a team of providers based in and providing care for residents of an elderly public housing project. Financial comparisons using consistent accounting across models are provided. Results Academic family practices can, at least in some settings, operate without subsidy while providing continuity of care to a broad segment of the community. The prerequisites are that the clinicians must see patients efficiently, and be able to bill appropriately for their payer mix. Conclusion Experimenting within academic practice structure and organization is worthwhile, and can result in economically viable alternatives to traditional models.

Baryon density in alternative BBN models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirilova, D.

2002-10-01

We present recent determinations of the cosmological baryon density ρ b , extracted from different kinds of observational data. The baryon density range is not very wide and is usually interpreted as an indication for consistency. It is interesting to note that all other determinations give higher baryon density than the standard big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) model. The differences of the ρ b values from the BBN predicted one (the most precise today) may be due to the statistical and systematic errors in observations. However, they may be an indication of new physics. Hence, it is interesting to study alternative BBN models, and the possibility to resolve the discrepancies. We discuss alternative cosmological scenarios: a BBN model with decaying particles (m ∼ MeV, τ ∼ sec) and BBN with electron-sterile neutrino oscillations, which permit to relax BBN constraints on the baryon content of the Universe. (author)

TAFV Alternative Fuels and Vehicles Choice Model Documentation; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greene, D.L.

2001-01-01

A model for predicting choice of alternative fuel and among alternative vehicle technologies for light-duty motor vehicles is derived. The nested multinomial logit (NML) mathematical framework is used. Calibration of the model is based on information in the existing literature and deduction based on assuming a small number of key parameters, such as the value of time and discount rates. A spreadsheet model has been developed for calibration and preliminary testing of the model

Evaluating WAIS-IV structure through a different psychometric lens: structural causal model discovery as an alternative to confirmatory factor analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

van Dijk, Marjolein J A M; Claassen, Tom; Suwartono, Christiany; van der Veld, William M; van der Heijden, Paul T; Hendriks, Marc P H

Since the publication of the WAIS-IV in the U.S. in 2008, efforts have been made to explore the structural validity by applying factor analysis to various samples. This study aims to achieve a more fine-grained understanding of the structure of the Dutch language version of the WAIS-IV (WAIS-IV-NL) by applying an alternative analysis based on causal modeling in addition to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The Bayesian Constraint-based Causal Discovery (BCCD) algorithm learns underlying network structures directly from data and assesses more complex structures than is possible with factor analysis. WAIS-IV-NL profiles of two clinical samples of 202 patients (i.e. patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and a mixed psychiatric outpatient group) were analyzed and contrasted with a matched control group (N = 202) selected from the Dutch standardization sample of the WAIS-IV-NL to investigate internal structure by means of CFA and BCCD. With CFA, the four-factor structure as proposed by Wechsler demonstrates acceptable fit in all three subsamples. However, BCCD revealed three consistent clusters (verbal comprehension, visual processing, and processing speed) in all three subsamples. The combination of Arithmetic and Digit Span as a coherent working memory factor could not be verified, and Matrix Reasoning appeared to be isolated. With BCCD, some discrepancies from the proposed four-factor structure are exemplified. Furthermore, these results fit CHC theory of intelligence more clearly. Consistent clustering patterns indicate these results are robust. The structural causal discovery approach may be helpful in better interpreting existing tests, the development of new tests, and aid in diagnostic instruments.

A methodology for assessing the market benefits of alternative motor fuels: The Alternative Fuels Trade Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leiby, P.N.

1993-09-01

This report describes a modeling methodology for examining the prospective economic benefits of displacing motor gasoline use by alternative fuels. The approach is based on the Alternative Fuels Trade Model (AFTM). AFTM development was undertaken by the US Department of Energy (DOE) as part of a longer term study of alternative fuels issues. The AFTM is intended to assist with evaluating how alternative fuels may be promoted effectively, and what the consequences of substantial alternative fuels use might be. Such an evaluation of policies and consequences of an alternative fuels program is being undertaken by DOE as required by Section 502(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. Interest in alternative fuels is based on the prospective economic, environmental and energy security benefits from the substitution of these fuels for conventional transportation fuels. The transportation sector is heavily dependent on oil. Increased oil use implies increased petroleum imports, with much of the increase coming from OPEC countries. Conversely, displacement of gasoline has the potential to reduce US petroleum imports, thereby reducing reliance on OPEC oil and possibly weakening OPEC`s ability to extract monopoly profits. The magnitude of US petroleum import reduction, the attendant fuel price changes, and the resulting US benefits, depend upon the nature of oil-gas substitution and the supply and demand behavior of other world regions. The methodology applies an integrated model of fuel market interactions to characterize these effects.

A Cash Waqf Investment Model: An Alternative Model for Financing Micro-Enterprises in Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jarita Duasa

2016-02-01

Full Text Available This study was designed to empirically determine: (i to look the factors causes micro enterprises opt for using internal funding instead of external funding; and (ii to observe the probability of micro enterprises opt for Cash Waqf fund as alternative source of funding their business. The primary data is collected from the administered survey questions in Klang Valley (Selangor and Kuala Lumpur and the analysis is conducted using statistical analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM. The model is validated its acceptance in the field by adopting the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA. From the findings, among the factors that lead micro enterprises to use internal funding are strict collateral requirement by commercial financial institutions, high cost of financing, strict documentation requirement and good financial and business track record. Unfortunately, most of them cannot fulfill these conditions and continue to face the problem of accessing finance. The present study has developed the Cash Waqf Investment model to support micro enterprises to improve their access to finance and enhance the skills. Based on the responses received from the field, it has been shown that the intention and readiness of micro enterprises in accepting the model as a source of financial and human capital development services is impressive.

Structure factors for the alternating Heisenberg chain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamer, C.J.; Zheng, W.

2004-01-01

Full text: We develop a linked cluster method to calculate the spectral weights of many-particle excitations at zero temperature. The dynamical structure factor, which is measured in neutron scattering experiments, is expressed as a sum of 'exclusive' structure factors, each representing the contribution of a specific excited state. We apply these methods to the alternating Heisenberg chain, where complete wave-vector and frequency dependent spectral weights for one- and two-particle excitations (continuum and bound states) are calculated near the dimerized limit (λ = O). We also examine the variation of the spectral weights as the uniform chain (λ = 1) is approached. In agreement with Schmidt and Uhrig, we find that the spectral weight is dominated by 2-triplet states, even at λ 1, which implies that a description in terms of triplet-pair excitations remains a good quantitative description even for the uniform, undimerized chain

Evaluation and comparison of alternative fleet-level selective maintenance models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, Kellie; Richard Cassady, C.

2015-01-01

Fleet-level selective maintenance refers to the process of identifying the subset of maintenance actions to perform on a fleet of repairable systems when the maintenance resources allocated to the fleet are insufficient for performing all desirable maintenance actions. The original fleet-level selective maintenance model is designed to maximize the probability that all missions in a future set are completed successfully. We extend this model in several ways. First, we consider a cost-based optimization model and show that a special case of this model maximizes the expected value of the number of successful missions in the future set. We also consider the situation in which one or more of the future missions may be canceled. These models and the original fleet-level selective maintenance optimization models are nonlinear. Therefore, we also consider an alternative model in which the objective function can be linearized. We show that the alternative model is a good approximation to the other models. - Highlights: • Investigate nonlinear fleet-level selective maintenance optimization models. • A cost based model is used to maximize the expected number of successful missions. • Another model is allowed to cancel missions if reliability is sufficiently low. • An alternative model has an objective function that can be linearized. • We show that the alternative model is a good approximation to the other models

The alternative sigma factor sigma B of Staphylococcus aureus modulates virulence in experimental central venous catheter-related infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenz, Udo; Hüttinger, Christian; Schäfer, Tina; Ziebuhr, Wilma; Thiede, Arnulf; Hacker, Jörg; Engelmann, Susanne; Hecker, Michael; Ohlsen, Knut

2008-03-01

The impact of the alternative sigma factor sigma B (SigB) on pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus is not conclusively clarified. In this study, a central venous catheter (CVC) related model of multiorgan infection was used to investigate the role of SigB for the pathogenesis of S. aureus infections and biofilm formation in vivo. Analysis of two SigB-positive wild-type strains and their isogenic mutants revealed uniformly that the wild-type was significantly more virulent than the SigB-deficient mutant. The observed difference in virulence was apparently not linked to the capability of the strains to form biofilms in vivo since wild-type and mutant strains were able to produce biofilm layers inside of the catheter. The data strongly indicate that the alternative sigma factor SigB plays a role in CVC-associated infections caused by S. aureus.

Adapting Evaluations of Alternative Payment Models to a Changing Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Grannemann, Thomas W; Brown, Randall S

2018-04-01

To identify the most robust methods for evaluating alternative payment models (APMs) in the emerging health care delivery system environment. We assess the impact of widespread testing of alternative payment models on the ability to find credible comparison groups. We consider the applicability of factorial research designs for assessing the effects of these models. The widespread adoption of alternative payment models could effectively eliminate the possibility of comparing APM results with a "pure" control or comparison group unaffected by other interventions. In this new environment, factorial experiments have distinct advantages over the single-model experimental or quasi-experimental designs that have been the mainstay of recent tests of Medicare payment and delivery models. The best prospects for producing definitive evidence of the effects of payment incentives for APMs include fractional factorial experiments that systematically vary requirements and payment provisions within a payment model. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Modelling of spray evaporation and penetration for alternative fuels

OpenAIRE

Azami, M. H.; Savill, Mark A.

2016-01-01

The focus of this work is on the modelling of evaporation and spray penetration for alternative fuels. The extension model approach is presented and validated for alternative fuels, namely, Kerosene (KE), Ethanol (ETH), Methanol (MTH), Microalgae biofuel (MA), Jatropha biofuel (JA), and Camelina biofuel (CA). The results for atomization and spray penetration are shown in a time variant condition. Comparisons have been made to visualize the transient behaviour of these fuels. The vapour pressu...

Complementary and alternative medicine in inflammatory bowel disease patients: frequency and risk factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández, Alberto; Barreiro-de Acosta, Manuel; Vallejo, Nicolau; Iglesias, Marta; Carmona, Amalia; González-Portela, Carlos; Lorenzo, Aurelio; Domínguez-Muñoz, J Enrique

2012-11-01

The use of complementary and alternative medicine in inflammatory bowel disease patients is progressively increased. To evaluate the use of complementary and alternative medicine in inflammatory bowel disease patients and to know potential risk factors for their use. The subjective response of these therapies and the impact on treatment adherence were also evaluated. Prospective, descriptive and transversal study. Inflammatory bowel disease patients were classified according to demographic and clinical characteristics. A questionnaire about the use of complementary and alternative medicine was collected. 705 patients were included. 126 patients (23%) had used complementary and alternative medicine. The most commonly used was herbal remedies (n=61), homoeopathy (n=36), acupuncture (n=31), kefir (n=31) and aloe vera (n=25). Factors associated with its use were extraintestinal manifestations (OR 1.69, CI 95% 1.11-2.57) and long-term evolution of the disease (OR 2.08, CI 95% 1.44-2.99). Most patients (74%) had the subjective feeling that use of complementary and alternative medicine had not improved their condition, 11 had adverse events related to its use and 11% of patients discontinued their conventional drugs. Use of complementary and alternative medicine in inflammatory bowel disease patients is frequent, especially in those with extraintestinal manifestations and long-term evolution. The use of these therapies was not perceived as a benefit for patients. Copyright © 2012 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Convergence analysis of the alternating RGLS algorithm for the identification of the reduced complexity Volterra model.

Science.gov (United States)

Laamiri, Imen; Khouaja, Anis; Messaoud, Hassani

2015-03-01

In this paper we provide a convergence analysis of the alternating RGLS (Recursive Generalized Least Square) algorithm used for the identification of the reduced complexity Volterra model describing stochastic non-linear systems. The reduced Volterra model used is the 3rd order SVD-PARAFC-Volterra model provided using the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) and the Parallel Factor (PARAFAC) tensor decomposition of the quadratic and the cubic kernels respectively of the classical Volterra model. The Alternating RGLS (ARGLS) algorithm consists on the execution of the classical RGLS algorithm in alternating way. The ARGLS convergence was proved using the Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE) method. It is noted that the algorithm convergence canno׳t be ensured when the disturbance acting on the system to be identified has specific features. The ARGLS algorithm is tested in simulations on a numerical example by satisfying the determined convergence conditions. To raise the elegies of the proposed algorithm, we proceed to its comparison with the classical Alternating Recursive Least Squares (ARLS) presented in the literature. The comparison has been built on a non-linear satellite channel and a benchmark system CSTR (Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor). Moreover the efficiency of the proposed identification approach is proved on an experimental Communicating Two Tank system (CTTS). Copyright © 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Interaction of Language-Specific and Universal Factors During the Acquisition of Morphophonemic Alternations With Exceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Baer-Henney, Dinah; Kügler, Frank; van de Vijver, Ruben

2015-09-01

Using the artificial language paradigm, we studied the acquisition of morphophonemic alternations with exceptions by 160 German adult learners. We tested the acquisition of two types of alternations in two regularity conditions while additionally varying length of training. In the first alternation, a vowel harmony, backness of the stem vowel determines backness of the suffix. This process is grounded in substance (phonetic motivation), and this universal phonetic factor bolsters learning a generalization. In the second alternation, tenseness of the stem vowel determines backness of the suffix vowel. This process is not based in substance, but it reflects a phonotactic property of German and our participants benefit from this language-specific factor. We found that learners use both cues, while substantive bias surfaces mainly in the most unstable situation. We show that language-specific and universal factors interact in learning. Copyright © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

A Monte Carlo modeling alternative for the API Gamma Ray Calibration Facility.

Science.gov (United States)

Galford, J E

2017-04-01

The gamma ray pit at the API Calibration Facility, located on the University of Houston campus, defines the API unit for natural gamma ray logs used throughout the petroleum logging industry. Future use of the facility is uncertain. An alternative method is proposed to preserve the gamma ray API unit definition as an industry standard by using Monte Carlo modeling to obtain accurate counting rate-to-API unit conversion factors for gross-counting and spectral gamma ray tool designs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Building alternate protein structures using the elastic network model.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Qingyi; Sharp, Kim A

2009-02-15

We describe a method for efficiently generating ensembles of alternate, all-atom protein structures that (a) differ significantly from the starting structure, (b) have good stereochemistry (bonded geometry), and (c) have good steric properties (absence of atomic overlap). The method uses reconstruction from a series of backbone framework structures that are obtained from a modified elastic network model (ENM) by perturbation along low-frequency normal modes. To ensure good quality backbone frameworks, the single force parameter ENM is modified by introducing two more force parameters to characterize the interaction between the consecutive carbon alphas and those within the same secondary structure domain. The relative stiffness of the three parameters is parameterized to reproduce B-factors, while maintaining good bonded geometry. After parameterization, violations of experimental Calpha-Calpha distances and Calpha-Calpha-Calpha pseudo angles along the backbone are reduced to less than 1%. Simultaneously, the average B-factor correlation coefficient improves to R = 0.77. Two applications illustrate the potential of the approach. (1) 102,051 protein backbones spanning a conformational space of 15 A root mean square deviation were generated from 148 nonredundant proteins in the PDB database, and all-atom models with minimal bonded and nonbonded violations were produced from this ensemble of backbone structures using the SCWRL side chain building program. (2) Improved backbone templates for homology modeling. Fifteen query sequences were each modeled on two targets. For each of the 30 target frameworks, dozens of improved templates could be produced In all cases, improved full atom homology models resulted, of which 50% could be identified blind using the D-Fire statistical potential. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Investigation into the use of complementary and alternative medicine and affecting factors in Turkish asthmatic patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Tokem, Yasemin; Aytemur, Zeynep Ayfer; Yildirim, Yasemin; Fadiloglu, Cicek

2012-03-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency of complementary and alternative medicine usage in asthmatic patients living in the west of Turkey, the most frequently used complementary and alternative medicine methods and socio-demographic factors affecting this and factors related to the disease. While the rate of complementary and alternative medicine usage in asthmatic patients and the reasons for using it vary, practices specific to different countries and regions are of interest. Differing cultural and social factors even in geographically similar regions can affect the type of complementary and alternative medicine used. Two hundred asthmatic patients registered in the asthma outpatient clinic of a large hospital in Turkey and who had undergone pulmonary function tests within the previous six months were included in this study, which was planned according to a descriptive design. The patients filled out a questionnaire on their demographic characteristics and complementary and alternative medicine usage. The proportion of patients who reported using one or more of the complementary and alternative medicine methods was 63·0%. Of these patients, 61·9% were using plants and herbal treatments, 53·2% were doing exercises and 36·5% said that they prayed. The objectives of their use of complementary and alternative medicine were to reduce asthma-related complaints (58%) and to feel better (37·8%). The proportion of people experiencing adverse effects was 3·3% (n = 4). Factors motivating asthmatic patients to use complementary and alternative medicine were the existence of comorbid diseases and a long period since diagnosis (p complementary and alternative medicine and the severity of the disease, pulmonary function test parameters, the number of asthma attacks or hospitalisations because of asthma within the last year (p > 0·05). Understanding by nurses of the causes and patterns of the use of complementary and alternative medicine in asthmatic

Alternative Public Service Delivery Models in Health, Water and ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

The literature on public service delivery alternatives has to date been highly localized, sector specific and lacking in methodological consistency. This project seeks to analyze health, water and electricity delivery models in Africa, Asia and Latin America in order to identify and document successful alternatives to ...

Identification and synthetic modeling of factors affecting American black duck populations

Science.gov (United States)

Conroy, Michael J.; Miller, Mark W.; Hines, James E.

2002-01-01

AIC weight (0.70) predicted black duck age ratios increasing as a function of decreasing mallard abundance and increasing acreage of breeding habitat; all models considered involved negative density dependence for black ducks. The survival model with highest AIC weight (0.51) predicted nonharvest survival increasing as a function of increasing acreage of wintering habitat and decreasing harvest rates (additive mortality); models involving compensatory mortality effects received ≈0.12 total weight, vs. 0.88 for additive models. We used the combined model, together with our historical data set, to perform a series of 1-year population forecasts, similar to those that might be performed under adaptive management. Initial model forecasts over-predicted observed breeding populations by ≈25%. Least-squares calibration reduced the bias to ≈0.5% under prediction. After calibration, model-averaged predictions over the 16 alternative models (4 reproduction × 4 survival, weighted by AIC model weights) explained 67% of the variation in annual breeding population abundance for black ducks, suggesting that it might have utility as a predictive tool in adaptive management. We investigated the effects of statistical uncertainty in parameter values on predicted population growth rates for the combined annual model, via sensitivity analyses. Parameter sensitivity varied in relation to the parameter values over the estimated confidence intervals, and in relation to harvest rates and mallard abundance. Forecasts of black duck abundance were extremely sensitive to variation in parameter values for the coefficients for breeding and wintering habitat effects. Model-averaged forecasts of black duck abundance were also sensitive to changes in harvest rate and mallard abundance, with rapid declines in black duck abundance predicted for a range of harvest rates and mallard abundance higher than current levels of either factor, but easily envisaged, particularly given current rates of

A potent complement factor C3 specific nanobody inhibiting multiple functions in the alternative pathway of human and murine complement.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Rasmus K; Pihl, Rasmus; Gadeberg, Trine A F; Jensen, Jan K; Andersen, Kasper R; Thiel, Steffen; Laursen, Nick S; Andersen, Gregers Rom

2018-03-01

The complement system is a complex, carefully regulated proteolytic cascade for which suppression of aberrant activation is of increasing clinical relevance and inhibition of the complement alternative pathway is a subject of intense research. Here, we describe the nanobody hC3Nb1 that binds to multiple functional states of C3 with sub-nanomolar affinity. The nanobody causes a complete shutdown of alternative pathway activity in human and murine serum when present in concentrations comparable to C3, and hC3Nb1 is shown to prevent both proconvertase assembly as well as binding of the C3 substrate to C3 convertases. Our crystal structure of the C3b-hC3Nb1 complex and functional experiments demonstrate that proconvertase formation is blocked by steric hindrance between the nanobody and an Asn-linked glycan on complement factor B. In addition, hC3Nb1 is shown to prevent factor H binding to C3b rationalizing its inhibition of factor I activity. Our results identify hC3Nb1 as a versatile, inexpensive, and powerful inhibitor of the alternative pathway in both human and murine in vitro model systems of complement activation. Published under license by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Psychosis, agnosia, and confabulation: an alternative two-factor account.

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Mark A

2014-01-01

Theories of delusions which rely on a combination of abnormal experience and defective belief evaluation and/ or cognitive bias are the subject of an emerging consensus. This paper challenges the validity of these theories and constructs a two factor alternative. The paper starts by identifying the difficulty the current theories have explaining the complex delusions of schizophrenia and then, by considering, first, the aetiology of somatopsychotic symptoms, and second, the literature on the relationship between confabulation and allopsychotic symptoms, demonstrates that the natural solution is to retain the experiential factor whilst replacing the second factor with confabulation. The paper is then able to demonstrate that the resultant two-factory theory can clarify recent work on the aetiological role of autonoetic agnosia and on the relationships between confabulation, delusion, and thought disorder. The theory supersedes currently available theories in terms of its simplicity, fruitfulness, scope and conservatism and represents an advance in the search for unified theory of psychosis.

SR 97 - Alternative models project. Discrete fracture network modelling for performance assessment of Aberg

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dershowitz, B.; Eiben, T.; Follin, S.; Andersson, Johan

1999-08-01

As part of studies into the siting of a deep repository for nuclear waste, Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) has commissioned the Alternative Models Project (AMP). The AMP is a comparison of three alternative modeling approaches for geosphere performance assessment for a single hypothetical site. The hypothetical site, arbitrarily named Aberg is based on parameters from the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory in southern Sweden. The Aberg model domain, boundary conditions and canister locations are defined as a common reference case to facilitate comparisons between approaches. This report presents the results of a discrete fracture pathways analysis of the Aberg site, within the context of the SR 97 performance assessment exercise. The Aberg discrete fracture network (DFN) site model is based on consensus Aberg parameters related to the Aespoe HRL site. Discrete fracture pathways are identified from canister locations in a prototype repository design to the surface of the island or to the sea bottom. The discrete fracture pathways analysis presented in this report is used to provide the following parameters for SKB's performance assessment transport codes FARF31 and COMP23: * F-factor: Flow wetted surface normalized with regards to flow rate (yields an appreciation of the contact area available for diffusion and sorption processes) [TL -1 ]. * Travel Time: Advective transport time from a canister location to the environmental discharge [T]. * Canister Flux: Darcy flux (flow rate per unit area) past a representative canister location [LT -1 ]. In addition to the above, the discrete fracture pathways analysis in this report also provides information about: additional pathway parameters such as pathway length, pathway width, transport aperture, reactive surface area and transmissivity, percentage of canister locations with pathways to the surface discharge, spatial pattern of pathways and pathway discharges, visualization of pathways, and statistical

SR 97 - Alternative models project. Discrete fracture network modelling for performance assessment of Aberg

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dershowitz, B.; Eiben, T. [Golder Associates Inc., Seattle (United States); Follin, S.; Andersson, Johan [Golder Grundteknik KB, Stockholm (Sweden)

1999-08-01

As part of studies into the siting of a deep repository for nuclear waste, Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) has commissioned the Alternative Models Project (AMP). The AMP is a comparison of three alternative modeling approaches for geosphere performance assessment for a single hypothetical site. The hypothetical site, arbitrarily named Aberg is based on parameters from the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory in southern Sweden. The Aberg model domain, boundary conditions and canister locations are defined as a common reference case to facilitate comparisons between approaches. This report presents the results of a discrete fracture pathways analysis of the Aberg site, within the context of the SR 97 performance assessment exercise. The Aberg discrete fracture network (DFN) site model is based on consensus Aberg parameters related to the Aespoe HRL site. Discrete fracture pathways are identified from canister locations in a prototype repository design to the surface of the island or to the sea bottom. The discrete fracture pathways analysis presented in this report is used to provide the following parameters for SKB's performance assessment transport codes FARF31 and COMP23: * F-factor: Flow wetted surface normalized with regards to flow rate (yields an appreciation of the contact area available for diffusion and sorption processes) [TL{sup -1}]. * Travel Time: Advective transport time from a canister location to the environmental discharge [T]. * Canister Flux: Darcy flux (flow rate per unit area) past a representative canister location [LT{sup -1}]. In addition to the above, the discrete fracture pathways analysis in this report also provides information about: additional pathway parameters such as pathway length, pathway width, transport aperture, reactive surface area and transmissivity, percentage of canister locations with pathways to the surface discharge, spatial pattern of pathways and pathway discharges, visualization of pathways, and

Teacher Preferences for Alternative School Site Administrative Models

Science.gov (United States)

Hewitt, Paul M.; Denny, George S.; Pijanowski, John C.

2012-01-01

Public school teachers with high leadership potential who stated that they had no interest in being school principals were surveyed on their attitudes about six alternative school site administrative organizational models. Of the 391 teachers surveyed, 53% identified the Co-Principal model as the preferred school site administrative structure. In…

SR 97. Alternative models project. Stochastic continuum modelling of Aberg

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Widen, H.; Walker, D.

1999-08-01

As part of studies into the siting of a deep repository for nuclear waste, Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) has commissioned the Alternative Models Project (AMP). The AMP is a comparison of three alternative modelling approaches to bedrock performance assessment for a single hypothetical repository, arbitrarily named Aberg. The Aberg repository will adopt input parameters from the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory in southern Sweden. The models are restricted to an explicit domain, boundary conditions and canister location to facilitate the comparison. The boundary conditions are based on the regional groundwater model provided in digital format. This study is the application of HYDRASTAR, a stochastic continuum groundwater flow and transport-modelling program. The study uses 34 realisations of 945 canister locations in the hypothetical repository to evaluate the uncertainty of the advective travel time, canister flux (Darcy velocity at a canister) and F-ratio. Several comparisons of variability are constructed between individual canister locations and individual realisations. For the ensemble of all realisations with all canister locations, the study found a median travel time of 27 years, a median canister flux of 7.1 x 10 -4 m/yr and a median F-ratio of 3.3 x 10 5 yr/m. The overall pattern of regional flow is preserved in the site-scale model, as is reflected in flow paths and exit locations. The site-scale model slightly over-predicts the boundary fluxes from the single realisation of the regional model. The explicitly prescribed domain was seen to be slightly restrictive, with 6% of the stream tubes failing to exit the upper surface of the model. Sensitivity analysis and calibration are suggested as possible extensions of the modelling study

The imperative for emergency medicine to create its own alternative payment model.

Science.gov (United States)

Medford-Davis, Laura N

2017-06-01

Seven years after the Affordable Care Act legislated Alternative Payment Models, it is time for Emergency Medicine to find its place within this value-based trend by developing its own Alternative Payment Model. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An alternative to the standard model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baek, Seungwon; Ko, Pyungwon; Park, Wan-Il

2014-01-01

We present an extension of the standard model to dark sector with an unbroken local dark U(1) X symmetry. Including various singlet portal interactions provided by the standard model Higgs, right-handed neutrinos and kinetic mixing, we show that the model can address most of phenomenological issues (inflation, neutrino mass and mixing, baryon number asymmetry, dark matter, direct/indirect dark matter searches, some scale scale puzzles of the standard collisionless cold dark matter, vacuum stability of the standard model Higgs potential, dark radiation) and be regarded as an alternative to the standard model. The Higgs signal strength is equal to one as in the standard model for unbroken U(1) X case with a scalar dark matter, but it could be less than one independent of decay channels if the dark matter is a dark sector fermion or if U(1) X is spontaneously broken, because of a mixing with a new neutral scalar boson in the models

Latent class factor and cluster models, bi-plots and tri-plots and related graphical displays

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Magidson, J.; Vermunt, J.K.

2001-01-01

We propose an alternative method of conducting exploratory latent class analysis that utilizes latent class factor models, and compare it to the more traditional approach based on latent class cluster models. We show that when formulated in terms of R mutually independent, dichotomous latent

Factors Influencing And Alternative Policies Offered Of Social Conflicts Indigenous Peoples Rights

OpenAIRE

Saiful Deni

2017-01-01

This paper is a review of the social conflicts of indigenous peoples especially in North Maluku. The purpose of this review is to find out some factors causing indigenous peoples social conflicts in North Maluku and to produce alternative solutions as a policy to develop indigenous peoples livelihoods. The review resulted in several factors causing social conflicts of indigenous peoples such as the unclear boundary between the two parties the customary violations by the forest businessmen the...

MODEL OF INTEGRATED VALUE OF PROJECTS IN THE FIELD OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Наталія Ігорівна БОРИСОВА

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Development of alternative energy sources requires the implementation of complex problems, the solution of which is necessary to apply the project approach. The uniqueness of alternative energy projects (AEP necessitates individual approach to evaluating the effectiveness of each. The paper contains the results of the project management features's analysis in the field of alternative energy, determining the values and developing of the value management integrated conceptual model of AEP. In assessing the effectiveness of AEP considered the socio-economic and commercial aspects. Value management integrated conceptual model of AEP was obtained by combining the classical model of the project management goals with the project values model "Five "E" and two "A". The classical model of the project management goals have been complemented with risk parameters.

Complementary and alternative medicine usage and its determinant factors among Iranian infertile couples.

Science.gov (United States)

Dehghan, Mahlagha; Mokhtarabadi, Sima; Heidari, Fatemeh Ghaedi

2018-04-04

Background The aim of this study was to determine the status of utilizing some complementary and alternative medicine techniques in infertile couples. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 250 infertile couples referred to a hospital in Kerman using convenience sampling. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to study the prevalence and user satisfaction of complementary and alternative medicines. Results Results indicated that 49.6% of the infertile couples used at least one of the complementary and alternative medicines during the past year. Most individuals used spiritual techniques (71.8% used praying and 70.2% used Nazr) and medicinal plants (54.8%). Safety is the most important factor affecting the satisfaction of infertile couples with complementary treatments (couples think that such treatments are safe (54.8%)). Discussion Concerning high prevalence of complementary and alternative treatments in infertile couples, incorporating such treatments into the healthcare education and promoting the awareness of infertile individuals seem crucial.

Use of model plant hosts to identify Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence factors

Science.gov (United States)

Rahme, Laurence G.; Tan, Man-Wah; Le, Long; Wong, Sandy M.; Tompkins, Ronald G.; Calderwood, Stephen B.; Ausubel, Frederick M.

1997-01-01

We used plants as an in vivo pathogenesis model for the identification of virulence factors of the human opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Nine of nine TnphoA mutant derivatives of P. aeruginosa strain UCBPP-PA14 that were identified in a plant leaf assay for less pathogenic mutants also exhibited significantly reduced pathogenicity in a burned mouse pathogenicity model, suggesting that P. aeruginosa utilizes common strategies to infect both hosts. Seven of these nine mutants contain TnphoA insertions in previously unknown genes. These results demonstrate that an alternative nonvertebrate host of a human bacterial pathogen can be used in an in vivo high throughput screen to identify novel bacterial virulence factors involved in mammalian pathogenesis. PMID:9371831

Publishing and Alternative Licensing Model of Africa (PALM Africa ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Africa depends on learning materials published elsewhere, and has serious difficulty acquiring, producing and distributing them. In order to facilitate citizen access to these materials, the publishing sector in Africa needs to explore new business models and technologies. Publishing and Alternative Licensing Model of Africa ...

Novel Congestion-Free Alternate Routing Path Scheme using Stackelberg Game Theory Model in Wireless Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Chitra

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Recently, wireless network technologies were designed for most of the applications. Congestion raised in the wireless network degrades the performance and reduces the throughput. Congestion-free network is quit essen- tial in the transport layer to prevent performance degradation in a wireless network. Game theory is a branch of applied mathematics and applied sciences that used in wireless network, political science, biology, computer science, philosophy and economics. e great challenges of wireless network are their congestion by various factors. E ective congestion-free alternate path routing is pretty essential to increase network performance. Stackelberg game theory model is currently employed as an e ective tool to design and formulate conges- tion issues in wireless networks. is work uses a Stackelberg game to design alternate path model to avoid congestion. In this game, leaders and followers are selected to select an alternate routing path. e correlated equilibrium is used in Stackelberg game for making better decision between non-cooperation and cooperation. Congestion was continuously monitored to increase the throughput in the network. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme could extensively improve the network performance by reducing congestion with the help of Stackelberg game and thereby enhance throughput.

Assessing alternative conceptual models of fracture flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, C.K.

1995-01-01

The numerical code TOUGH2 was used to assess alternative conceptual models of fracture flow. The models that were considered included the equivalent continuum model (ECM) and the dual permeability (DK) model. A one-dimensional, layered, unsaturated domain was studied with a saturated bottom boundary and a constant infiltration at the top boundary. Two different infiltration rates were used in the studies. In addition, the connection areas between the fracture and matrix elements in the dual permeability model were varied. Results showed that the two conceptual models of fracture flow produced different saturation and velocity profiles-even under steady-state conditions. The magnitudes of the discrepancies were sensitive to two parameters that affected the flux between the fractures and matrix in the dual permeability model: (1) the fracture-matrix connection areas and (2) the capillary pressure gradients between the fracture and matrix elements

A qualitative model for strategic analysis of organizations. Application and alternative proposal on a study case

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Santiago Ferro Moreno

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The strategic analysis of organizations is based on the internal and external environments, in order to identify positive and negative variables and factors. The interrelation and timing of these strategic forces are essential to create alternative solutions that tend to achieve the organizational objectives.The normative prospective has theorical and methodological foundations to create a desired future and from it, be able to identify impelling and restraining forces that have influence on the particular problematic situation (go from the current situation to a better one in a certain time.The aim of this article is to analyze on a strategic way a real case with a normative-prospective model that considers the temporal dynamics of the factors impact and variables in time allowing to suggest alternative solutions.Semi-structured interviews were performed with all the employees of this case and structured observations and workshops with the commercial and general management.In consequence, with the results, the desired, current and improved situations were built. Additionally, forces were identified classified and appreciated and lastly solutions were suggested. With the proposed prospective method, alternative solutions could be constructed in order to settle temporary organizational objectives. No constraints were found to use the current method in other cases.Keywords: Strategic forces, Normative prospective, Problematic situations, Strategies

UNDER GRADUATE RESEARCH An alternative model of doing ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. UNDER GRADUATE RESEARCH An alternative model of doing science. The main work force is undergraduate students. Using research as a tool in education. Advantages : High risk tolerance. Infinite energy. Uninhibited lateral thinking. Problems: Japanese ...

Thermodynamics of alternating spin chains with competing nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor interactions: Ising model

Science.gov (United States)

Pini, Maria Gloria; Rettori, Angelo

1993-08-01

The thermodynamical properties of an alternating spin (S,s) one-dimensional (1D) Ising model with competing nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor interactions are exactly calculated using a transfer-matrix technique. In contrast to the case S=s=1/2, previously investigated by Harada, the alternation of different spins (S≠s) along the chain is found to give rise to two-peaked static structure factors, signaling the coexistence of different short-range-order configurations. The relevance of our calculations with regard to recent experimental data by Gatteschi et al. in quasi-1D molecular magnetic materials, R (hfac)3 NITEt (R=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, . . .), is discussed; hfac is hexafluoro-acetylacetonate and NlTEt is 2-Ethyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazolyl-1-oxyl-3-oxide.

Alternative pathways of thromboplastin-dependent activation of human factor X in plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marlar, R.A.; Griffin, J.H.

1981-01-01

To determine the interrelationships of the major coagulation pathways, the activation of 3H-labeled factor X in normal and various deficient human plasmas was evaluated when clotting was triggered by dilute rabbit or human thromboplastin. Various dilutions of thromboplastin and calcium were added to plasma samples containing 3H-factor X, and the time course of factor X activation was determined. At a 1/250 dilution of rabbit brain thromboplastin, the rate of factor X activation in plasmas deficient in factor VIII or factor IX was 10% of the activation rate of normal plasma or of factor XI deficient plasma. Reconstitution of the deficient plasmas with factors VIII or IX, respectively, reconstituted normal factor X activation. Similar results were obtained when various dilutions of human thromboplastin replaced the rabbit thromboplastin. From these plasma experiments, it is inferred that the dilute thromboplastin-dependent activation of factor X requires factors VII, IX, and VIII. An alternative extrinsic pathway that involves factors IX and VIII may be the physiologic extrinsic pathway and hence help to explain the consistent clinical observations of bleeding diatheses in patients deficient in factors IX or VIII

Alternative host models for Testing Anti-Protozoal or Antifungal Compounds and fungal infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Torrecilhas, Ana Claudia; Xander, Patricia; Ferreira, Karen Spadari; Batista, Wagner Luiz

2018-04-12

The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are caused by several parasites, fungi, bacteria and viruses and affect more than one billion people in the world. The control and prevention against NTDs need implementation of alternative methods for testing new compounds against these diseases. For the implementation of alternative methods, it is necessary to apply the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement (the 3Rs) for the use of laboratory animals. Accordingly, the present review addressed a variety of alternative models to study the infections caused by protozoa and fungi. Overall, vertebrate and invertebrate models of fungal infection have been used to elucidate hostpathogen interactions. However, until now the insect model has not been used in protozoal studies as an alternative method, but there is interest in the scientific community to try new tools to screen alternative drugs to control and prevent protozoal infections. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

An alternative approach to KP hierarchy in matrix models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonora, L.; Xiong, C.S.

1992-01-01

We show that there exists an alternative procedure in order to extract differential hierarchies, such as the KdV hierarchy, from one-matrix models, without taking a continuum limit. To prove this we introduce the Toda lattice and reformulate it in operator form. We then consider the reduction to the systems appropriate for a one-matrix model. (orig.)

Crafting decision options and alternatives for designing cultural observation system using general morphological modelling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaber Moghaddampour

2018-09-01

Full Text Available According to connoisseurs, cultural system is encountering a fully new space in future decades and cultural indicators will be exposed by some dangers; for the same reason, cultural observation activities in management dialogue of Iran are emphasized; the concept of “observation” in Iran is facing with challenges including being far from the concepts of futures studies and the focus on “cultural indicators monitoring” while cultural engineering needs foresight and identification of affecting progressive and deterring factors on the culture. The present study aims at providing alternatives to design an observation system by considering the monitoring and scanning simultaneously to bring out strategic and futurist vision for cultural organizations. To this end, the solution space and morphological field of observation (parameters and values by using MA/Carma Viewer software package is designed based on the literature review and forming a five-member expert group and specialized conversations. Upon Internal Consistency Assessment of parameters and by considering some values as drivers, Parameters Activity Check was conducted to study the reactions by other parameters and values. After sense-making and proper understanding of the model behavior, an Inference and “What-If” model were devised; some configurations were studied and provided in order to aware a part of proper alternatives for designing a cultural observation system (two scenarios. Scenario selection is different due to contingencies and conditions of executing the process as well as the users’ needs and goals in cultural observation system and cultural organizations can make decisions and design detailed observation systems by using morphological models, solution space and alternatives provided in the present study and depended on their goals and needs.

Complementary and Alternative Medicines: Usage and Its Determinant Factors Among Outpatients in Southeast of Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghaedi, Fateme; Dehghan, Mahlagha; Salari, Masoumeh; Sheikhrabori, Akbar

2015-12-13

Prevalence of complementary and alternative medicines is increasing specially in patients with chronic diseases. Therefore, based on the high prevalence of chronic disorders, the present study aimed to determine complementary and alternative medicine usage frequency and its determinant factors. This was a cross-sectional study. Five hundred clients participated in the study by using convenience sampling. A 2-part questionnaire (including demographic form and researcher-created questionnaire) was used for studying the prevalence of using complementary and alternative medicine methods, and users' satisfaction. Findings showed that 75.4% of people used at least one complementary and alternative medicine method. Most of users consumed medicinal plants (69.4%). The most common reason of using a complementary and alternative medicine method was common cold (32.9%). The highest satisfaction belonged to massage (2.94 ± 0.74). The usage of complementary and alternative medicine was 3.22 times higher in people with academic educations when compared with illiterate people. Concerning the high usage of complementary and alternative medicine, it is necessary to train specialists in this field in order to offer such treatments in a safe manner. Also, outcomes of application of complementary and alternative medicine methods should be studied. © The Author(s) 2015.

Maladaptive Personality Trait Models: Validating the Five-Factor Model Maladaptive Trait Measures With the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 and NEO Personality Inventory.

Science.gov (United States)

Helle, Ashley C; Mullins-Sweatt, Stephanie N

2017-05-01

Eight measures have been developed to assess maladaptive variants of the five-factor model (FFM) facets specific to personality disorders (e.g., Five-Factor Borderline Inventory [FFBI]). These measures can be used in their entirety or as facet-based scales (e.g., FFBI Affective Dysregulation) to improve the comprehensiveness of assessment of pathological personality. There are a limited number of studies examining these scales with other measures of similar traits (e.g., DSM-5 alternative model). The current study examined the FFM maladaptive scales in relation to the respective general personality traits of the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised and the pathological personality traits of the DSM-5 alternative model using the Personality Inventory for DSM-5. The results indicated the FFM maladaptive trait scales predominantly converged with corresponding NEO Personality Inventory-Revised, and Personality Inventory for DSM-5 traits, providing further validity for these measures as extensions of general personality traits and evidence for their relation to the pathological trait model. Benefits and applications of the FFM maladaptive scales in clinical and research settings are discussed.

Alternative nuclear fuel cycle arrangements for proliferation resistance: an overview of regulatory factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Brien, J.N.

1982-08-01

President Carter proposed the International Fuel Cycle Evaluation to analyze various alternative fuel cycles which could minimize the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation. DOE also initiated the Non-Proliferation Alternative Systems Assessment Program. In response to GAO contentions that NRC was not sufficiently involved in these two assessments, a NRC study was initiated, with emphasis on legal and institutional factors. Objectives were to examine multinational fuel cycle facilities, potential effects on the US/IAEA agreement, development of an algorithm for ranking potential fuel cycles, and potential licensing of candidate fuel cycles. This anthology represents the products of this study which has been conducted between 1979 and 1981

Factors Influencing And Alternative Policies Offered Of Social Conflicts Indigenous Peoples Rights

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saiful Deni

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This paper is a review of the social conflicts of indigenous peoples especially in North Maluku. The purpose of this review is to find out some factors causing indigenous peoples social conflicts in North Maluku and to produce alternative solutions as a policy to develop indigenous peoples livelihoods. The review resulted in several factors causing social conflicts of indigenous peoples such as the unclear boundary between the two parties the customary violations by the forest businessmen the injustice of the law enforcement officers in solving the problems the destruction of the indigenous people and the forest community narrow forest the lack positive contribution of forest management so far to indigenous peoples and forest communities companies do not involve indigenous peoples andor forest communities in forest exploitation destruction of customary buildings as places of worship deforestation timber exploitation while timber by indigenous peoples is sacred wood or abstinence to be felled. Alternative solutions are required by local government such as policy on legal recognition of indigenous peoples indigenous peoples empowerment implementation of indigenous peoples aspirations indigenous peoples economic development based on local wisdom and dispute resolution of indigenous peoples through special courts of a holistic nature.

IMPROVING MODEL OF CHANNEL AIRBORN ELECTRICAL POWER SYSTEM OF ALTERNATING CURRENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu. P. Artemenko

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This article is devoted to math modeling of channel of alternating current airborne electrical power-supply system. Mathematical modeling of generator, voltage regulator, constant speed drive is considered.

Development and Validation of Linear Alternator Models for the Advanced Stirling Convertor

Science.gov (United States)

Metscher, Jonathan F.; Lewandowski, Edward J.

2015-01-01

Two models of the linear alternator of the Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC) have been developed using the Sage 1-D modeling software package. The first model relates the piston motion to electric current by means of a motor constant. The second uses electromagnetic model components to model the magnetic circuit of the alternator. The models are tuned and validated using test data and also compared against each other. Results show both models can be tuned to achieve results within 7 of ASC test data under normal operating conditions. Using Sage enables the creation of a complete ASC model to be developed and simulations completed quickly compared to more complex multi-dimensional models. These models allow for better insight into overall Stirling convertor performance, aid with Stirling power system modeling, and in the future support NASA mission planning for Stirling-based power systems.

Developing a Hierarchical Decision Model to Evaluate Nuclear Power Plant Alternative Siting Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Lingga, Marwan Mossa

A strong trend of returning to nuclear power is evident in different places in the world. Forty-five countries are planning to add nuclear power to their grids and more than 66 nuclear power plants are under construction. Nuclear power plants that generate electricity and steam need to improve safety to become more acceptable to governments and the public. One novel practical solution to increase nuclear power plants' safety factor is to build them away from urban areas, such as offshore or underground. To date, Land-Based siting is the dominant option for siting all commercial operational nuclear power plants. However, the literature reveals several options for building nuclear power plants in safer sitings than Land-Based sitings. The alternatives are several and each has advantages and disadvantages, and it is difficult to distinguish among them and choose the best for a specific project. In this research, we recall the old idea of using the alternatives of offshore and underground sitings for new nuclear power plants and propose a tool to help in choosing the best siting technology. This research involved the development of a decision model for evaluating several potential nuclear power plant siting technologies, both those that are currently available and future ones. The decision model was developed based on the Hierarchical Decision Modeling (HDM) methodology. The model considers five major dimensions, social, technical, economic, environmental, and political (STEEP), and their related criteria and sub-criteria. The model was designed and developed by the author, and its elements' validation and evaluation were done by a large number of experts in the field of nuclear energy. The decision model was applied in evaluating five potential siting technologies and ranked the Natural Island as the best in comparison to Land-Based, Floating Plant, Artificial Island, and Semi-Embedded plant.

Research Capabilities Directed to all Electric Engineering Teachers, from an Alternative Energy Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Víctor Hugo Ordóñez Navea

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this work was to contemplate research capabilities directed to all electric engineering teachers from an alternative energy model intro the explanation of a semiconductor in the National Training Program in Electricity. Some authors, such as. Vidal (2016, Atencio (2014 y Camilo (2012 point out to technological applications with semiconductor electrical devices. In this way; a diagnostic phase is presented, held on this field research as a descriptive type about: a how to identify the necessities of alternative energies, and b The research competences in the alternatives energies of researcher from a solar cell model, to boost and innovate the academic praxis and technologic ingenuity. Themselves was applied a survey for a group of 15 teachers in the National Program of Formation in electricity to diagnose the deficiencies in the research area of alternatives energies. The process of data analysis was carried out through descriptive statistic. Later the conclusions are presented the need to generate strategies for stimulate and propose exploration of alternatives energies to the development of research competences directed to the teachers of electrical engineering for develop the research competences in the enforcement of the teachers exercise for the electric engineering, from an alternative energy model and boost the technologic research in the renewal energies field.

Can the Stephani model be an alternative to FRW accelerating models?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Godlowski, Wlodzimierz; Stelmach, Jerzy; Szydlowski, Marek

2004-01-01

A class of Stephani cosmological models as a prototype of a non-homogeneous universe is considered. The non-homogeneity can lead to accelerated evolution, which is now observed from the SNe Ia data. Three samples of type Ia supernovae obtained by Perlmutter et al, Tonry et al and Knop et al are taken into account. Different statistical methods (best fits as well as maximum likelihood method) to obtain estimation for the model parameters are used. The Stephani model is considered as an alternative to the ΛCDM model in the explanation of the present acceleration of the universe. The model explains the acceleration of the universe at the same level of accuracy as the ΛCDM model (χ 2 statistics are comparable). From the best fit analysis it follows that the Stephani model is characterized by a higher value of density parameter Ω m0 than the ΛCDM model. It is also shown that the model is consistent with the location of CMB peaks

Clinical Utility of the DSM-5 Alternative Model of Personality Disorders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bach, Bo; Markon, Kristian; Simonsen, Erik

2015-01-01

In Section III, Emerging Measures and Models, DSM-5 presents an Alternative Model of Personality Disorders, which is an empirically based model of personality pathology measured with the Level of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS) and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5). These novel...... instruments assess level of personality impairment and pathological traits. Objective. A number of studies have supported the psychometric qualities of the LPFS and the PID-5, but the utility of these instruments in clinical assessment and treatment has not been extensively evaluated. The goal of this study...... was to evaluate the clinical utility of this alternative model of personality disorders. Method. We administered the LPFS and the PID-5 to psychiatric outpatients diagnosed with personality disorders and other nonpsychotic disorders. The personality profiles of six characteristic patients were inspected...

Functions for fission yeast splicing factors SpSlu7 and SpPrp18 in alternative splice-site choice and stress-specific regulated splicing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geetha Melangath

Full Text Available Budding yeast spliceosomal factors ScSlu7 and ScPrp18 interact and mediate intron 3'ss choice during second step pre-mRNA splicing. The fission yeast genome with abundant multi-intronic transcripts, degenerate splice signals and SR proteins is an apt unicellular fungal model to deduce roles for core spliceosomal factors in alternative splice-site choice, intron retention and to study the cellular implications of regulated splicing. From our custom microarray data we deduce a stringent reproducible subset of S. pombe alternative events. We examined the role of factors SpSlu7 or SpPrp18 for these splice events and investigated the relationship to growth phase and stress. Wild-type log and stationary phase cells showed ats1+ exon 3 skipped and intron 3 retained transcripts. Interestingly the non-consensus 5'ss in ats1+ intron 3 caused SpSlu7 and SpPrp18 dependent intron retention. We validated the use of an alternative 5'ss in dtd1+ intron 1 and of an upstream alternative 3'ss in DUF3074 intron 1. The dtd1+ intron 1 non-canonical 5'ss yielded an alternative mRNA whose levels increased in stationary phase. Utilization of dtd1+ intron 1 sub-optimal 5' ss required functional SpPrp18 and SpSlu7 while compromise in SpSlu7 function alone hampered the selection of the DUF3074 intron 1 non canonical 3'ss. We analysed the relative abundance of these splice isoforms during mild thermal, oxidative and heavy metal stress and found stress-specific splice patterns for ats1+ and DUF3074 intron 1 some of which were SpSlu7 and SpPrp18 dependent. By studying ats1+ splice isoforms during compromised transcription elongation rates in wild-type, spslu7-2 and spprp18-5 mutant cells we found dynamic and intron context-specific effects in splice-site choice. Our work thus shows the combinatorial effects of splice site strength, core splicing factor functions and transcription elongation kinetics to dictate alternative splice patterns which in turn serve as an additional

Alternative management structures for municipal waste collection services: The influence of economic and political factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plata-Díaz, Ana María; Zafra-Gómez, José Luis; Pérez-López, Gemma; López-Hernández, Antonio Manuel

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We analyzed the factors that influence on the restructuring of MSW services. • We evaluated five different alternatives for public and private service. • Our analysis covers a broad time horizon, 2002–2010. • We used a conditional fixed-effects logistic regression as the evaluation method. • Municipalities tend to contract out the MSW service in the presence of high costs and fiscal stress. - Abstract: Identifying and characterising the factors that determine why a local authority opts for a particular way of managing its waste collection service is an important issue, warranting research interest in the field of municipal solid waste (MSW) management. This paper presents empirical evidence spanning a broad time horizon (2002–2010) showing that economic and political factors impact in different ways on the provision of waste management services. We examine five alternatives in this area, including public and private service delivery formulas and, within each field, individual and joint options. Our findings highlight the importance of the service cost and that of the various indicators of fiscal stress as determinant factors of management decisions regarding the provision of MSW management services

Alternative management structures for municipal waste collection services: The influence of economic and political factors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Plata-Díaz, Ana María, E-mail: amplata@ugr.es; Zafra-Gómez, José Luis, E-mail: jlzafra@ugr.es; Pérez-López, Gemma, E-mail: gemmapl@ugr.es; López-Hernández, Antonio Manuel, E-mail: alopezh@ugr.es

2014-11-15

Highlights: • We analyzed the factors that influence on the restructuring of MSW services. • We evaluated five different alternatives for public and private service. • Our analysis covers a broad time horizon, 2002–2010. • We used a conditional fixed-effects logistic regression as the evaluation method. • Municipalities tend to contract out the MSW service in the presence of high costs and fiscal stress. - Abstract: Identifying and characterising the factors that determine why a local authority opts for a particular way of managing its waste collection service is an important issue, warranting research interest in the field of municipal solid waste (MSW) management. This paper presents empirical evidence spanning a broad time horizon (2002–2010) showing that economic and political factors impact in different ways on the provision of waste management services. We examine five alternatives in this area, including public and private service delivery formulas and, within each field, individual and joint options. Our findings highlight the importance of the service cost and that of the various indicators of fiscal stress as determinant factors of management decisions regarding the provision of MSW management services.

Production of new vector bosons from alternative models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiappetta, P.; Fiandrino, A.; Taxil, P.

1992-01-01

Some effective alternative models are considered, introduced on the basis of compositeness, which are based on SU(2) WI weak isospin symmetry broken down explicitly to U(1) em via the mixing of the photon with the mental member W (3) of on SU(2) WI triplet of vector bosons. Besides W + ,W - and Z isoscalar neutral vectors, Y(Y L ) can be added which couple to the fuel hypercharge current or only to its left-handed part. Both Y and Y L models are tested. (K.A.) 9 refs., 4 figs

Alternative Liquid Fuels Simulation Model (AltSim).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, Ryan; Baker, Arnold Barry; Drennen, Thomas E.

2009-12-01

The Alternative Liquid Fuels Simulation Model (AltSim) is a high-level dynamic simulation model which calculates and compares the production and end use costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy balances of several alternative liquid transportation fuels. These fuels include: corn ethanol, cellulosic ethanol from various feedstocks (switchgrass, corn stover, forest residue, and farmed trees), biodiesel, and diesels derived from natural gas (gas to liquid, or GTL), coal (coal to liquid, or CTL), and coal with biomass (CBTL). AltSim allows for comprehensive sensitivity analyses on capital costs, operation and maintenance costs, renewable and fossil fuel feedstock costs, feedstock conversion ratio, financial assumptions, tax credits, CO{sub 2} taxes, and plant capacity factor. This paper summarizes the structure and methodology of AltSim, presents results, and provides a detailed sensitivity analysis. The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 sets a goal for the increased use of biofuels in the U.S., ultimately reaching 36 billion gallons by 2022. AltSim's base case assumes EPA projected feedstock costs in 2022 (EPA, 2009). For the base case assumptions, AltSim estimates per gallon production costs for the five ethanol feedstocks (corn, switchgrass, corn stover, forest residue, and farmed trees) of $1.86, $2.32, $2.45, $1.52, and $1.91, respectively. The projected production cost of biodiesel is $1.81/gallon. The estimates for CTL without biomass range from $1.36 to $2.22. With biomass, the estimated costs increase, ranging from $2.19 per gallon for the CTL option with 8% biomass to $2.79 per gallon for the CTL option with 30% biomass and carbon capture and sequestration. AltSim compares the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) associated with both the production and consumption of the various fuels. EISA allows fuels emitting 20% less greenhouse gases (GHG) than conventional gasoline and diesels to qualify as renewable fuels. This allows several of the

Alternative Public Service Delivery Models in Health, Water and ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

This project seeks to analyze health, water and electricity delivery models in Africa, Asia and Latin America in order to identify and document successful alternatives to commercialization. ... Contradictions in municipal transformation from apartheid to democracy : the battle over local water privatization in South Africa.

Uncertain hybrid model for the response calculation of an alternator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuczkowiak, Antoine

2014-01-01

The complex structural dynamic behavior of alternator must be well understood in order to insure their reliable and safe operation. The numerical model is however difficult to construct mainly due to the presence of a high level of uncertainty. The objective of this work is to provide decision support tools in order to assess the vibratory levels in operation before to restart the alternator. Based on info-gap theory, a first decision support tool is proposed: the objective here is to assess the robustness of the dynamical response to the uncertain modal model. Based on real data, the calibration of an info-gap model of uncertainty is also proposed in order to enhance its fidelity to reality. Then, the extended constitutive relation error is used to expand identified mode shapes which are used to assess the vibratory levels. The robust expansion process is proposed in order to obtain robust expanded mode shapes to parametric uncertainties. In presence of lack-of knowledge, the trade-off between fidelity-to-data and robustness-to-uncertainties which expresses that robustness improves as fidelity deteriorates is emphasized on an industrial structure by using both reduced order model and surrogate model techniques. (author)

Rethinking borders in a mobile world: An alternative model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Walther, Olivier; Retaillé, Denis

2015-01-01

national borders. The second section elaborates the fundamentals of an alternative model that is not reliant, as is classical spatial analysis, on points, lines and surfaces to represent movement. The article then presents three types of limits: the confines, the threshold and the horizon, which result...

Rethinking borders in a mobile world: An alternative model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Walther, Olivier; Retaillé, Denis

national borders. The second section elaborates the fundamentals of an alternative model that is not reliant, as is classical spatial analysis, on points, lines and surfaces to represent movement. The article then presents three types of limits: the confines, the threshold and the horizon, which result...

Alternative Public Service Delivery Models in Health, Water and ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

This project seeks to analyze health, water and electricity delivery models in Africa, Asia and Latin America in order to identify and document successful alternatives to commercialization. Researchers will draw up a set of ... Documents. Environmental and water management law in post-apartheid South Africa. Documents.

Alternative models of DSM-5 PTSD

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Murphy, Siobhan; Hansen, Maj; Elklit, Ask

2018-01-01

estimated within a confirmatory factor analytic framework using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Data were analysed from a Malaysian adolescent community sample (n=481) of which 61.7% were female, with a mean age of 17.03 years. The results indicated that all models provided satisfactory model fit...

Alternative conceptions, memory, & mental models in physics education

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Gyoungho; Shin, Jongho; Park, Jiyeon; Song, Sangho; Kim, Yeounsoo; Bao, Lei

2005-09-01

There are two somewhat independent research traditions, which converge to suggest a form of students' knowledge: alternative conceptions and mental models. However we have little literature that explains what they are different from each other and from memory. This study tried to describe these issues with some thoughts about how cognitive psychology and science education approaches can be best synthesized in order to approach these questions.

From the Osterwalder canvas to an alternative business model representation

OpenAIRE

Verrue, Johan

2015-01-01

The Osterwalder business model canvas (BMC) is used by many entrepreneurs, managers, consultants and business schools. In our research we have investigated whether the canvas is a valid instrument for gaining an in-depth, accurate insight into business models. Therefore we have performed initial multiple case study research which concluded that the canvas does not generate valid business model (BM) representations. In our second multiple case study, we have constructed an alternative BM frame...

Resveratrol, by modulating RNA processing factor levels, can influence the alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs.

Science.gov (United States)

Markus, M Andrea; Marques, Francine Z; Morris, Brian J

2011-01-01

Alternative pre-mRNA splicing defects can contribute to, or result from, various diseases, including cancer. Aberrant mRNAs, splicing factors and other RNA processing factors have therefore become targets for new therapeutic interventions. Here we report that the natural polyphenol resveratrol can modulate alternative splicing in a target-specific manner. We transfected minigenes of several alternatively spliceable primary mRNAs into HEK293 cells in the presence or absence of 1, 5, 20 and 50 µM resveratrol and measured exon levels by semi-quantitative PCR after separation by agarose gel electrophoresis. We found that 20 µg/ml and 50 µg/ml of resveratrol affected exon inclusion of SRp20 and SMN2 pre-mRNAs, but not CD44v5 or tau pre-mRNAs. By Western blotting and immunofluorescence we showed that this effect may be due to the ability of resveratrol to change the protein level but not the localization of several RNA processing factors. The processing factors that increased significantly were ASF/SF2, hnRNPA1 and HuR, but resveratrol did not change the levels of RBM4, PTBP1 and U2AF35. By means of siRNA-mediated knockdown we depleted cells of SIRT1, regarded as a major target of resveratrol, and showed that the effect on splicing was not dependent on SIRT1. Our results suggest that resveratrol might be an attractive small molecule to treat diseases in which aberrant splicing has been implicated, and justify more extensive research on the effects of resveratrol on the splicing machinery.

Assessing alternative options for allocating oil revenue in Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barkhordar, Zahra A.; Saboohi, Yadollah

2013-01-01

The present paper focuses on medium-term effects of alternative windfall management strategies for a resource abundant country where the resource revenues are expected to last over a prolonged period. In particular, the trade-off between spending and saving is analyzed within the framework of a recursive dynamic computable general equilibrium model. The model is further validated against historical data available for 2001–2010. The total factor productivity is calculated endogenously in the model based on a function that reflects the changes in factor productivity. The results suggest that saving oil revenues, whether in an oil fund or through physical investment in domestic sectors, leads to a higher economic growth. However, physical investment is superior in the short to medium term based on the resultant GDP while creating an oil fund might be more beneficial in the post oil era. - Highlights: • A recursive dynamic general equilibrium model is applied for Iran. • The total factor productivity is calculated endogenously. • Alternative revenue allocation options are investigated. • Physical investment of oil windfalls leads to higher economic growth in medium run. • Financial investment of oil revenues leads to higher economic growth in long run

Atmospheric emissions modeling of energetic biomass alternatives using system dynamics approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szarka, N.; University of Concepcion; Kakucs, O.; Wolfbauer, J.; Bezama, A.

2008-01-01

To simulate the quantitative effects of regional biomass alternatives for energetic purpose (BfE) on air pollutant emissions, a system dynamics model was developed and applied for the EuRegion Austrian-Hungarian cross-border area. The dynamic simulation program Vensim R was used to build an overall regional model with economic, social and environmental sectors. Within this model, the here-introduced regional air pollution sub-model (RegAir) includes the important human-made emissions of 10 pollutants resulting from all relevant source sectors within the region investigated. Emissions from activities related to biomass production, transport, conversion and final energy consumption were built in detail. After building and calibrating the RegAir model, seven quantitative test scenarios were defined and implemented into the world. Through the scenarios simulation, effects on air emissions were followed and compared over time. The results of these simulations show a significant reduction of CO 2 emission, especially in cases where fossil fuel displacement in heating devices is achieved on the largest scale. On the contrary, traditional air pollutants increase by most BfE options. The results of the RegAir model simulations of BfE alternatives over two decades provide useful quantifications of various air emissions and identify the less pollutant BfE alternatives in the dynamic context of the relevant air pollution sources of the region. After minor structural modification and appropriate calibration, RegAir can be applied to other regions as well. However, it is stated that, to finally decide on the overall most-appropriate options at a regional level, other environmental as well as economic and social effects must be taken into consideration, being the latter the goal of the mentioned overall regional model which serves as a model frame to the RegAir tool. (author)

Factors affecting forward pricing behaviour: implications of alternative regression model specifications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henry Jordaan

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Price risk associated with maize production became a reason for concern in South Africa only after the deregulation of the agricultural commodities markets in the mid-1990s, when farmers became responsible for marketing their own crops. Although farmers can use, inter alia, the cash forward contracting and/or the derivatives market to manage price risk, few farmers actually participate in forward pricing. A similar reluctance to use forward pricing methods is also found internationally. A number of different model specifications have been used in previous research to model forward pricing behaviour which is based on the assumption that the same variables influence both the adoption and the quantity decision. This study compares the results from a model specification which models forward pricing behaviour in a single-decision framework with the results from modelling the quantity decision conditional to the adoption decision in a two-step approach. The results suggest that substantially more information is obtained by modelling forward pricing behaviour as two separate decisions rather than a single decision. Such information may be valuable in educational material compiled to educate farmers in the effective use of forward pricing methods in price risk management. Modelling forward pricing behaviour as two separate decisions  is thus a more effective means of modelling forward pricing behaviour than modelling it as a single decision.

Alternative model of thrust-fault propagation

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenstadt, Gloria; de Paor, Declan G.

1987-07-01

A widely accepted explanation for the geometry of thrust faults is that initial failures occur on deeply buried planes of weak rock and that thrust faults propagate toward the surface along a staircase trajectory. We propose an alternative model that applies Gretener's beam-failure mechanism to a multilayered sequence. Invoking compatibility conditions, which demand that a thrust propagate both upsection and downsection, we suggest that ramps form first, at shallow levels, and are subsequently connected by flat faults. This hypothesis also explains the formation of many minor structures associated with thrusts, such as backthrusts, wedge structures, pop-ups, and duplexes, and provides a unified conceptual framework in which to evaluate field observations.

Limits of Risk Predictability in a Cascading Alternating Renewal Process Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Xin; Moussawi, Alaa; Korniss, Gyorgy; Bakdash, Jonathan Z; Szymanski, Boleslaw K

2017-07-27

Most risk analysis models systematically underestimate the probability and impact of catastrophic events (e.g., economic crises, natural disasters, and terrorism) by not taking into account interconnectivity and interdependence of risks. To address this weakness, we propose the Cascading Alternating Renewal Process (CARP) to forecast interconnected global risks. However, assessments of the model's prediction precision are limited by lack of sufficient ground truth data. Here, we establish prediction precision as a function of input data size by using alternative long ground truth data generated by simulations of the CARP model with known parameters. We illustrate the approach on a model of fires in artificial cities assembled from basic city blocks with diverse housing. The results confirm that parameter recovery variance exhibits power law decay as a function of the length of available ground truth data. Using CARP, we also demonstrate estimation using a disparate dataset that also has dependencies: real-world prediction precision for the global risk model based on the World Economic Forum Global Risk Report. We conclude that the CARP model is an efficient method for predicting catastrophic cascading events with potential applications to emerging local and global interconnected risks.

Psychosocial job factors and biological cardiovascular risk factors in Mexican workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Rojas, Isabel Judith; Choi, BongKyoo; Krause, Niklas

2015-03-01

Psychosocial job factors (PJF) have been implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease. The paucity of data from developing economies including Mexico hampers the development of worksite intervention efforts in those regions. This cross-sectional study of 2,330 Mexican workers assessed PJF (job strain [JS], social support [SS], and job insecurity [JI]) and biological cardiovascular disease risk factors [CVDRF] by questionnaire and on-site physical examinations. Alternative formulations of the JS scales were developed based on factor analysis and literature review. Associations between both traditional and alternative job factor scales with CVDRF were examined in multiple regression models, adjusting for physical workload, and socio-demographic factors. Alternative formulations of the job demand and control scales resulted in substantial changes in effect sizes or statistical significance when compared with the original scales. JS and JI showed hypothesized associations with most CVDRF, but they were inversely associated with diastolic blood pressure and some adiposity measures. SS was mainly protective against CVDRF. Among Mexican workers, alternative PJF scales predicted health outcomes better than traditional scales, and psychosocial stressors were associated with most CVDRF. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Assessment of alternative fuel and powertrain transit bus options using real-world operations data: Life-cycle fuel and emissions modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Yanzhi; Gbologah, Franklin E.; Lee, Dong-Yeon; Liu, Haobing; Rodgers, Michael O.; Guensler, Randall L.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We present a practical fuel and emissions modeling tool for alternative fuel buses. • The model assesses well-to-wheels emissions impacts of bus fleet decisions. • Mode-based approach is used to account for duty cycles and local conditions. • A case study using real-world operations data from Atlanta, GA is presented. • Impacts of alternative bus options depend on operating and geographic features. - Abstract: Hybrid and electric powertrains and alternative fuels (e.g., compressed natural gas (CNG), biodiesel, or hydrogen) can often reduce energy consumption and emissions from transit bus operations relative to conventional diesel. However, the magnitude of these energy and emissions savings can vary significantly, due to local conditions and transit operating characteristics. This paper introduces the transit Fuel and Emissions Calculator (FEC), a mode-based life-cycle emissions modeling tool for transit bus and rail technologies that compares the performance of multiple alternative fuels and powertrains across a range of operational characteristics and conditions. The purpose of the FEC is to provide a practical, yet technically sophisticated tool for regulatory agencies and policy analysts in assessing transit fleet options. The FEC’s modal modeling approach estimates emissions as a function of engine load, which in turn is a function of transit service parameters, including duty cycle (idling and speed-acceleration profile), road grade, and passenger loading. This approach allows for customized assessments that account for local conditions. Direct emissions estimates are derived from the scaled tractive power (STP) operating mode bins and emissions factors employed in the U.S. EPA’s MOVES (MOtor Vehicle Emissions Simulator) model. Life-cycle emissions estimates are calculated using emissions factors from the GREET (Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation) model. The case study presented in this paper

Resveratrol, by modulating RNA processing factor levels, can influence the alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Andrea Markus

Full Text Available Alternative pre-mRNA splicing defects can contribute to, or result from, various diseases, including cancer. Aberrant mRNAs, splicing factors and other RNA processing factors have therefore become targets for new therapeutic interventions. Here we report that the natural polyphenol resveratrol can modulate alternative splicing in a target-specific manner. We transfected minigenes of several alternatively spliceable primary mRNAs into HEK293 cells in the presence or absence of 1, 5, 20 and 50 µM resveratrol and measured exon levels by semi-quantitative PCR after separation by agarose gel electrophoresis. We found that 20 µg/ml and 50 µg/ml of resveratrol affected exon inclusion of SRp20 and SMN2 pre-mRNAs, but not CD44v5 or tau pre-mRNAs. By Western blotting and immunofluorescence we showed that this effect may be due to the ability of resveratrol to change the protein level but not the localization of several RNA processing factors. The processing factors that increased significantly were ASF/SF2, hnRNPA1 and HuR, but resveratrol did not change the levels of RBM4, PTBP1 and U2AF35. By means of siRNA-mediated knockdown we depleted cells of SIRT1, regarded as a major target of resveratrol, and showed that the effect on splicing was not dependent on SIRT1. Our results suggest that resveratrol might be an attractive small molecule to treat diseases in which aberrant splicing has been implicated, and justify more extensive research on the effects of resveratrol on the splicing machinery.

Assessing posttraumatic stress disorder's latent structure in elderly bereaved European trauma survivors: evidence for a five-factor dysphoric and anxious arousal model.

Science.gov (United States)

Armour, Cherie; O'Connor, Maja; Elklit, Ask; Elhai, Jon D

2013-10-01

The three-factor structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) specified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, is not supported in the empirical literature. Two alternative four-factor models have received a wealth of empirical support. However, a consensus regarding which is superior has not been reached. A recent five-factor model has been shown to provide superior fit over the existing four-factor models. The present study investigated the fit of the five-factor model against the existing four-factor models and assessed the resultant factors' association with depression in a bereaved European trauma sample (N = 325). The participants were assessed for PTSD via the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and depression via the Beck Depression Inventory. The five-factor model provided superior fit to the data compared with the existing four-factor models. In the dysphoric arousal model, depression was equally related to both dysphoric arousal and emotional numbing, whereas depression was more related to dysphoric arousal than to anxious arousal.

An Alternative Theoretical Model for Economic Reforms in Africa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper offers an alternative model for economic reforms in Africa. It proposes that Africa can still get on the pathway of sustained economic growth if economic reforms can focus on a key variable, namely, the price of non-tradables. Prices of non-tradables are generally less in Africa than in advanced economies, and the ...

Janez Rugelj's alternative therapeutic community after the five-factor model of personality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Judita Bagon

2000-12-01

Full Text Available The Alternative Therapeutic Community (ATC of Dr. J. Rugelj is a specific social community consisting of people in distress (always consisting of about 120 people, who have all been handicapped in their lives in one way or another. The group is also specific because of their way towards recovery, i.e., intensively reactivating the mecanisms of healthy life to surmount their psychical and social deficiency. The results of measuring the structure of personality according to BFQ – the "Big Five" model of personality – show that the ATC as a whole achieves lower scores than the normal population on all dimensions and subdimensions. The difference is statistically significant regarding the dimension of Emotional stability as well as the subdimension Emotional control. The ATC is not a uniform group, so the results differ according to the diagnosis. The members with the diagnosis of 'a neurotic' or 'a psychotic' achieve below-average results, while the accompanying members achieve similar results as the control group (selected from the non-members of the ATC. The results of the members diagnosed as 'an alcoholic' are somewhat surprising – they do not differ considerably on any dimension or subdimension from the results achieved by the control group – not even on the Emotional stability scale. As regards the total period of staying in the program, the results of subdimensions remain mostly unchanged. However, during the time spent in the program the results on the subdimensions change: the group which has been in the program for 1 to 2 years generally scores higher than the group of beginners (the difference is statistically significant only for the dimension Emotional control, but the results of the group participating in the program for longer time (more than three years are lower again, until they stabilize in the central position (T=50. The results on theHonesty scale (which may also show positive or negative self-image show no

Linking linear programming and spatial simulation models to predict landscape effects of forest management alternatives

Science.gov (United States)

Eric J. Gustafson; L. Jay Roberts; Larry A. Leefers

2006-01-01

Forest management planners require analytical tools to assess the effects of alternative strategies on the sometimes disparate benefits from forests such as timber production and wildlife habitat. We assessed the spatial patterns of alternative management strategies by linking two models that were developed for different purposes. We used a linear programming model (...

An alternative to the search for single polymorphisms: toward molecular personality scales for the five-factor model.

Science.gov (United States)

McCrae, Robert R; Scally, Matthew; Terracciano, Antonio; Abecasis, Gonçalo R; Costa, Paul T

2010-12-01

There is growing evidence that personality traits are affected by many genes, all of which have very small effects. As an alternative to the largely unsuccessful search for individual polymorphisms associated with personality traits, the authors identified large sets of potentially related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and summed them to form molecular personality scales (MPSs) with from 4 to 2,497 SNPs. Scales were derived from two thirds of a large (N = 3,972) sample of individuals from Sardinia who completed the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (P. T. Costa, Jr., & R. R. McCrae, 1992) and were assessed in a genomewide association scan. When MPSs were correlated with the phenotype in the remaining one third of the sample, very small but significant associations were found for 4 of the 5e personality factors when the longest scales were examined. These data suggest that MPSs for Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness (but not Extraversion) contain genetic information that can be refined in future studies, and the procedures described here should be applicable to other quantitative traits. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Alternative Approaches to Technical Efficiency Estimation in the Stochastic Frontier Model

OpenAIRE

Acquah, H. de-Graft; Onumah, E. E.

2014-01-01

Estimating the stochastic frontier model and calculating technical efficiency of decision making units are of great importance in applied production economic works. This paper estimates technical efficiency from the stochastic frontier model using Jondrow, and Battese and Coelli approaches. In order to compare alternative methods, simulated data with sample sizes of 60 and 200 are generated from stochastic frontier model commonly applied to agricultural firms. Simulated data is employed to co...

Should All Patients Be Included in Alternative Payment Models for Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty and Total Knee Arthroplasty?

Science.gov (United States)

Rozell, Joshua C; Courtney, Paul M; Dattilo, Jonathan R; Wu, Chia H; Lee, Gwo-Chin

2016-09-01

Alternative payment models in total joint replacement incentivize cost effective health care delivery and reward reductions in length of stay (LOS), complications, and readmissions. If not adjusted for patient comorbidities, they may encourage restrictive access to health care. We prospectively evaluated 802 consecutive primary total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty patients evaluating comorbidities associated with increased LOS and readmissions. During this 9-month period, 115 patients (14.3%) required hospitalization >3 days and 16 (1.99%) were readmitted within 90 days. Univariate analysis demonstrated that preoperative narcotic use, heart failure, stroke, chronic kidney disease (CKD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and liver disease were more likely to require hospitalization >3 days. In multivariate analysis, CKD and COPD were independent risk factors for LOS >3 days. A Charlson comorbidity index >5 points was associated with increased LOS and readmissions. Patients with CKD, COPD, and Charlson comorbidity index >5 points should not be included in alternative payment model for THA and TKA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The adaptive nature of the human neurocognitive architecture: an alternative model.

Science.gov (United States)

La Cerra, P; Bingham, R

1998-09-15

The model of the human neurocognitive architecture proposed by evolutionary psychologists is based on the presumption that the demands of hunter-gatherer life generated a vast array of cognitive adaptations. Here we present an alternative model. We argue that the problems inherent in the biological markets of ancestral hominids and their mammalian predecessors would have required an adaptively flexible, on-line information-processing system, and would have driven the evolution of a functionally plastic neural substrate, the neocortex, rather than a confederation of evolutionarily prespecified social cognitive adaptations. In alignment with recent neuroscientific evidence, we suggest that human cognitive processes result from the activation of constructed cortical representational networks, which reflect probabilistic relationships between sensory inputs, behavioral responses, and adaptive outcomes. The developmental construction and experiential modification of these networks are mediated by subcortical circuitries that are responsive to the life history regulatory system. As a consequence, these networks are intrinsically adaptively constrained. The theoretical and research implications of this alternative evolutionary model are discussed.

Consumer preferences for alternative fuel vehicles: Comparing a utility maximization and a regret minimization model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chorus, Caspar G.; Koetse, Mark J.; Hoen, Anco

2013-01-01

This paper presents a utility-based and a regret-based model of consumer preferences for alternative fuel vehicles, based on a large-scale stated choice-experiment held among company car leasers in The Netherlands. Estimation and application of random utility maximization and random regret minimization discrete choice models shows that while the two models achieve almost identical fit with the data and differ only marginally in terms of predictive ability, they generate rather different choice probability-simulations and policy implications. The most eye-catching difference between the two models is that the random regret minimization model accommodates a compromise-effect, as it assigns relatively high choice probabilities to alternative fuel vehicles that perform reasonably well on each dimension instead of having a strong performance on some dimensions and a poor performance on others. - Highlights: • Utility- and regret-based models of preferences for alternative fuel vehicles. • Estimation based on stated choice-experiment among Dutch company car leasers. • Models generate rather different choice probabilities and policy implications. • Regret-based model accommodates a compromise-effect

Towards an alternative evolution model.

Science.gov (United States)

van Waesberghe, H

1982-01-01

Lamarck and Darwin agreed on the inconstancy of species and on the exclusive gradualism of evolution (nature does not jump). Darwinism, revived as neo-Darwinism, was almost generally accepted from about 1930 till 1960. In the sixties the evolutionary importance of selection has been called in question by the neutralists. The traditional conception of the gene is disarranged by recent molecular-biological findings. Owing to the increasing confusion about the concept of genotype, this concept is reconsidered. The idea of the genotype as a cluster of genes is replaced by a cybernetical interpretation of the genotype. As nature does jump, exclusive gradualism is dismissed. Saltatory evolution is a natural phenomenon, provided by a sudden collapse of the thresholds which resist against evolution. The fossil record and the taxonomic system call for a macromutational interpretation. As Lamarck and Darwin overlooked the resistance of evolutionary thresholds, an alternative evolution model is needed, the first to be constructed on a palaeontological and taxonomic basis.

GY SAMPLING THEORY AND GEOSTATISTICS: ALTERNATE MODELS OF VARIABILITY IN CONTINUOUS MEDIA

Science.gov (United States)

In the sampling theory developed by Pierre Gy, sample variability is modeled as the sum of a set of seven discrete error components. The variogram used in geostatisties provides an alternate model in which several of Gy's error components are combined in a continuous mode...

The effect of alternative seismotectonic models on PSHA results - a sensitivity study for two sites in Israel

Science.gov (United States)

Avital, Matan; Kamai, Ronnie; Davis, Michael; Dor, Ory

2018-02-01

We present a full probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) sensitivity analysis for two sites in southern Israel - one in the near field of a major fault system and one farther away. The PSHA analysis is conducted for alternative source representations, using alternative model parameters for the main seismic sources, such as slip rate and Mmax, among others. The analysis also considers the effect of the ground motion prediction equation (GMPE) on the hazard results. In this way, the two types of epistemic uncertainty - modelling uncertainty and parametric uncertainty - are treated and addressed. We quantify the uncertainty propagation by testing its influence on the final calculated hazard, such that the controlling knowledge gaps are identified and can be treated in future studies. We find that current practice in Israel, as represented by the current version of the building code, grossly underestimates the hazard, by approximately 40 % in short return periods (e.g. 10 % in 50 years) and by as much as 150 % in long return periods (e.g. 10E-5). The analysis shows that this underestimation is most probably due to a combination of factors, including source definitions as well as the GMPE used for analysis.

Skewed factor models using selection mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Kim, Hyoung-Moon

2015-12-21

Traditional factor models explicitly or implicitly assume that the factors follow a multivariate normal distribution; that is, only moments up to order two are involved. However, it may happen in real data problems that the first two moments cannot explain the factors. Based on this motivation, here we devise three new skewed factor models, the skew-normal, the skew-tt, and the generalized skew-normal factor models depending on a selection mechanism on the factors. The ECME algorithms are adopted to estimate related parameters for statistical inference. Monte Carlo simulations validate our new models and we demonstrate the need for skewed factor models using the classic open/closed book exam scores dataset.

Skewed factor models using selection mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Kim, Hyoung-Moon; Maadooliat, Mehdi; Arellano-Valle, Reinaldo B.; Genton, Marc G.

2015-01-01

Traditional factor models explicitly or implicitly assume that the factors follow a multivariate normal distribution; that is, only moments up to order two are involved. However, it may happen in real data problems that the first two moments cannot explain the factors. Based on this motivation, here we devise three new skewed factor models, the skew-normal, the skew-tt, and the generalized skew-normal factor models depending on a selection mechanism on the factors. The ECME algorithms are adopted to estimate related parameters for statistical inference. Monte Carlo simulations validate our new models and we demonstrate the need for skewed factor models using the classic open/closed book exam scores dataset.

Life cycle models of conventional and alternative-fueled automobiles

Science.gov (United States)

Maclean, Heather Louise

This thesis reports life cycle inventories of internal combustion engine automobiles with feasible near term fuel/engine combinations. These combinations include unleaded gasoline, California Phase 2 Reformulated Gasoline, alcohol and gasoline blends (85 percent methanol or ethanol combined with 15 percent gasoline), and compressed natural gas in spark ignition direct and indirect injection engines. Additionally, I consider neat methanol and neat ethanol in spark ignition direct injection engines and diesel fuel in compression ignition direct and indirect injection engines. I investigate the potential of the above options to have a lower environmental impact than conventional gasoline-fueled automobiles, while still retaining comparable pricing and consumer benefits. More broadly, the objective is to assess whether the use of any of the alternative systems will help to lead to the goal of a more sustainable personal transportation system. The principal tool is the Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Analysis model which includes inventories of economic data, environmental discharges, and resource use. I develop a life cycle assessment framework to assemble the array of data generated by the model into three aggregate assessment parameters; economics, externalities, and vehicle attributes. The first step is to develop a set of 'comparable cars' with the alternative fuel/engine combinations, based on characteristics of a conventional 1998 gasoline-fueled Ford Taurus sedan, the baseline vehicle for the analyses. I calculate the assessment parameters assuming that these comparable cars can attain the potential thermal efficiencies estimated by experts for each fuel/engine combination. To a first approximation, there are no significant differences in the assessment parameters for the vehicle manufacture, service, fixed costs, and the end-of-life for any of the options. However, there are differences in the vehicle operation life cycle components and the state of technology

The multitrace matrix model: An alternative to Connes NCG and IKKT model in 2 dimensions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ydri, Badis, E-mail: ydri@stp.dias.ie

2016-12-10

We present a new multitrace matrix model, which is a generalization of the real quartic one matrix model, exhibiting dynamical emergence of a fuzzy two-sphere and its non-commutative gauge theory. This provides a novel and a much simpler alternative to Connes non-commutative geometry and to the IKKT matrix model for emergent geometry in two dimensions. However, in higher dimensions this mechanism is not known to exist and the systematic frameworks of NCG and IKKT are expected to hold sway.

Enhanced understanding of energy ratepayers: Factors influencing perceptions of government energy efficiency subsidies and utility alternative energy use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craig, Christopher A.; Allen, Myria W.

2014-01-01

This study explores factors related to energy consumers' perceptions of government subsidies for utility provided energy efficiency (EE) programs and for utility providers' use of more clean/alternative energy sources. Demographic factors, attitudes, planned purchases, and perceptions of utility provider motives in relation to governmental and utility provider EE initiatives (i.e. providing discounts and coupons for CFL bulbs), plus the influence of gain- and loss-framed messages are investigated. Over 2000 respondents completed a 16 item phone survey. Hierarchical regression explained 38% of the variance in reactions regarding government subsidies of the cost of utility provided EE programs and 43% of the variance in perceptions involving whether utility companies should use of more clean or alternative forms of energy. Gender and party differences emerged. Loss-framed messages were more important when the issue was government subsidies. Both gain- and loss-framed messages were important when clean/alternative energy was the issue. - Highlights: • Over 2000 ratepayers were surveyed on their attitudes, planned behaviors and perceptions towards energy efficiency programs. • Almost 40% of how ratepayers feel about government subsidies and utility use of clean/alternative energy was explained. • Loss-framed messages were more effective when the dependent variable was ratepayer perception of government subsidies

Modeling the effects of harvest alternatives on mitigating oak decline in a Central Hardwood Forest landscape

Science.gov (United States)

Wen J. Wang; Hong S. He; Martin A. Spetich; Stephen R. Shifley; Frank R. III Thompson; Jacob S. Fraser

2013-01-01

Oak decline is a process induced by complex interactions of predisposing factors, inciting factors, and contributing factors operating at tree, stand, and landscape scales. It has greatly altered species composition and stand structure in affected areas. Thinning, clearcutting, and group selection are widely adopted harvest alternatives for reducing forest...

Human factors evaluation of teletherapy: Identification of problems and alternative approaches. Volume 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henriksen, K.; Kaye, R.D.; Jones, R. [Hughes Training, Inc., Falls Church, VA (United States); Morisseau, D.S.; Serig, D.I. [Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States). Div. of Systems Technology

1995-07-01

A series of human factors evaluations was undertaken to better understand the contributing factors to human error in the teletherapy environment. Teletherapy is a multi-disciplinary methodology for treating cancerous tissue through selective exposure to an external beam of ionizing radiation. The principal sources of radiation are a radioactive isotope, typically cobalt60 (Co-60), or a linear accelerator device capable of producing very high energy x-ray and electron beams. A team of human factors specialists, assisted by a panel of radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and radiation technologists, conducted site visits to radiation oncology departments at community hospitals, university centers, and free-standing clinics. A function and task analysis was initially performed to guide subsequent evaluations in the areas of user-system interfaces, procedures, training and qualifications, and organizational policies and practices. The final phase of the project focused on identification of the most significant human factors problems with respect to safe and effective operation of the teletherapy system and an identification and assessment of alternative approaches for resolving the problems. This report presents the findings of this final phase.

Human factors evaluation of teletherapy: Identification of problems and alternative approaches. Volume 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henriksen, K.; Kaye, R.D.; Jones, R.; Morisseau, D.S.; Serig, D.I.

1995-07-01

A series of human factors evaluations was undertaken to better understand the contributing factors to human error in the teletherapy environment. Teletherapy is a multi-disciplinary methodology for treating cancerous tissue through selective exposure to an external beam of ionizing radiation. The principal sources of radiation are a radioactive isotope, typically cobalt60 (Co-60), or a linear accelerator device capable of producing very high energy x-ray and electron beams. A team of human factors specialists, assisted by a panel of radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and radiation technologists, conducted site visits to radiation oncology departments at community hospitals, university centers, and free-standing clinics. A function and task analysis was initially performed to guide subsequent evaluations in the areas of user-system interfaces, procedures, training and qualifications, and organizational policies and practices. The final phase of the project focused on identification of the most significant human factors problems with respect to safe and effective operation of the teletherapy system and an identification and assessment of alternative approaches for resolving the problems. This report presents the findings of this final phase

Probability model for analyzing fire management alternatives: theory and structure

Science.gov (United States)

Frederick W. Bratten

1982-01-01

A theoretical probability model has been developed for analyzing program alternatives in fire management. It includes submodels or modules for predicting probabilities of fire behavior, fire occurrence, fire suppression, effects of fire on land resources, and financial effects of fire. Generalized "fire management situations" are used to represent actual fire...

Testing In College Admissions: An Alternative to the Traditional Predictive Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Lunneborg, Clifford E.

1982-01-01

A decision-making or utility theory model (which deals effectively with affirmative action goals and allows standardized tests to be placed in the service of those goals) is discussed as an alternative to traditional predictive admissions. (Author/PN)

Application of the Denitrification-Decomposition Model to Predict Carbon Dioxide Emissions under Alternative Straw Retention Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Can Chen

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Straw retention has been shown to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2 emission from agricultural soils. But it remains a big challenge for models to effectively predict CO2 emission fluxes under different straw retention methods. We used maize season data in the Griffith region, Australia, to test whether the denitrification-decomposition (DNDC model could simulate annual CO2 emission. We also identified driving factors of CO2 emission by correlation analysis and path analysis. We show that the DNDC model was able to simulate CO2 emission under alternative straw retention scenarios. The correlation coefficients between simulated and observed daily values for treatments of straw burn and straw incorporation were 0.74 and 0.82, respectively, in the straw retention period and 0.72 and 0.83, respectively, in the crop growth period. The results also show that simulated values of annual CO2 emission for straw burn and straw incorporation were 3.45 t C ha−1 y−1 and 2.13 t C ha−1 y−1, respectively. In addition the DNDC model was found to be more suitable in simulating CO2 mission fluxes under straw incorporation. Finally the standard multiple regression describing the relationship between CO2 emissions and factors found that soil mean temperature (SMT, daily mean temperature (Tmean, and water-filled pore space (WFPS were significant.

Modeling Ability Differentiation in the Second-Order Factor Model

Science.gov (United States)

Molenaar, Dylan; Dolan, Conor V.; van der Maas, Han L. J.

2011-01-01

In this article we present factor models to test for ability differentiation. Ability differentiation predicts that the size of IQ subtest correlations decreases as a function of the general intelligence factor. In the Schmid-Leiman decomposition of the second-order factor model, we model differentiation by introducing heteroscedastic residuals,…

Animal welfare versus food quality: factors influencing organic consumers' preferences for alternatives to piglet castration without anaesthesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Heid, Astrid; Hamm, Ulrich

2013-10-01

Surgical piglet castration without pain relief has been banned in organic farming in the EU since the beginning of 2012. Alternative methods therefore need to be implemented that improve animal welfare and solve the underlying problem of boar taint. This paper explores German organic consumers' preferences for piglet castration without pain relief and three alternative methods. In an innovative approach using a multi-criteria decision making procedure, qualitative data from focus group discussions were compared with quantitative results from Vickrey auctions. Overall, participants preferred all alternatives to castration without pain relief. Different aspects influenced willingness-to-pay for the methods. Animal welfare was important for the evaluation of castration without pain relief and castration with anaesthesia. Food safety played a major role for willingness-to-pay for immunocastration, while taste and, to some extent, animal welfare were dominant factors for fattening of boars. These differences should be considered when communicating the alternatives. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Escaping the snare of chronological growth and launching a free curve alternative: general deviance as latent growth model.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Phillip Karl; Jackson, Kristina M

2013-08-01

model used by Hussong et al. For models including multiple constructs, a general deviance model involving a single trait and multimethod factors (or a corresponding hierarchical factor model) fit the data better than either the "snares" alternatives or the general deviance model previously considered by Hussong et al. Taken together, the analyses support the view that linkages and turning points cannot be contrasted with general deviance models absent additional experimental intervention or control.

Identifying the important factors in simulation models with many factors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bettonvil, B.; Kleijnen, J.P.C.

1994-01-01

Simulation models may have many parameters and input variables (together called factors), while only a few factors are really important (parsimony principle). For such models this paper presents an effective and efficient screening technique to identify and estimate those important factors. The

Hydrogeologic analysis of remedial alternatives for the solar ponds plume, RFETS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McLane, C.F. III; Whidden, J.A.; Hopkins, J.K.

1998-01-01

The focus of this paper is to develop a conceptual model and a hydrogeologic analysis plan for remedial alternatives being considered for the remediation of a ground water contaminant plume consisting of chiefly nitrate and uranium. The initial step in this process was to determine the adequacy of the existing data from the vast database of site information. Upon concluding that the existing database was sufficient to allow for the development of a conceptual model and then constructing the conceptual model, a hydrogeologic analysis plan was developed to evaluate several alternatives for plume remediation. The plan will be implemented using a combination of analytical and simple numerical ground water flow and contaminant transport models. This allows each portion of the study to be addressed using the appropriate tool, without having to develop a large three-dimensional numerical ground water flow and transport model, thereby reducing project costs. The analysis plan will consist of a preliminary phase of screening analyses for each of the remedial alternative scenarios, and a second phase of more comprehensive and in-depth analyses on a selected subset of remedial alternative scenarios. One of the alternatives which will be analyzed is phytoremediation (remediation of soil and ground water via uptake of chemicals by plants) because of the potential for relatively low capital and operation and maintenance costs, passive nature, and potential to provide long-term protection of the surface water. The results of these hydrogeological analyses will be factored into the selection of the preferred remedial alternative, or combination of alternatives, for the contaminant plume

Alternatives to the Dirac equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Girvin, S.M.; Brownstein, K.R.

1975-01-01

Recent work by Biedenharn, Han, and van Dam (BHvD) has questioned the uniqueness of the Dirac equation. BHvD have obtained a two-component equation as an alternate to the Dirac equation. Although they later show their alternative to be unitarily equivalent to the Dirac equation, certain physical differences were claimed. BHvD attribute the existence of this alternate equation to the fact that their factorizing matrices were position-dependent. To investigate this, we factor the Klein-Gordon equation in spherical coordinates allowing the factorizing matrices to depend arbitrarily upon theta and phi. It is shown that despite this additional freedom, and without involving any relativistic covariance, the conventional four-component Dirac equation is the only possibility

An alternative bifurcation analysis of the Rose-Hindmarsh model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nikolov, Svetoslav

2005-01-01

The paper presents an alternative study of the bifurcation behavior of the Rose-Hindmarsh model using Lyapunov-Andronov's theory. This is done on the basis of the obtained analytical formula expressing the first Lyapunov's value (this is not Lyapunov exponent) at the boundary of stability. From the obtained results the following new conclusions are made: Transition to chaos and the occurrence of chaotic oscillations in the Rose-Hindmarsh system take place under hard stability loss

Neutron Star Models in Alternative Theories of Gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Manolidis, Dimitrios

We study the structure of neutron stars in a broad class of alternative theories of gravity. In particular, we focus on Scalar-Tensor theories and f(R) theories of gravity. We construct static and slowly rotating numerical star models for a set of equations of state, including a polytropic model and more realistic equations of state motivated by nuclear physics. Observable quantities such as masses, radii, etc are calculated for a set of parameters of the theories. Specifically for Scalar-Tensor theories, we also calculate the sensitivities of the mass and moment of inertia of the models to variations in the asymptotic value of the scalar field at infinity. These quantities enter post-Newtonian equations of motion and gravitational waveforms of two body systems that are used for gravitational-wave parameter estimation, in order to test these theories against observations. The construction of numerical models of neutron stars in f(R) theories of gravity has been difficult in the past. Using a new formalism by Jaime, Patino and Salgado we were able to construct models with high interior pressure, namely pc > rho c/3, both for constant density models and models with a polytropic equation of state. Thus, we have shown that earlier objections to f(R) theories on the basis of the inability to construct viable neutron star models are unfounded.

Dynamic modeling and analysis of alternative fuel cycle scenarios in Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Chang Joon; Choi, Hang Bok

2007-01-01

The Korean nuclear fuel cycle was modeled by the dynamic analysis method, which was applied to the once-through and alternative fuel cycles. First, the once-through fuel cycle was analyzed based on the Korean nuclear power plant construction plan up to 2015 and a postulated nuclear demand growth rate of zero after 2015. Second, alternative fuel cycles including the direct use of spent pressurized water reactor fuel in Canada deuterium reactors (DUPIC), a sodium-cooled fast reactor and an accelerator driven system were assessed and the results were compared with those of the once-through fuel cycle. The once-through fuel cycle calculation showed that the nuclear power demand would be 25 GWe and the amount of the spent fuel will be ∼65000 tons by 2100. The alternative fuel cycle analyses showed that the spent fuel inventory could be reduced by more than 30% and 90% through the DUPIC and fast reactor fuel cycles, respectively, when compared with the once-through fuel cycle. The results of this study indicate that both spent fuel and uranium resources can be effectively managed if alternative reactor systems are timely implemented along with the existing reactors

Alternative regression models to assess increase in childhood BMI.

Science.gov (United States)

Beyerlein, Andreas; Fahrmeir, Ludwig; Mansmann, Ulrich; Toschke, André M

2008-09-08

Body mass index (BMI) data usually have skewed distributions, for which common statistical modeling approaches such as simple linear or logistic regression have limitations. Different regression approaches to predict childhood BMI by goodness-of-fit measures and means of interpretation were compared including generalized linear models (GLMs), quantile regression and Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS). We analyzed data of 4967 children participating in the school entry health examination in Bavaria, Germany, from 2001 to 2002. TV watching, meal frequency, breastfeeding, smoking in pregnancy, maternal obesity, parental social class and weight gain in the first 2 years of life were considered as risk factors for obesity. GAMLSS showed a much better fit regarding the estimation of risk factors effects on transformed and untransformed BMI data than common GLMs with respect to the generalized Akaike information criterion. In comparison with GAMLSS, quantile regression allowed for additional interpretation of prespecified distribution quantiles, such as quantiles referring to overweight or obesity. The variables TV watching, maternal BMI and weight gain in the first 2 years were directly, and meal frequency was inversely significantly associated with body composition in any model type examined. In contrast, smoking in pregnancy was not directly, and breastfeeding and parental social class were not inversely significantly associated with body composition in GLM models, but in GAMLSS and partly in quantile regression models. Risk factor specific BMI percentile curves could be estimated from GAMLSS and quantile regression models. GAMLSS and quantile regression seem to be more appropriate than common GLMs for risk factor modeling of BMI data.

Predicting Language Outcomes for Children Learning Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Child and Environmental Factors

Science.gov (United States)

Brady, Nancy C.; Thiemann-Bourque, Kathy; Fleming, Kandace; Matthews, Kris

2013-01-01

Purpose: To investigate a model of language development for nonverbal preschool-age children learning to communicate with augmentative or alternative communication. Method: Ninety-three preschool children with intellectual disabilities were assessed at Time 1, and 82 of these children were assessed 1 year later, at Time 2. The outcome variable was…

A randomized study of raisins versus alternative snacks on glycemic control and other cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Science.gov (United States)

Bays, Harold; Weiter, Kathy; Anderson, James

2015-02-01

Just as the type and duration of physical activity can have variable effects on the glucose levels and other cardiometabolic parameters among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), so can the types of foods have variable effects as well. This 12-week randomized study of 51 study participants evaluated the impact of routine consumption of dark raisins versus alternative processed snacks on glucose levels and other cardiovascular risk factors among patients with type T2DM. In this study, compared to alternative processed snacks, those who consumed raisins had a significant 23% reduction in postprandial glucose levels (P = 0.024). Also compared to snacks, those who consumed raisins had a 19% reduction in fasting glucose and 0.12% reduction in hemoglobin A1c, although these latter findings did not achieve statistical significance. Regarding blood pressure, compared to alternative processed snacks, those who consumed raisins had a significant 8.7 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure (P = 0.035) (7.5% [P = 0.031]) but did not experience a significant reduction in diastolic blood pressure. Compared to alternative processed snacks, those who consumed raisins did not have a significant improvement in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, fasting insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), triglyceride, or non-HDL cholesterol levels. Overall, these data support raisins as a healthy alternative compare to processed snacks in patients with T2DM.

Evaluation of alternative surface runoff accounting procedures using the SWAT model

Science.gov (United States)

For surface runoff estimation in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, the curve number (CN) procedure is commonly adopted to calculate surface runoff by utilizing antecedent soil moisture condition (SCSI) in field. In the recent version of SWAT (SWAT2005), an alternative approach is ava...

Experimental evidence and modelling of drought induced alternative stable soil moisture states

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, David; Jones, Scott; Lebron, Inma; Reinsch, Sabine; Dominguez, Maria; Smith, Andrew; Marshal, Miles; Emmett, Bridget

2017-04-01

The theory of alternative stable states in ecosystems is well established in ecology; however, evidence from manipulation experiments supporting the theory is limited. Developing the evidence base is important because it has profound implications for ecosystem management. Here we show evidence of the existence of alternative stable soil moisture states induced by drought in an upland wet heath. We used a long-term (15 yrs) climate change manipulation experiment with moderate sustained drought, which reduced the ability of the soil to retain soil moisture by degrading the soil structure, reducing moisture retention. Moreover, natural intense droughts superimposed themselves on the experiment, causing an unexpected additional alternative soil moisture state to develop, both for the drought manipulation and control plots; this impaired the soil from rewetting in winter. Our results show the coexistence of three stable states. Using modelling with the Hydrus 1D software package we are able to show the circumstances under which shifts in soil moisture states are likely to occur. Given the new understanding it presents a challenge of how to incorporate feedbacks, particularly related to soil structure, into soil flow and transport models?

The performance of fine-grained and coarse-grained elastic network models and its dependence on various factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Na, Hyuntae; Song, Guang

2015-07-01

In a recent work we developed a method for deriving accurate simplified models that capture the essentials of conventional all-atom NMA and identified two best simplified models: ssNMA and eANM, both of which have a significantly higher correlation with NMA in mean square fluctuation calculations than existing elastic network models such as ANM and ANMr2, a variant of ANM that uses the inverse of the squared separation distances as spring constants. Here, we examine closely how the performance of these elastic network models depends on various factors, namely, the presence of hydrogen atoms in the model, the quality of input structures, and the effect of crystal packing. The study reveals the strengths and limitations of these models. Our results indicate that ssNMA and eANM are the best fine-grained elastic network models but their performance is sensitive to the quality of input structures. When the quality of input structures is poor, ANMr2 is a good alternative for computing mean-square fluctuations while ANM model is a good alternative for obtaining normal modes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

"DSM IV," "DSM-5," and the Five-Factor Model: the Diagnosis of Personality Disorder with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Lindsay, William R.; Steptoe, Lesley; McVicker, Ronnie; Haut, Fabian; Robertson, Colette

2018-01-01

In "DSM-5" there has been a move to dimensional personality disorder (PD) diagnosis, incorporating personality theory in the form of the five-factor model (FFM). It proposes an alternative assessment system based on diagnostic indicators and the FFM, while retaining "DSM-IV" categorical criteria. Four individuals with…

Regional LLRW processing alternatives applying the DOE REGINALT systems analysis model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beers, G.H.

1987-01-01

The DOE Low-Level Waste Management Program has developed a computer-based decision support system of models that may be used by nonprogrammers to evaluate a comprehensive approach to commercial low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) management. REGINALT (Regional Waste Management Alternatives Analysis Model) implementation will be described as the model is applied to hypothetical regional compact for the purpose of examining the technical and economic potential of two waste processing alternatives. Using waste from a typical regional compact, two specific regional waste processing centers are compared for feasibility. Example 1 assumes that a regional supercompaction facility is being developed for the region. Example 2 assumes that a regional facility with both supercompaction and incineration is specified. Both examples include identical disposal facilities, except that capacity may differ due to variation in volume reduction achieved. The two examples are compared with regard to volume reduction achieved, estimated occupational exposure for the processing facilities, and life cycle costs per generated unit waste. A base case also illustrates current disposal practices. The results of the comparisons evaluated, and other steps, if necessary, for additional decision support are identified

Energy demand modelling: pointing out alternative energy sources. The example of industry in OECD countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Renou, P.

1992-01-01

This thesis studies energy demand and alternative energy sources in OECD countries. In the first part, the principle models usually used for energy demand modelling. In the second part, the author studies the flexible functional forms (translog, generalized Leontief, generalized quadratic, Fourier) to obtain an estimation of the production function. In the third part, several examples are given, chosen in seven countries (Usa, Japan, Federal Republic of Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Canada). Energy systems analysis in these countries, can help to choose models and gives informations on alternative energies. 246 refs., 24 figs., 27 tabs

Editors View the Continuous Publication Model as a Satisfactory Alternative for Open Access LIS Journals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Hayman

2014-09-01

provided 16 potential reasons for using a discrete-issue model, and 13 potential reasons for using a rolling-volume model. Respondents from both groups were asked to mark all reasons that applied for their respective journals. The survey also included questions about whether the journal had ever used the alternate publishing model, the editor’s satisfaction with their current model, and the likelihood of the journal switching to the alternate publishing model in the foreseeable future. Main Results – The authors collected complete responses from 21 of the original 29 journals invited to participate in the study, a response rate of 72%. For the 12 journals that identified as using discrete issues, ease of production workflow (91.7%, clear production deadlines (75.0%, and journal publicity and promotion (75.0% were the three most common reasons for using a discrete-issue model. For the nine journals using rolling volumes, improved production workflow (77.8%, decreased dependence on production deadlines (77.8%, and increased speed of research dissemination (66.7% were the three most common reasons cited for using a rolling-volume model. Findings show that overall satisfaction with a journal’s particular publication model was a common factor regardless of publishing model in use, though only the rolling-volume editors unanimously reported being very satisfied with their model. This high satisfaction rate is reflected in editors’ positions that they were very unlikely to switch away from the rolling-volume method. While a majority of editors of discrete-issue journals also reported being very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their current model, the mixed responses to whether they would contemplate switching to the alternate model suggests that awareness of the benefits of rolling-volume publishing is increasing. Conclusion – Researchers discovered a greater incidence of rolling-volume model journals with open access LIS journals than anticipated, suggesting that

Alternative regression models to assess increase in childhood BMI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mansmann Ulrich

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Body mass index (BMI data usually have skewed distributions, for which common statistical modeling approaches such as simple linear or logistic regression have limitations. Methods Different regression approaches to predict childhood BMI by goodness-of-fit measures and means of interpretation were compared including generalized linear models (GLMs, quantile regression and Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS. We analyzed data of 4967 children participating in the school entry health examination in Bavaria, Germany, from 2001 to 2002. TV watching, meal frequency, breastfeeding, smoking in pregnancy, maternal obesity, parental social class and weight gain in the first 2 years of life were considered as risk factors for obesity. Results GAMLSS showed a much better fit regarding the estimation of risk factors effects on transformed and untransformed BMI data than common GLMs with respect to the generalized Akaike information criterion. In comparison with GAMLSS, quantile regression allowed for additional interpretation of prespecified distribution quantiles, such as quantiles referring to overweight or obesity. The variables TV watching, maternal BMI and weight gain in the first 2 years were directly, and meal frequency was inversely significantly associated with body composition in any model type examined. In contrast, smoking in pregnancy was not directly, and breastfeeding and parental social class were not inversely significantly associated with body composition in GLM models, but in GAMLSS and partly in quantile regression models. Risk factor specific BMI percentile curves could be estimated from GAMLSS and quantile regression models. Conclusion GAMLSS and quantile regression seem to be more appropriate than common GLMs for risk factor modeling of BMI data.

Building Better Ecological Machines: Complexity Theory and Alternative Economic Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jess Bier

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Computer models of the economy are regularly used to predict economic phenomena and set financial policy. However, the conventional macroeconomic models are currently being reimagined after they failed to foresee the current economic crisis, the outlines of which began to be understood only in 2007-2008. In this article we analyze the most prominent of this reimagining: Agent-Based models (ABMs. ABMs are an influential alternative to standard economic models, and they are one focus of complexity theory, a discipline that is a more open successor to the conventional chaos and fractal modeling of the 1990s. The modelers who create ABMs claim that their models depict markets as ecologies, and that they are more responsive than conventional models that depict markets as machines. We challenge this presentation, arguing instead that recent modeling efforts amount to the creation of models as ecological machines. Our paper aims to contribute to an understanding of the organizing metaphors of macroeconomic models, which we argue is relevant conceptually and politically, e.g., when models are used for regulatory purposes.

An innovation resistance factor model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siti Salwa Mohd Ishak

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The process and implementation strategy of information technology in construction is generally considered through the limiting prism of theoretical contexts generated from innovation diffusion and acceptance. This research argues that more attention should be given to understanding the positive effects of resistance. The study develops a theoretical framing for the Integrated Resistance Factor Model (IRFM. The framing uses a combination of diffusion of innovation theory, technology acceptance model and social network perspective. The model is tested to identify the most significant resistance factors using Partial Least Square (PLS technique. All constructs proposed in the model are found to be significant, valid and consistent with the theoretical framework. IRFM is shown to be an effective and appropriate model of user resistance factors. The most critical factors to influence technology resistance in the online project information management system (OPIMS context are: support from leaders and peers, complexity of the technology, compatibility with key work practices; and pre-trial of the technology before it is actually deployed. The study provides a new model for further research in technology innovation specific to the construction industry.

Choice Model and Influencing Factor Analysis of Travel Mode for Migrant Workers: Case Study in Xi’an, China

OpenAIRE

Hong Chen; Zuo-xian Gan; Yu-ting He

2015-01-01

Based on the basic theory and methods of disaggregate choice model, the influencing factors in travel mode choice for migrant workers are analyzed, according to 1366 data samples of Xi’an migrant workers. Walking, bus, subway, and taxi are taken as the alternative parts of travel modes for migrant workers, and a multinomial logit (MNL) model of travel mode for migrant workers is set up. The validity of the model is verified by the hit rate, and the hit rates of four travel modes are all great...

Aberrant alternative splicing is another hallmark of cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Ladomery, Michael

2013-01-01

The vast majority of human genes are alternatively spliced. Not surprisingly, aberrant alternative splicing is increasingly linked to cancer. Splice isoforms often encode proteins that have distinct and even antagonistic properties. The abnormal expression of splice factors and splice factor kinases in cancer changes the alternative splicing of critically important pre-mRNAs. Aberrant alternative splicing should be added to the growing list of cancer hallmarks.

Aberrant Alternative Splicing Is Another Hallmark of Cancer

OpenAIRE

Ladomery, Michael

2013-01-01

The vast majority of human genes are alternatively spliced. Not surprisingly, aberrant alternative splicing is increasingly linked to cancer. Splice isoforms often encode proteins that have distinct and even antagonistic properties. The abnormal expression of splice factors and splice factor kinases in cancer changes the alternative splicing of critically important pre-mRNAs. Aberrant alternative splicing should be added to the growing list of cancer hallmarks.

Rosetta comparative modeling for library design: Engineering alternative inducer specificity in a transcription factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Jha, Ramesh K; Chakraborti, Subhendu; Kern, Theresa L; Fox, David T; Strauss, Charlie E M

2015-07-01

Structure-based rational mutagenesis for engineering protein functionality has been limited by the scarcity and difficulty of obtaining crystal structures of desired proteins. On the other hand, when high-throughput selection is possible, directed evolution-based approaches for gaining protein functionalities have been random and fortuitous with limited rationalization. We combine comparative modeling of dimer structures, ab initio loop reconstruction, and ligand docking to select positions for mutagenesis to create a library focused on the ligand-contacting residues. The rationally reduced library requirement enabled conservative control of the substitutions by oligonucleotide synthesis and bounding its size within practical transformation efficiencies (∼ 10(7) variants). This rational approach was successfully applied on an inducer-binding domain of an Acinetobacter transcription factor (TF), pobR, which shows high specificity for natural effector molecule, 4-hydroxy benzoate (4HB), but no native response to 3,4-dihydroxy benzoate (34DHB). Selection for mutants with high transcriptional induction by 34DHB was carried out at the single-cell level under flow cytometry (via green fluorescent protein expression under the control of pobR promoter). Critically, this selection protocol allows both selection for induction and rejection of constitutively active mutants. In addition to gain-of-function for 34DHB induction, the selected mutants also showed enhanced sensitivity and response for 4HB (native inducer) while no sensitivity was observed for a non-targeted but chemically similar molecule, 2-hydroxy benzoate (2HB). This is unique application of the Rosetta modeling protocols for library design to engineer a TF. Our approach extends applicability of the Rosetta redesign protocol into regimes without a priori precision structural information. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Growth Modeling with Non-Ignorable Dropout: Alternative Analyses of the STAR*D Antidepressant Trial

Science.gov (United States)

Muthén, Bengt; Asparouhov, Tihomir; Hunter, Aimee; Leuchter, Andrew

2011-01-01

This paper uses a general latent variable framework to study a series of models for non-ignorable missingness due to dropout. Non-ignorable missing data modeling acknowledges that missingness may depend on not only covariates and observed outcomes at previous time points as with the standard missing at random (MAR) assumption, but also on latent variables such as values that would have been observed (missing outcomes), developmental trends (growth factors), and qualitatively different types of development (latent trajectory classes). These alternative predictors of missing data can be explored in a general latent variable framework using the Mplus program. A flexible new model uses an extended pattern-mixture approach where missingness is a function of latent dropout classes in combination with growth mixture modeling using latent trajectory classes. A new selection model allows not only an influence of the outcomes on missingness, but allows this influence to vary across latent trajectory classes. Recommendations are given for choosing models. The missing data models are applied to longitudinal data from STAR*D, the largest antidepressant clinical trial in the U.S. to date. Despite the importance of this trial, STAR*D growth model analyses using non-ignorable missing data techniques have not been explored until now. The STAR*D data are shown to feature distinct trajectory classes, including a low class corresponding to substantial improvement in depression, a minority class with a U-shaped curve corresponding to transient improvement, and a high class corresponding to no improvement. The analyses provide a new way to assess drug efficiency in the presence of dropout. PMID:21381817

Evaluation of the zebrafish embryo as an alternative model for hepatotoxicity testing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Driessen, Marja

2014-01-01

In this thesis we showed the applicability of the zebrafish embryo as an alternative model for hepatotoxicity testing using analysis of mechanisms through toxicogenomics. By applying a variety of toxicogenomics techniques, we were able to characterize specific responses. NGS revealed that

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire: A comparison of five factor solutions across vegan and omnivore participants.

Science.gov (United States)

Heiss, Sydney; Boswell, James F; Hormes, Julia M

2018-05-01

The Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) is a valid and reliable measure of eating-related pathology, but its factor structure has proven difficult to replicate. Given differences in dietary patterns in vegans compared to omnivores, proper measurement of eating disorder symptoms is especially important in studies of animal product avoiders. This study compared goodness-of-fit of five alternative models of the EDE-Q in vegans (i.e., individuals refraining from all animal products, n = 318) and omnivores (i.e., individuals not restricting intake of animal products, n = 200). Confirmatory factor analyses were used to compare fit indices of the original four-factor model of the EDE-Q, along with alternative three-, two-, full one-, and brief one-factor models. No model provided adequate fit of the data in either sample of respondents. The fit of the brief one-factor model was the closest to acceptable in omnivores, but did not perform as well in vegans. Indicators of fit were comparable in vegans and omnivores across all other models. Our data confirm difficulties in replicating the proposed factor structure of the EDE-Q, including in vegans. More research is needed to determine the suitability of the EDE-Q for quantifying eating behaviors, including in those abstaining from animal products. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Routing strategies for efficient deployment of alternative fuel vehicles for freight delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-02-01

With increasing concerns on environmental issues, recent research on Vehicle Routing Problems : (VRP) has added new factors such as greenhouse gas emissions and alternative fuel vehicles into : the models. In this report, we consider one such promisi...

Systematic profiling of alternative splicing signature reveals prognostic predictor for ovarian cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Junyong; Chen, Zuhua; Yong, Lei

2018-02-01

The majority of genes are alternatively spliced and growing evidence suggests that alternative splicing is modified in cancer and is associated with cancer progression. Systematic analysis of alternative splicing signature in ovarian cancer is lacking and greatly needed. We profiled genome-wide alternative splicing events in 408 ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma (OV) patients in TCGA. Seven types of alternative splicing events were curated and prognostic analyses were performed with predictive models and splicing network built for OV patients. Among 48,049 mRNA splicing events in 10,582 genes, we detected 2,611 alternative splicing events in 2,036 genes which were significant associated with overall survival of OV patients. Exon skip events were the most powerful prognostic factors among the seven types. The area under the curve of the receiver-operator characteristic curve for prognostic predictor, which was built with top significant alternative splicing events, was 0.937 at 2,000 days of overall survival, indicating powerful efficiency in distinguishing patient outcome. Interestingly, splicing correlation network suggested obvious trends in the role of splicing factors in OV. In summary, we built powerful prognostic predictors for OV patients and uncovered interesting splicing networks which could be underlying mechanisms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Model-based confirmation of alternative substrates of mitochondrial electron transport chain.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleessen, Sabrina; Araújo, Wagner L; Fernie, Alisdair R; Nikoloski, Zoran

2012-03-30

Discrimination of metabolic models based on high throughput metabolomics data, reflecting various internal and external perturbations, is essential for identifying the components that contribute to the emerging behavior of metabolic processes. Here, we investigate 12 different models of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) in Arabidopsis thaliana during dark-induced senescence in order to elucidate the alternative substrates to this metabolic pathway. Our findings demonstrate that the coupling of the proposed computational approach, based on dynamic flux balance analysis, with time-resolved metabolomics data results in model-based confirmations of the hypotheses that, during dark-induced senescence in Arabidopsis, (i) under conditions where the main substrate for the ETC are not fully available, isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase and 2-hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase are able to donate electrons to the ETC, (ii) phytanoyl-CoA does not act even as an indirect substrate of the electron transfer flavoprotein/electron-transfer flavoprotein:ubiquinone oxidoreductase complex, and (iii) the mitochondrial γ-aminobutyric acid transporter has functional significance in maintaining mitochondrial metabolism. Our study provides a basic framework for future in silico studies of alternative pathways in mitochondrial metabolism under extended darkness whereby the role of its components can be computationally discriminated based on available molecular profile data.

An exact model for airline flight network optimization based on transport momentum and aircraft load factor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Jorge Caetano

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The problem of airline flight network optimization can be split into subproblems such as Schedule Generation (SG and Fleet Assignment (FA, solved in consecutive steps or in an integrated way, usually based on monetary costs and revenue forecasts. A linear pro­gramming model to solve SG and FA in an integrated way is presented, but with an al­ternative approach based on transport momentum and aircraft load factor. This alterna­tive approach relies on demand forecast and allows obtaining solutions considering min­imum average load factors. Results of the proposed model applications to instances of a regional Brazilian airline are presented. The comparison of the schedules generated by the proposed approach against those obtained by applying a model based on mone­tary costs and revenue forecasts demonstrates the validity of this alternative approach for airlines network planning.

Alternative Middle School Models: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Duffield, Stacy Kay

2018-01-01

A Midwestern state allocated grant funding to encourage more accessible alternative programming at the middle level. Seventeen schools were approved for this grant and used the funds to supplement the operation of a new or existing program. This study provides policymakers and educators with an overview of the various types of alternative middle…

Inhibition of the alternative complement activation pathway in traumatic brain injury by a monoclonal anti-factor B antibody: a randomized placebo-controlled study in mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Holers V Michael

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The posttraumatic response to traumatic brain injury (TBI is characterized, in part, by activation of the innate immune response, including the complement system. We have recently shown that mice devoid of a functional alternative pathway of complement activation (factor B-/- mice are protected from complement-mediated neuroinflammation and neuropathology after TBI. In the present study, we extrapolated this knowledge from studies in genetically engineered mice to a pharmacological approach using a monoclonal anti-factor B antibody. This neutralizing antibody represents a specific and potent inhibitor of the alternative complement pathway in mice. Methods A focal trauma was applied to the left hemisphere of C57BL/6 mice (n = 89 using a standardized electric weight-drop model. Animals were randomly assigned to two treatment groups: (1 Systemic injection of 1 mg monoclonal anti-factor B antibody (mAb 1379 in 400 μl phosphate-buffered saline (PBS at 1 hour and 24 hours after trauma; (2 Systemic injection of vehicle only (400 μl PBS, as placebo control, at identical time-points after trauma. Sham-operated and untreated mice served as additional negative controls. Evaluation of neurological scores and analysis of brain tissue specimens and serum samples was performed at defined time-points for up to 1 week. Complement activation in serum was assessed by zymosan assay and by murine C5a ELISA. Brain samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL histochemistry, and real-time RT-PCR. Results The mAb 1379 leads to a significant inhibition of alternative pathway complement activity and to significantly attenuated C5a levels in serum, as compared to head-injured placebo-treated control mice. TBI induced histomorphological signs of neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis in the injured brain hemisphere of placebo-treated control mice for up to 7 days. In contrast, the

Shell model and spectroscopic factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poves, P.

2007-01-01

In these lectures, I introduce the notion of spectroscopic factor in the shell model context. A brief review is given of the present status of the large scale applications of the Interacting Shell Model. The spectroscopic factors and the spectroscopic strength are discussed for nuclei in the vicinity of magic closures and for deformed nuclei. (author)

Two-vehicle injury severity models based on integration of pavement management and traffic engineering factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Ximiao; Huang, Baoshan; Yan, Xuedong; Zaretzki, Russell L; Richards, Stephen

2013-01-01

The severity of traffic-related injuries has been studied by many researchers in recent decades. However, the evaluation of many factors is still in dispute and, until this point, few studies have taken into account pavement management factors as points of interest. The objective of this article is to evaluate the combined influences of pavement management factors and traditional traffic engineering factors on the injury severity of 2-vehicle crashes. This study examines 2-vehicle rear-end, sideswipe, and angle collisions that occurred on Tennessee state routes from 2004 to 2008. Both the traditional ordered probit (OP) model and Bayesian ordered probit (BOP) model with weak informative prior were fitted for each collision type. The performances of these models were evaluated based on the parameter estimates and deviances. The results indicated that pavement management factors played identical roles in all 3 collision types. Pavement serviceability produces significant positive effects on the severity of injuries. The pavement distress index (PDI), rutting depth (RD), and rutting depth difference between right and left wheels (RD_df) were not significant in any of these 3 collision types. The effects of traffic engineering factors varied across collision types, except that a few were consistently significant in all 3 collision types, such as annual average daily traffic (AADT), rural-urban location, speed limit, peaking hour, and light condition. The findings of this study indicated that improved pavement quality does not necessarily lessen the severity of injuries when a 2-vehicle crash occurs. The effects of traffic engineering factors are not universal but vary by the type of crash. The study also found that the BOP model with a weak informative prior can be used as an alternative but was not superior to the traditional OP model in terms of overall performance.

The prediction of intelligence in preschool children using alternative models to regression.

Science.gov (United States)

Finch, W Holmes; Chang, Mei; Davis, Andrew S; Holden, Jocelyn E; Rothlisberg, Barbara A; McIntosh, David E

2011-12-01

Statistical prediction of an outcome variable using multiple independent variables is a common practice in the social and behavioral sciences. For example, neuropsychologists are sometimes called upon to provide predictions of preinjury cognitive functioning for individuals who have suffered a traumatic brain injury. Typically, these predictions are made using standard multiple linear regression models with several demographic variables (e.g., gender, ethnicity, education level) as predictors. Prior research has shown conflicting evidence regarding the ability of such models to provide accurate predictions of outcome variables such as full-scale intelligence (FSIQ) test scores. The present study had two goals: (1) to demonstrate the utility of a set of alternative prediction methods that have been applied extensively in the natural sciences and business but have not been frequently explored in the social sciences and (2) to develop models that can be used to predict premorbid cognitive functioning in preschool children. Predictions of Stanford-Binet 5 FSIQ scores for preschool-aged children is used to compare the performance of a multiple regression model with several of these alternative methods. Results demonstrate that classification and regression trees provided more accurate predictions of FSIQ scores than does the more traditional regression approach. Implications of these results are discussed.

Modeling silicon diode energy response factors for use in therapeutic photon beams.

Science.gov (United States)

Eklund, Karin; Ahnesjö, Anders

2009-10-21

Silicon diodes have good spatial resolution, which makes them advantageous over ionization chambers for dosimetry in fields with high dose gradients. However, silicon diodes overrespond to low-energy photons, that are more abundant in scatter which increase with large fields and larger depths. We present a cavity-theory-based model for a general response function for silicon detectors at arbitrary positions within photon fields. The model uses photon and electron spectra calculated from fluence pencil kernels. The incident photons are treated according to their energy through a bipartition of the primary beam photon spectrum into low- and high-energy components. Primary electrons from the high-energy component are treated according to Spencer-Attix cavity theory. Low-energy primary photons together with all scattered photons are treated according to large cavity theory supplemented with an energy-dependent factor K(E) to compensate for energy variations in the electron equilibrium. The depth variation of the response for an unshielded silicon detector has been calculated for 5 x 5 cm(2), 10 x 10 cm(2) and 20 x 20 cm(2) fields in 6 and 15 MV beams and compared with measurements showing that our model calculates response factors with deviations less than 0.6%. An alternative method is also proposed, where we show that one can use a correlation with the scatter factor to determine the detector response of silicon diodes with an error of less than 3% in 6 MV and 15 MV photon beams.

Modeling silicon diode energy response factors for use in therapeutic photon beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eklund, Karin; Ahnesjoe, Anders

2009-01-01

Silicon diodes have good spatial resolution, which makes them advantageous over ionization chambers for dosimetry in fields with high dose gradients. However, silicon diodes overrespond to low-energy photons, that are more abundant in scatter which increase with large fields and larger depths. We present a cavity-theory-based model for a general response function for silicon detectors at arbitrary positions within photon fields. The model uses photon and electron spectra calculated from fluence pencil kernels. The incident photons are treated according to their energy through a bipartition of the primary beam photon spectrum into low- and high-energy components. Primary electrons from the high-energy component are treated according to Spencer-Attix cavity theory. Low-energy primary photons together with all scattered photons are treated according to large cavity theory supplemented with an energy-dependent factor K(E) to compensate for energy variations in the electron equilibrium. The depth variation of the response for an unshielded silicon detector has been calculated for 5 x 5 cm 2 , 10 x 10 cm 2 and 20 x 20 cm 2 fields in 6 and 15 MV beams and compared with measurements showing that our model calculates response factors with deviations less than 0.6%. An alternative method is also proposed, where we show that one can use a correlation with the scatter factor to determine the detector response of silicon diodes with an error of less than 3% in 6 MV and 15 MV photon beams.

Sequence2Vec: A novel embedding approach for modeling transcription factor binding affinity landscape

KAUST Repository

Dai, Hanjun

2017-07-26

Motivation: An accurate characterization of transcription factor (TF)-DNA affinity landscape is crucial to a quantitative understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning endogenous gene regulation. While recent advances in biotechnology have brought the opportunity for building binding affinity prediction methods, the accurate characterization of TF-DNA binding affinity landscape still remains a challenging problem. Results: Here we propose a novel sequence embedding approach for modeling the transcription factor binding affinity landscape. Our method represents DNA binding sequences as a hidden Markov model (HMM) which captures both position specific information and long-range dependency in the sequence. A cornerstone of our method is a novel message passing-like embedding algorithm, called Sequence2Vec, which maps these HMMs into a common nonlinear feature space and uses these embedded features to build a predictive model. Our method is a novel combination of the strength of probabilistic graphical models, feature space embedding and deep learning. We conducted comprehensive experiments on over 90 large-scale TF-DNA data sets which were measured by different high-throughput experimental technologies. Sequence2Vec outperforms alternative machine learning methods as well as the state-of-the-art binding affinity prediction methods.

Right-sizing statistical models for longitudinal data.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Phillip K; Steinley, Douglas; Jackson, Kristina M

2015-12-01

Arguments are proposed that researchers using longitudinal data should consider more and less complex statistical model alternatives to their initially chosen techniques in an effort to "right-size" the model to the data at hand. Such model comparisons may alert researchers who use poorly fitting, overly parsimonious models to more complex, better-fitting alternatives and, alternatively, may identify more parsimonious alternatives to overly complex (and perhaps empirically underidentified and/or less powerful) statistical models. A general framework is proposed for considering (often nested) relationships between a variety of psychometric and growth curve models. A 3-step approach is proposed in which models are evaluated based on the number and patterning of variance components prior to selection of better-fitting growth models that explain both mean and variation-covariation patterns. The orthogonal free curve slope intercept (FCSI) growth model is considered a general model that includes, as special cases, many models, including the factor mean (FM) model (McArdle & Epstein, 1987), McDonald's (1967) linearly constrained factor model, hierarchical linear models (HLMs), repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and the linear slope intercept (linearSI) growth model. The FCSI model, in turn, is nested within the Tuckerized factor model. The approach is illustrated by comparing alternative models in a longitudinal study of children's vocabulary and by comparing several candidate parametric growth and chronometric models in a Monte Carlo study. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Macro-economic factors influencing the architectural business model shift in the pharmaceutical industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Dierks, Raphaela Marie Louisa; Bruyère, Olivier; Reginster, Jean-Yves; Richy, Florent-Frederic

2016-10-01

Technological innovations, new regulations, increasing costs of drug productions and new demands are only few key drivers of a projected alternation in the pharmaceutical industry. The purpose of this review is to understand the macro economic factors responsible for the business model revolution to possess a competitive advantage over market players. Areas covered: Existing literature on macro-economic factors changing the pharmaceutical landscape has been reviewed to present a clear image of the current market environment. Expert commentary: Literature shows that pharmaceutical companies are facing an architectural alteration, however the evidence on the rationale driving the transformation is outstanding. Merger & Acquisitions (M&A) deals and collaborations are headlining the papers. Q1 2016 did show a major slowdown in M&A deals by volume since 2013 (with deal cancellations of Pfizer and Allergan, or the downfall of Valeant), but pharmaceutical analysts remain confident that this shortfall was a consequence of the equity market volatility. It seems likely that the shift to an M&A model will become apparent during the remainder of 2016, with deal announcements of Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie and Sanofi worth USD 45billion showing the appetite of big pharma companies to shift from the fully vertical integrated business model to more horizontal business models.

Alternative Models to Deliver Developmental Math: Issues of Use and Student Access

Science.gov (United States)

Kosiewicz, Holly; Ngo, Federick; Fong, Kristen

2016-01-01

Objective: Changing how community colleges deliver developmental education has become a key policy lever to increase student achievement. Alternative development education models reduce the amount of time a student spends in remediation, provide students with supplemental instruction and support, and contextualize content to align with student…

An alternative factorization of the quantum harmonic oscillator and two-parameter family of self-adjoint operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arcos-Olalla, Rafael; Reyes, Marco A.; Rosu, Haret C.

2012-01-01

We introduce an alternative factorization of the Hamiltonian of the quantum harmonic oscillator which leads to a two-parameter self-adjoint operator from which the standard harmonic oscillator, the one-parameter oscillators introduced by Mielnik, and the Hermite operator are obtained in certain limits of the parameters. In addition, a single Bernoulli-type parameter factorization, which is different from the one introduced by M.A. Reyes, H.C. Rosu, and M.R. Gutiérrez [Phys. Lett. A 375 (2011) 2145], is briefly discussed in the final part of this work. -- Highlights: ► Factorizations with operators which are not mutually adjoint are presented. ► New two-parameter and one-parameter self-adjoint oscillator operators are introduced. ► Their eigenfunctions are two- and one-parameter deformed Hermite functions.

An alternative factorization of the quantum harmonic oscillator and two-parameter family of self-adjoint operators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arcos-Olalla, Rafael, E-mail: olalla@fisica.ugto.mx [Departamento de Física, DCI Campus León, Universidad de Guanajuato, Apdo. Postal E143, 37150 León, Gto. (Mexico); Reyes, Marco A., E-mail: marco@fisica.ugto.mx [Departamento de Física, DCI Campus León, Universidad de Guanajuato, Apdo. Postal E143, 37150 León, Gto. (Mexico); Rosu, Haret C., E-mail: hcr@ipicyt.edu.mx [IPICYT, Instituto Potosino de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica, Apdo. Postal 3-74 Tangamanga, 78231 San Luis Potosí, S.L.P. (Mexico)

2012-10-01

We introduce an alternative factorization of the Hamiltonian of the quantum harmonic oscillator which leads to a two-parameter self-adjoint operator from which the standard harmonic oscillator, the one-parameter oscillators introduced by Mielnik, and the Hermite operator are obtained in certain limits of the parameters. In addition, a single Bernoulli-type parameter factorization, which is different from the one introduced by M.A. Reyes, H.C. Rosu, and M.R. Gutiérrez [Phys. Lett. A 375 (2011) 2145], is briefly discussed in the final part of this work. -- Highlights: ► Factorizations with operators which are not mutually adjoint are presented. ► New two-parameter and one-parameter self-adjoint oscillator operators are introduced. ► Their eigenfunctions are two- and one-parameter deformed Hermite functions.

The animal model determines the results of Aeromonas virulence factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandro Romero

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The selection of an experimental animal model is of great importance in the study of bacterial virulence factors. Here, a bath infection of zebrafish larvae is proposed as an alternative model to study the virulence factors of A. hydrophila. Intraperitoneal infections in mice and trout were compared with bath infections in zebrafish larvae using specific mutants. The great advantage of this model is that bath immersion mimics the natural route of infection, and injury to the tail also provides a natural portal of entry for the bacteria. The implication of T3SS in the virulence of A. hydrophila was analysed using the AH-1::aopB mutant. This mutant was less virulent than the wild-type strain when inoculated into zebrafish larvae, as described in other vertebrates. However, the zebrafish model exhibited slight differences in mortality kinetics only observed using invertebrate models. Infections using the mutant AH-1∆vapA lacking the gene coding for the surface S-layer suggested that this protein was not totally necessary to the bacteria once it was inside the host, but it contributed to the inflammatory response. Only when healthy zebrafish larvae were infected did the mutant produce less mortality than the wild type. Variations between models were evidenced using the AH-1∆rmlB, which lacks the O-antigen lipopolysaccharide (LPS, and the AH-1∆wahD, which lacks the O-antigen LPS and part of the LPS outer-core. Both mutants showed decreased mortality in all of the animal models, but the differences between them were only observed in injured zebrafish larvae, suggesting that residues from the LPS outer core must be important for virulence. The greatest differences were observed using the AH-1ΔFlaB-J (lacking polar flagella and unable to swim and the AH-1::motX (non-motile but producing flagella. They were as pathogenic as the wild-type strain when injected into mice and trout, but no mortalities were registered in zebrafish larvae. This study

A new 3D reconstituted human corneal epithelium model as an alternative method for the eye irritation test.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Kyoung-Mi; Lee, Su-Hyon; Ryu, Yang-Hwan; Jang, Won-Hee; Jung, Haeng-Sun; Han, Ju-Hee; Seok, Seung-Hyeok; Park, Jae-Hak; Son, Youngsook; Park, Young-Ho; Lim, Kyung-Min

2011-02-01

Many efforts are being made to develop new alternative in vitro test methods for the eye irritation test. Here we report a new reconstructed human corneal epithelial model (MCTT HCE model) prepared from primary-cultured human limbal epithelial cells as a new alternative in vitro eye irritation test method. In histological and immunohistochemical observation, MCTT HCE model displayed a morphology and biomarker expressions similar to intact human cornea. Moreover, the barrier function was well preserved as measured by high transepithelial electrical resistance, effective time-50 for Triton X-100, and corneal thickness. To employ the model as a new alternative method for eye irritation test, protocol refinement was performed and optimum assay condition was determined including treatment time, treatment volume, post-incubation time and rinsing method. Using the refined protocol, 25 reference chemicals with known eye irritation potentials were tested. With the viability cut-off value at 50%, chemicals were classified to irritant or non-irritant. When compared with GHS classification, the MCTT HCE model showed the accuracy of 88%, sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 77%. These results suggest that the MCTT HCE model might be useful as a new alternative eye irritation test method. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Value-Focused Thinking Model to Evaluate SHM System Alternatives From Military end User Requirements Point of View

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klimaszewski Sławomir

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The article describes Value-Focused Thinking (VFT model developed in order to evaluate various alternatives for implementation of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM system on a military aircraft. Four SHM system alternatives are considered based on: visual inspection (current approach, piezoelectric (PZT sensors, Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG sensors and Comparative Vacuum Monitoring (CVM sensors. A numerical example is shown to illustrate the model capability. Sensitivity analyses are performed on values such as Cost, Performance, Aircraft Availability and Technology Readiness Level in order to examine influence of these values on overall value of structural state of awareness provided by particular SHM system alternative.

Oil prices and the stock prices of alternative energy companies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henriques, Irene; Sadorsky, Perry

2008-01-01

Energy security issues coupled with increased concern over the natural environment are driving factors behind oil price movements. While it is widely accepted that rising oil prices are good for the financial performance of alternative energy companies, there has been relatively little statistical work done to measure just how sensitive the financial performance of alternative energy companies are to changes in oil prices. In this paper, a four variable vector autoregression model is developed and estimated in order to investigate the empirical relationship between alternative energy stock prices, technology stock prices, oil prices, and interest rates. Our results show technology stock prices and oil prices each individually Granger cause the stock prices of alternative energy companies. Simulation results show that a shock to technology stock prices has a larger impact on alternative energy stock prices than does a shock to oil prices. These results should be of use to investors, managers and policy makers. (author)

Utilization of reconstructed cultured human skin models as an alternative skin for permeation studies of chemical compounds

OpenAIRE

Kano, Satoshi; 藤堂, 浩明; 杉江, 謙一; 藤本, 英哲; 中田, 圭一; 徳留, 嘉寛; 橋本, フミ惠; 杉林, 堅次

2010-01-01

Two reconstructed human skin models, EpiskinSM and EpiDermTM, have been approved as alternative membranes for skin corrosive/irritation experiments due to their close correlation with animal skin. Such reconstructed human skin models were evaluated as alternative membranes for skin permeation experiments. Seven drugs with different lipophilicities and almost the same molecular weight were used as test penetrants. Relationships were investigated between permeability coefficients (P values) of ...

The New Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders: Issues and Controversies

Science.gov (United States)

Porter, Jeffrey S.; Risler, Edwin

2014-01-01

Purpose: Assess the new alternative "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders", fifth edition (DSM-5) model for personality disorders (PDs) as it is seen by its creators and critics. Method: Follow the DSM revision process by monitoring the American Psychiatric Association website and the publication of pertinent journal…

A two-queue model with alternating limited service and state-dependent setups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Winands, E.M.M.; Adan, I.J.B.F.; Houtum, van G.J.J.A.N.; Papadopoulos, C.T.

2005-01-01

We consider a two-queue model with state-dependent setups, in which a single server alternately serves the two queues. The high-priority queue is served exhaustively, whereas the low-priority queue is served according to the k-limited strategy. We obtain the transforms of the queue length and

Using the Landlab toolkit to evaluate and compare alternative geomorphic and hydrologic model formulations

Science.gov (United States)

Tucker, G. E.; Adams, J. M.; Doty, S. G.; Gasparini, N. M.; Hill, M. C.; Hobley, D. E. J.; Hutton, E.; Istanbulluoglu, E.; Nudurupati, S. S.

2016-12-01

Developing a better understanding of catchment hydrology and geomorphology ideally involves quantitative hypothesis testing. Often one seeks to identify the simplest mathematical and/or computational model that accounts for the essential dynamics in the system of interest. Development of alternative hypotheses involves testing and comparing alternative formulations, but the process of comparison and evaluation is made challenging by the rigid nature of many computational models, which are often built around a single assumed set of equations. Here we review a software framework for two-dimensional computational modeling that facilitates the creation, testing, and comparison of surface-dynamics models. Landlab is essentially a Python-language software library. Its gridding module allows for easy generation of a structured (raster, hex) or unstructured (Voronoi-Delaunay) mesh, with the capability to attach data arrays to particular types of element. Landlab includes functions that implement common numerical operations, such as gradient calculation and summation of fluxes within grid cells. Landlab also includes a collection of process components, which are encapsulated pieces of software that implement a numerical calculation of a particular process. Examples include downslope flow routing over topography, shallow-water hydrodynamics, stream erosion, and sediment transport on hillslopes. Individual components share a common grid and data arrays, and they can be coupled through the use of a simple Python script. We illustrate Landlab's capabilities with a case study of Holocene landscape development in the northeastern US, in which we seek to identify a collection of model components that can account for the formation of a series of incised canyons that have that developed since the Laurentide ice sheet last retreated. We compare sets of model ingredients related to (1) catchment hydrologic response, (2) hillslope evolution, and (3) stream channel and gully incision

Identifying developmental vascular disruptor compounds using a predictive signature and alternative toxicity models

Science.gov (United States)

Identifying Developmental Vascular Disruptor Compounds Using a Predictive Signature and Alternative Toxicity Models Presenting Author: Tamara Tal Affiliation: U.S. EPA/ORD/ISTD, RTP, NC, USA Chemically induced vascular toxicity during embryonic development can result in a wide...

Modeling mixtures of thyroid gland function disruptors in a vertebrate alternative model, the zebrafish eleutheroembryo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thienpont, Benedicte; Barata, Carlos; Raldúa, Demetrio

2013-01-01

Maternal thyroxine (T4) plays an essential role in fetal brain development, and even mild and transitory deficits in free-T4 in pregnant women can produce irreversible neurological effects in their offspring. Women of childbearing age are daily exposed to mixtures of chemicals disrupting the thyroid gland function (TGFDs) through the diet, drinking water, air and pharmaceuticals, which has raised the highest concern for the potential additive or synergic effects on the development of mild hypothyroxinemia during early pregnancy. Recently we demonstrated that zebrafish eleutheroembryos provide a suitable alternative model for screening chemicals impairing the thyroid hormone synthesis. The present study used the intrafollicular T4-content (IT4C) of zebrafish eleutheroembryos as integrative endpoint for testing the hypotheses that the effect of mixtures of TGFDs with a similar mode of action [inhibition of thyroid peroxidase (TPO)] was well predicted by a concentration addition concept (CA) model, whereas the response addition concept (RA) model predicted better the effect of dissimilarly acting binary mixtures of TGFDs [TPO-inhibitors and sodium-iodide symporter (NIS)-inhibitors]. However, CA model provided better prediction of joint effects than RA in five out of the six tested mixtures. The exception being the mixture MMI (TPO-inhibitor)-KClO 4 (NIS-inhibitor) dosed at a fixed ratio of EC 10 that provided similar CA and RA predictions and hence it was difficult to get any conclusive result. There results support the phenomenological similarity criterion stating that the concept of concentration addition could be extended to mixture constituents having common apical endpoints or common adverse outcomes. - Highlights: • Potential synergic or additive effect of mixtures of chemicals on thyroid function. • Zebrafish as alternative model for testing the effect of mixtures of goitrogens. • Concentration addition seems to predict better the effect of mixtures of

Modeling mixtures of thyroid gland function disruptors in a vertebrate alternative model, the zebrafish eleutheroembryo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thienpont, Benedicte; Barata, Carlos [Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA, CSIC), Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona (Spain); Raldúa, Demetrio, E-mail: drpqam@cid.csic.es [Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA, CSIC), Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona (Spain); Maladies Rares: Génétique et Métabolisme (MRGM), University of Bordeaux, EA 4576, F-33400 Talence (France)

2013-06-01

Maternal thyroxine (T4) plays an essential role in fetal brain development, and even mild and transitory deficits in free-T4 in pregnant women can produce irreversible neurological effects in their offspring. Women of childbearing age are daily exposed to mixtures of chemicals disrupting the thyroid gland function (TGFDs) through the diet, drinking water, air and pharmaceuticals, which has raised the highest concern for the potential additive or synergic effects on the development of mild hypothyroxinemia during early pregnancy. Recently we demonstrated that zebrafish eleutheroembryos provide a suitable alternative model for screening chemicals impairing the thyroid hormone synthesis. The present study used the intrafollicular T4-content (IT4C) of zebrafish eleutheroembryos as integrative endpoint for testing the hypotheses that the effect of mixtures of TGFDs with a similar mode of action [inhibition of thyroid peroxidase (TPO)] was well predicted by a concentration addition concept (CA) model, whereas the response addition concept (RA) model predicted better the effect of dissimilarly acting binary mixtures of TGFDs [TPO-inhibitors and sodium-iodide symporter (NIS)-inhibitors]. However, CA model provided better prediction of joint effects than RA in five out of the six tested mixtures. The exception being the mixture MMI (TPO-inhibitor)-KClO{sub 4} (NIS-inhibitor) dosed at a fixed ratio of EC{sub 10} that provided similar CA and RA predictions and hence it was difficult to get any conclusive result. There results support the phenomenological similarity criterion stating that the concept of concentration addition could be extended to mixture constituents having common apical endpoints or common adverse outcomes. - Highlights: • Potential synergic or additive effect of mixtures of chemicals on thyroid function. • Zebrafish as alternative model for testing the effect of mixtures of goitrogens. • Concentration addition seems to predict better the effect of

A response-modeling alternative to surrogate models for support in computational analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rutherford, Brian

2006-01-01

Often, the objectives in a computational analysis involve characterization of system performance based on some function of the computed response. In general, this characterization includes (at least) an estimate or prediction for some performance measure and an estimate of the associated uncertainty. Surrogate models can be used to approximate the response in regions where simulations were not performed. For most surrogate modeling approaches, however (1) estimates are based on smoothing of available data and (2) uncertainty in the response is specified in a point-wise (in the input space) fashion. These aspects of the surrogate model construction might limit their capabilities. One alternative is to construct a probability measure, G(r), for the computer response, r, based on available data. This 'response-modeling' approach will permit probability estimation for an arbitrary event, E(r), based on the computer response. In this general setting, event probabilities can be computed: prob(E)=∫ r I(E(r))dG(r) where I is the indicator function. Furthermore, one can use G(r) to calculate an induced distribution on a performance measure, pm. For prediction problems where the performance measure is a scalar, its distribution F pm is determined by: F pm (z)=∫ r I(pm(r)≤z)dG(r). We introduce response models for scalar computer output and then generalize the approach to more complicated responses that utilize multiple response models

Psycho-socioeconomic factors affecting complementary and alternative medicine use among selected rural communities in Malaysia: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ganasegeran, Kurubaran; Rajendran, Anantha Kumar; Al-Dubai, Sami Abdo Radman

2014-01-01

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as a source of cure has gained much spectrum worldwide, despite skeptics and advocates of evidence-based practice conceptualized such therapies as human nostrum. This study aimed to explore the factors affecting CAM use among rural communities in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 288 occupants across four rural villages within the District of Selama, Perak, Malaysia. A survey that consisted of socio-economic characteristics, history of CAM use and the validated Holistic Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (HCAMQ) were used. The prevalence of self-reported CAM use over the past one year was 53.1%. Multiple logistic regression analyses yielded three significant predictors of CAM use: monthly household income of less than MYR 2500, higher education level, and positive attitude towards CAM. Psycho-socioeconomic factors were significantly associated with CAM use among rural communities in Malaysia.

Development of Demonstrably Predictive Models for Emissions from Alternative Fuels Based Aircraft Engines

Science.gov (United States)

2017-05-01

Engineering Chemistry Fundamentals, Vol. 5, No. 3, 1966, pp. 356–363. [14] Burns, R. A., Development of scalar and velocity imaging diagnostics...in an Aero- Engine Model Combustor at Elevated Pressure Using URANS and Finite- Rate Chemistry ,” 50th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference...FINAL REPORT Development of Demonstrably Predictive Models for Emissions from Alternative Fuels Based Aircraft Engines SERDP Project WP-2151

Prospects for bioenergy use in Ghana using Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kemausuor, Francis; Nygaard, Ivan; Mackenzie, Gordon A.

2015-01-01

biomass sources, through the production of biogas, liquid biofuels and electricity. Analysis was based on moderate and high use of bioenergy for transportation, electricity generation and residential fuel using the LEAP (Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning) model. Results obtained indicate...

Transcriptome analyses and differential gene expression in a non-model fish species with alternative mating tactics.

Science.gov (United States)

Schunter, Celia; Vollmer, Steven V; Macpherson, Enrique; Pascual, Marta

2014-02-28

Social dominance is important for the reproductive success of males in many species. In the black-faced blenny (Tripterygion delaisi) during the reproductive season, some males change color and invest in nest making and defending a territory, whereas others do not change color and 'sneak' reproductions when females lay their eggs. Using RNAseq, we profiled differential gene expression between the brains of territorial males, sneaker males, and females to study the molecular signatures of male dimorphism. We found that more genes were differentially expressed between the two male phenotypes than between males and females, suggesting that during the reproductive period phenotypic plasticity is a more important factor in differential gene expression than sexual dimorphism. The territorial male overexpresses genes related to synaptic plasticity and the sneaker male overexpresses genes involved in differentiation and development. Previously suggested candidate genes for social dominance in the context of alternative mating strategies seem to be predominantly species-specific. We present a list of novel genes which are differentially expressed in Tripterygion delaisi. This is the first genome-wide study for a molecular non-model species in the context of alternative mating strategies and provides essential information for further studies investigating the molecular basis of social dominance.

Modelling the effect of an alternative host population on the spread of citrus Huanglongbing

Science.gov (United States)

d'A. Vilamiu, Raphael G.; Ternes, Sonia; Laranjeira, Francisco F.; de C. Santos, Tâmara T.

2013-10-01

The objective of this work was to model the spread of citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) considering the presence of a population of alternative hosts (Murraya paniculata). We developed a compartmental deterministic mathematical model for representing the dynamics of HLB disease in a citrus orchard, including delays in the latency and incubation phases of the disease in the plants and a delay period on the nymphal stage of Diaphorina citri, the insect vector of HLB in Brazil. The results of numerical simulations indicate that alternative hosts should not play a crucial role on HLB dynamics considering a typical scenario for the Recôncavo Baiano region in Brazil . Also, the current policy of removing symptomatic plants every three months should not be expected to significantly hinder HLB spread.

Antitumorigenic potential of STAT3 alternative splicing modulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zammarchi, Francesca; de Stanchina, Elisa; Bournazou, Eirini; Supakorndej, Teerawit; Martires, Kathryn; Riedel, Elyn; Corben, Adriana D; Bromberg, Jacqueline F; Cartegni, Luca

2011-10-25

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) plays a central role in the activation of multiple oncogenic pathways. Splicing variant STAT3β uses an alternative acceptor site within exon 23 that leads to a truncated isoform lacking the C-terminal transactivation domain. Depending on the context, STAT3β can act as a dominant-negative regulator of transcription and promote apoptosis. We show that modified antisense oligonucleotides targeted to a splicing enhancer that regulates STAT3 exon 23 alternative splicing specifically promote a shift of expression from STAT3α to STAT3β. Induction of endogenous STAT3β leads to apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest in cell lines with persistent STAT3 tyrosine phosphorylation compared with total STAT3 knockdown obtained by forced splicing-dependent nonsense-mediated decay (FSD-NMD). Comparison of the molecular effects of splicing redirection to STAT3 knockdown reveals a unique STAT3β signature, with a down-regulation of specific targets (including lens epithelium-derived growth factor, p300/CBP-associated factor, CyclinC, peroxisomal biogenesis factor 1, and STAT1β) distinct from canonical STAT3 targets typically associated with total STAT3 knockdown. Furthermore, similar in vivo redirection of STAT3 alternative splicing leads to tumor regression in a xenograft cancer model, demonstrating how pharmacological manipulation of a single key splicing event can manifest powerful antitumorigenic properties and validating endogenous splicing reprogramming as an effective cancer therapeutic approach.

Five-Factor Model personality disorder prototypes: a review of their development, validity, and comparison to alternative approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Joshua D

2012-12-01

In this article, the development of Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality disorder (PD) prototypes for the assessment of DSM-IV PDs are reviewed, as well as subsequent procedures for scoring individuals' FFM data with regard to these PD prototypes, including similarity scores and simple additive counts that are based on a quantitative prototype matching methodology. Both techniques, which result in very strongly correlated scores, demonstrate convergent and discriminant validity, and provide clinically useful information with regard to various forms of functioning. The techniques described here for use with FFM data are quite different from the prototype matching methods used elsewhere. © 2012 The Author. Journal of Personality © 2012, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Bayesian alternative for multi-objective ecohydrological model specification

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Yating; Marshall, Lucy; Sharma, Ashish; Ajami, Hoori

2018-01-01

Recent studies have identified the importance of vegetation processes in terrestrial hydrologic systems. Process-based ecohydrological models combine hydrological, physical, biochemical and ecological processes of the catchments, and as such are generally more complex and parametric than conceptual hydrological models. Thus, appropriate calibration objectives and model uncertainty analysis are essential for ecohydrological modeling. In recent years, Bayesian inference has become one of the most popular tools for quantifying the uncertainties in hydrological modeling with the development of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques. The Bayesian approach offers an appealing alternative to traditional multi-objective hydrologic model calibrations by defining proper prior distributions that can be considered analogous to the ad-hoc weighting often prescribed in multi-objective calibration. Our study aims to develop appropriate prior distributions and likelihood functions that minimize the model uncertainties and bias within a Bayesian ecohydrological modeling framework based on a traditional Pareto-based model calibration technique. In our study, a Pareto-based multi-objective optimization and a formal Bayesian framework are implemented in a conceptual ecohydrological model that combines a hydrological model (HYMOD) and a modified Bucket Grassland Model (BGM). Simulations focused on one objective (streamflow/LAI) and multiple objectives (streamflow and LAI) with different emphasis defined via the prior distribution of the model error parameters. Results show more reliable outputs for both predicted streamflow and LAI using Bayesian multi-objective calibration with specified prior distributions for error parameters based on results from the Pareto front in the ecohydrological modeling. The methodology implemented here provides insight into the usefulness of multiobjective Bayesian calibration for ecohydrologic systems and the importance of appropriate prior

Cultural factors in a mobile phone adoption and usage model

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van Biljon, J

2008-01-01

Full Text Available . Although the feature driven and usability focus carry value, it is not the full picture. There is also an alternative or wider perspective: mobile phone use is influenced by demographic, social, cultural, and contextual factors that complicate...

Linear factor copula models and their properties

KAUST Repository

Krupskii, Pavel; Genton, Marc G.

2018-01-01

We consider a special case of factor copula models with additive common factors and independent components. These models are flexible and parsimonious with O(d) parameters where d is the dimension. The linear structure allows one to obtain closed form expressions for some copulas and their extreme‐value limits. These copulas can be used to model data with strong tail dependencies, such as extreme data. We study the dependence properties of these linear factor copula models and derive the corresponding limiting extreme‐value copulas with a factor structure. We show how parameter estimates can be obtained for these copulas and apply one of these copulas to analyse a financial data set.

Linear factor copula models and their properties

KAUST Repository

Krupskii, Pavel

2018-04-25

We consider a special case of factor copula models with additive common factors and independent components. These models are flexible and parsimonious with O(d) parameters where d is the dimension. The linear structure allows one to obtain closed form expressions for some copulas and their extreme‐value limits. These copulas can be used to model data with strong tail dependencies, such as extreme data. We study the dependence properties of these linear factor copula models and derive the corresponding limiting extreme‐value copulas with a factor structure. We show how parameter estimates can be obtained for these copulas and apply one of these copulas to analyse a financial data set.

Expression analysis of an evolutionarily conserved alternative splicing factor, Sfrs10, in age-related macular degeneration.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Devi Krishna Priya Karunakaran

Full Text Available Age-related macular degeneration (AMD is the most common cause of blindness in the elderly population. Hypoxic stress created in the micro-environment of the photoreceptors is thought to be the underlying cause that results in the pathophysiology of AMD. However, association of AMD with alternative splicing mediated gene regulation is not well explored. Alternative Splicing is one of the primary mechanisms in humans by which fewer protein coding genes are able to generate a vast proteome. Here, we investigated the expression of a known stress response gene and an alternative splicing factor called Serine-Arginine rich splicing factor 10 (Sfrs10. Sfrs10 is a member of the serine-arginine (SR rich protein family and is 100% identical at the amino acid level in most mammals. Immunoblot analysis on retinal extracts from mouse, rat, and chicken showed a single immunoreactive band. Further, immunohistochemistry on adult mouse, rat and chicken retinae showed pan-retinal expression. However, SFRS10 was not detected in normal human retina but was observed as distinct nuclear speckles in AMD retinae. This is in agreement with previous reports that show Sfrs10 to be a stress response gene, which is upregulated under hypoxia. The difference in the expression of Sfrs10 between humans and lower mammals and the upregulation of SFRS10 in AMD is further reflected in the divergence of the promoter sequence between these species. Finally, SFRS10+ speckles were independent of the SC35+ SR protein speckles or the HSF1+ stress granules. In all, our data suggests that SFRS10 is upregulated and forms distinct stress-induced speckles and might be involved in AS of stress response genes in AMD.

Sexual harassment: identifying risk factors.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Hare, E A; O'Donohue, W

1998-12-01

A new model of the etiology of sexual harassment, the four-factor model, is presented and compared with several models of sexual harassment including the biological model, the organizational model, the sociocultural model, and the sex role spillover model. A number of risk factors associated with sexually harassing behavior are examined within the framework of the four-factor model of sexual harassment. These include characteristics of the work environment (e.g., sexist attitudes among co-workers, unprofessional work environment, skewed sex ratios in the workplace, knowledge of grievance procedures for sexual harassment incidents) as well as personal characteristics of the subject (e.g., physical attractiveness, job status, sex-role). Subjects were 266 university female faculty, staff, and students who completed the Sexual Experience Questionnaire to assess the experience of sexual harassment and a questionnaire designed to assess the risk factors stated above. Results indicated that the four-factor model is a better predictor of sexual harassment than the alternative models. The risk factors most strongly associated with sexual harassment were an unprofessional environment in the workplace, sexist atmosphere, and lack of knowledge about the organization's formal grievance procedures.

The latent factor structure of acute stress disorder following bank robbery: testing alternative models in light of the pending DSM-5.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Maj; Lasgaard, Mathias; Elklit, Ask

2013-03-01

Acute stress disorder (ASD) was introduced into the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) to identify posttraumatic stress reactions occurring within the first month after a trauma and thus help to identify victims at risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Since its introduction, research into ASD has focused on the prediction of PTSD, whereas only a few studies have investigated the latent structure of ASD. Results of the latter have been mixed. In light of the current proposal for the ASD diagnosis in the pending DSM-5, there is a profound need for empirical studies that investigate the latent structure of ASD prior to the DSM-5 being finalized. Based on previous factor analytic research, the DSM-IV, and the proposed DSM-5 formulation of ASD, four different models of the latent structure of ASD were specified and estimated. The analyses were based on a national study of bank robbery victims (N = 450) using the acute stress disorder scale. The results of the confirmatory factor analyses showed that the DSM-IV model provided the best fit to the data. Thus, the present study suggests that the latent structure of ASD may best be characterized according to the four-factor DSM-IV model of ASD (i.e., dissociation, re-experiencing, avoidance, and arousal) following exposure to bank robbery. The results are pertinent in light of the pending DSM-5 and add to the debate about the conceptualization of ASD. . © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

Alternatives to allogeneic platelet transfusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Desborough, Michael J R; Smethurst, Peter A; Estcourt, Lise J; Stanworth, Simon J

2016-11-01

Allogeneic platelet transfusions are widely used for the prevention and treatment of bleeding in thrombocytopenia. Recent evidence suggests platelet transfusions have limited efficacy and are associated with uncertain immunomodulatory risks and concerns about viral or bacterial transmission. Alternatives to transfusion are a well-recognised tenet of Patient Blood Management, but there has been less focus on different strategies to reduce bleeding risk by comparison to platelet transfusion. Direct alternatives to platelet transfusion include agents to stimulate endogenous platelet production (thrombopoietin mimetics), optimising platelet adhesion to endothelium by treating anaemia or increasing von Willebrand factor levels (desmopressin), increasing formation of cross-linked fibrinogen (activated recombinant factor VII, fibrinogen concentrate or recombinant factor XIII), decreasing fibrinolysis (tranexamic acid or epsilon aminocaproic acid) or using artificial or modified platelets (cryopreserved platelets, lyophilised platelets, haemostatic particles, liposomes, engineered nanoparticles or infusible platelet membranes). The evidence base to support the use of these alternatives is variable, but an area of active research. Much of the current randomised controlled trial focus is on evaluation of the use of thrombopoietin mimetics and anti-fibrinolytics. It is also recognised that one alternative strategy to platelet transfusion is choosing not to transfuse at all. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A water system model for exploring electric energy alternatives in southeastern US basins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flores-López, F; Yates, D

2013-01-01

Electric power generation often involves the use of water for power plant cooling and steam generation, which typically involves the release of cooling water to nearby rivers and lakes. The resulting thermal pollution may negatively impact the ecosystems of these water bodies. Water resource systems models enable the examination of the implications of alternative electric generation on regional water resources. This letter documents the development, calibration, and validation of a climate-driven water resource systems model of the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint, the Alabama–Coosa–Tallapoosa, and the Tombigbee River basins in the states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, in the southeastern US. The model represents different water users, including power plants, agricultural water users, and municipal users. The model takes into account local population, per-capita use estimates, and changes in population growth. The water resources planning model was calibrated and validated against the observed, managed flows through the river systems of the three basins. Flow calibration was performed on land cover, water capacity, and hydraulic conductivity of soil horizons; river water temperature calibration was performed on channel width and slope properties. Goodness-of-fit statistics indicate that under 1980–2010 levels of water use, the model robustly represents major features of monthly average streamflow and water temperatures. The application of this integrated electricity generation–water resources planning model can be used to explore alternative electric generation and water implications. The implementation of this model is explored in the companion paper of this focus issue (Yates et al 2013 Environ. Res. Lett. 8 035042). (letter)

Alternating Direction Implicit (ADI) schemes for a PDE-based image osmosis model

Science.gov (United States)

Calatroni, L.; Estatico, C.; Garibaldi, N.; Parisotto, S.

2017-10-01

We consider Alternating Direction Implicit (ADI) splitting schemes to compute efficiently the numerical solution of the PDE osmosis model considered by Weickert et al. in [10] for several imaging applications. The discretised scheme is shown to preserve analogous properties to the continuous model. The dimensional splitting strategy traduces numerically into the solution of simple tridiagonal systems for which standard matrix factorisation techniques can be used to improve upon the performance of classical implicit methods, even for large time steps. Applications to the shadow removal problem are presented.

Factors Associated With Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Literature Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Usher

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Aim: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS is a chronic functional bowel condition, which has substantial impact on quality of life and use of healthcare services. Patients often report using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM for symptom management despite limited evidence to support its use. Psychological factors have been shown to be important in both influencing CAM use and as avenues of intervention to assist in managing IBS symptoms. Therefore, this review assessed prevalence of and psychological factors associated with CAM use by people with IBS. Method: Five electronic databases (including AMED, EMBASE and PsychINFO were searched for studies that examined both the extent of and the reasons for CAM use. Five studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: Prevalence of CAM use ranged from 9% to 38%. CAM use was associated with psychosocial factors, including concerns about conventional medical care (i.e., the perceived harmful effects of medication, perception that conventional medicine had failed, and lack of satisfaction with conventional care and anxiety. Conclusion: These findings identify psychological factors associated with CAM use which could be targeted through psychologically oriented management strategies for those affected with IBS.

The Five-Factor Model: General Overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A A Vorobyeva

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The article describes the five-factor model (FFM, giving an overview of its history, basic dimensions, cross-cultural research conducted on the model and highlights some practical studies based on the FFM, including the studies on job performance, leader performance and daily social interactions. An overview of the recent five-factor theory is also provided. According to the theory, the five factors are encoded in human genes, therefore it is almost impossible to change the basic factors themselves, but a person's behavior might be changed due to characteristic adaptations which do not alter personality dimensions, only a person's behavior.

Logistic regression for risk factor modelling in stuttering research.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Phil; Wu, Yaqionq

2013-06-01

To outline the uses of logistic regression and other statistical methods for risk factor analysis in the context of research on stuttering. The principles underlying the application of a logistic regression are illustrated, and the types of questions to which such a technique has been applied in the stuttering field are outlined. The assumptions and limitations of the technique are discussed with respect to existing stuttering research, and with respect to formulating appropriate research strategies to accommodate these considerations. Finally, some alternatives to the approach are briefly discussed. The way the statistical procedures are employed are demonstrated with some hypothetical data. Research into several practical issues concerning stuttering could benefit if risk factor modelling were used. Important examples are early diagnosis, prognosis (whether a child will recover or persist) and assessment of treatment outcome. After reading this article you will: (a) Summarize the situations in which logistic regression can be applied to a range of issues about stuttering; (b) Follow the steps in performing a logistic regression analysis; (c) Describe the assumptions of the logistic regression technique and the precautions that need to be checked when it is employed; (d) Be able to summarize its advantages over other techniques like estimation of group differences and simple regression. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling the Impact of Alternative Immunization Strategies: Using Matrices as Memory Lanes

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso, Wladimir J.; Rabaa, Maia A.; Giglio, Ricardo; Miller, Mark A.; Schuck-Paim, Cynthia

2015-01-01

Existing modeling approaches are divided between a focus on the constitutive (micro) elements of systems or on higher (macro) organization levels. Micro-level models enable consideration of individual histories and interactions, but can be unstable and subject to cumulative errors. Macro-level models focus on average population properties, but may hide relevant heterogeneity at the micro-scale. We present a framework that integrates both approaches through the use of temporally structured matrices that can take large numbers of variables into account. Matrices are composed of several bidimensional (time×age) grids, each representing a state (e.g. physiological, immunological, socio-demographic). Time and age are primary indices linking grids. These matrices preserve the entire history of all population strata and enable the use of historical events, parameters and states dynamically in the modeling process. This framework is applicable across fields, but particularly suitable to simulate the impact of alternative immunization policies. We demonstrate the framework by examining alternative strategies to accelerate measles elimination in 15 developing countries. The model recaptured long-endorsed policies in measles control, showing that where a single routine measles-containing vaccine is employed with low coverage, any improvement in coverage is more effective than a second dose. It also identified an opportunity to save thousands of lives in India at attractively low costs through the implementation of supplementary immunization campaigns. The flexibility of the approach presented enables estimating the effectiveness of different immunization policies in highly complex contexts involving multiple and historical influences from different hierarchical levels. PMID:26509976

Alternative Sigma Factors SigF, SigE, and SigG Are Essential for Sporulation in Clostridium botulinum ATCC 3502

OpenAIRE

Kirk, David G.; Zhang, Zhen; Korkeala, Hannu; Lindström, Miia

2014-01-01

Clostridium botulinum produces heat-resistant endospores that may germinate and outgrow into neurotoxic cultures in foods. Sporulation is regulated by the transcription factor Spo0A and the alternative sigma factors SigF, SigE, SigG, and SigK in most spore formers studied to date. We constructed mutants of sigF, sigE, and sigG in C. botulinum ATCC 3502 and used quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR and electron microscopy to assess their expression of the sporulation pathway on transcription...

Dark Gauge U(1) symmetry for an alternative left-right model

Science.gov (United States)

Kownacki, Corey; Ma, Ernest; Pollard, Nicholas; Popov, Oleg; Zakeri, Mohammadreza

2018-02-01

An alternative left-right model of quarks and leptons, where the SU(2)_R lepton doublet (ν ,l)_R is replaced with (n,l)_R so that n_R is not the Dirac mass partner of ν _L, has been known since 1987. Previous versions assumed a global U(1)_S symmetry to allow n to be identified as a dark-matter fermion. We propose here a gauge extension by the addition of extra fermions to render the model free of gauge anomalies, and just one singlet scalar to break U(1)_S. This results in two layers of dark matter, one hidden behind the other.

Conditional Poisson models: a flexible alternative to conditional logistic case cross-over analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, Ben G; Gasparrini, Antonio; Tobias, Aurelio

2014-11-24

The time stratified case cross-over approach is a popular alternative to conventional time series regression for analysing associations between time series of environmental exposures (air pollution, weather) and counts of health outcomes. These are almost always analyzed using conditional logistic regression on data expanded to case-control (case crossover) format, but this has some limitations. In particular adjusting for overdispersion and auto-correlation in the counts is not possible. It has been established that a Poisson model for counts with stratum indicators gives identical estimates to those from conditional logistic regression and does not have these limitations, but it is little used, probably because of the overheads in estimating many stratum parameters. The conditional Poisson model avoids estimating stratum parameters by conditioning on the total event count in each stratum, thus simplifying the computing and increasing the number of strata for which fitting is feasible compared with the standard unconditional Poisson model. Unlike the conditional logistic model, the conditional Poisson model does not require expanding the data, and can adjust for overdispersion and auto-correlation. It is available in Stata, R, and other packages. By applying to some real data and using simulations, we demonstrate that conditional Poisson models were simpler to code and shorter to run than are conditional logistic analyses and can be fitted to larger data sets than possible with standard Poisson models. Allowing for overdispersion or autocorrelation was possible with the conditional Poisson model but when not required this model gave identical estimates to those from conditional logistic regression. Conditional Poisson regression models provide an alternative to case crossover analysis of stratified time series data with some advantages. The conditional Poisson model can also be used in other contexts in which primary control for confounding is by fine

A relative permeability model to derive fractional-flow functions of water-alternating-gas and surfactant-alternating-gas foam core-floods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Mossawy, Mohammed Idrees; Demiral, Birol; Raja, D M Anwar

2013-01-01

Foam is used in enhanced oil recovery to improve the sweep efficiency by controlling the gas mobility. The surfactant-alternating-gas (SAG) foam process is used as an alternative to the water-alternating-gas (WAG) injection. In the WAG technique, the high mobility and the low density of the gas lead the gas to flow in channels through the high permeability zones of the reservoir and to rise to the top of the reservoir by gravity segregation. As a result, the sweep efficiency decreases and there will be more residual oil in the reservoir. The foam can trap the gas in liquid films and reduces the gas mobility. The fractional-flow method describes the physics of immiscible displacements in porous media. Finding the water fractional flow theoretically or experimentally as a function of the water saturation represents the heart of this method. The relative permeability function is the conventional way to derive the fractional-flow function. This study presents an improved relative permeability model to derive the fractional-flow functions for WAG and SAG foam core-floods. The SAG flow regimes are characterized into weak foam, strong foam without a shock front and strong foam with a shock front. (paper)

Assessment of Energy Performance and Emission Control Using Alternative Fuels in Cement Industry through a Process Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azad Rahman

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Cement manufacturing is one of the most energy intensive processes and is accountable for substantial pollutant emissions. Increasing energy costs compel stakeholders and researchers to search for alternative options to improve energy performance and reduce CO2 emissions. Alternative fuels offer a realistic solution towards the reduction of the usage of fossil fuels and the mitigation of pollutant emissions. This paper developed a process model of a precalciner kiln system in the cement industry using Aspen Plus software to simulate the effect of five alternative fuels on pollutant emissions and energy performance. The alternatives fuels used were tyre, municipal solid waste (MSW, meat and bone meal (MBM, plastic waste and sugarcane bagasse. The model was developed on the basis of energy and mass balance of the system and was validated against data from a reference cement plant. This study also investigated the effect of these alternative fuels on the quality of the clinker. The results indicated that up to a 4.4% reduction in CO2 emissions and up to a 6.4% reduction in thermal energy requirement could be achieved using these alternative fuels with 20% mix in coal. It was also found that the alternative fuels had minimum influence on the clinker quality except in the case of MSW. Overall, MBM was found to be a better option as it is capable on reducing energy requirement and CO2 emissions more than others. The outcomes of the study offer better understanding of the effects of solid alternative fuels to achieve higher energy performance and on mitigating pollutant emissions in cement industry.

Chou-Yang model and PHI form factor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fazal-e-Aleem; Saleem, M.; Rafique, M.

1988-03-01

By using the deduced differential cross-section data for PHIp elastic scattering at 175 GeV/c in the Chou-Yang model, the PHI form factor has been computed and parametrized. Then in conjunction with the proton form factor this form factor is used in the pristine Chou-Yang model to obtain differential cross-section data at Fermilab energies. The theoretical results agree with the experimental measurements, endorsing the conjecture that the hadronic form factor of neutral particle is proportional to its magnetic form factor.

Alternative complement pathway and factor B activities in rats with altered blood levels of thyroid hormone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bitencourt, C.S. [Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP (Brazil); Duarte, C.G.; Azzolini, A.E.C.S.; Assis-Pandochi, A.I. [Departamento de Física e Química, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP (Brazil)

2012-03-02

Evaluating the activity of the complement system under conditions of altered thyroid hormone levels might help elucidate the role of complement in triggering autoimmune processes. Here, we investigated alternative pathway (AP) activity in male Wistar rats (180 ± 10 g) after altering their thyroid hormone levels by treatment with triiodothyronine (T3), propylthiouracil (PTU) or thyroidectomy. T3 and thyroxine (T4) levels were determined by chemiluminescence assays. Hemolytic assays were performed to evaluate the lytic activity of the AP. Factor B activity was evaluated using factor B-deficient serum. An anti-human factor B antibody was used to measure factor B levels in serum by radial immunodiffusion. T3 measurements in thyroidectomized animals or animals treated with PTU demonstrated a significant reduction in hormone levels compared to control. The results showed a reduction in AP lytic activity in rats treated with increasing amounts of T3 (1, 10, or 50 µg). Factor B activity was also decreased in the sera of hyperthyroid rats treated with 1 to 50 µg T3. Additionally, treating rats with 25 µg T3 significantly increased factor B levels in their sera (P < 0.01). In contrast, increased factor B concentration and activity (32%) were observed in hypothyroid rats. We conclude that alterations in thyroid hormone levels affect the activity of the AP and factor B, which may in turn affect the roles of AP and factor B in antibody production.

Alternative complement pathway and factor B activities in rats with altered blood levels of thyroid hormone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bitencourt, C.S.; Duarte, C.G.; Azzolini, A.E.C.S.; Assis-Pandochi, A.I.

2012-01-01

Evaluating the activity of the complement system under conditions of altered thyroid hormone levels might help elucidate the role of complement in triggering autoimmune processes. Here, we investigated alternative pathway (AP) activity in male Wistar rats (180 ± 10 g) after altering their thyroid hormone levels by treatment with triiodothyronine (T3), propylthiouracil (PTU) or thyroidectomy. T3 and thyroxine (T4) levels were determined by chemiluminescence assays. Hemolytic assays were performed to evaluate the lytic activity of the AP. Factor B activity was evaluated using factor B-deficient serum. An anti-human factor B antibody was used to measure factor B levels in serum by radial immunodiffusion. T3 measurements in thyroidectomized animals or animals treated with PTU demonstrated a significant reduction in hormone levels compared to control. The results showed a reduction in AP lytic activity in rats treated with increasing amounts of T3 (1, 10, or 50 µg). Factor B activity was also decreased in the sera of hyperthyroid rats treated with 1 to 50 µg T3. Additionally, treating rats with 25 µg T3 significantly increased factor B levels in their sera (P < 0.01). In contrast, increased factor B concentration and activity (32%) were observed in hypothyroid rats. We conclude that alterations in thyroid hormone levels affect the activity of the AP and factor B, which may in turn affect the roles of AP and factor B in antibody production

Input-constrained model predictive control via the alternating direction method of multipliers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sokoler, Leo Emil; Frison, Gianluca; Andersen, Martin S.

2014-01-01

This paper presents an algorithm, based on the alternating direction method of multipliers, for the convex optimal control problem arising in input-constrained model predictive control. We develop an efficient implementation of the algorithm for the extended linear quadratic control problem (LQCP......) with input and input-rate limits. The algorithm alternates between solving an extended LQCP and a highly structured quadratic program. These quadratic programs are solved using a Riccati iteration procedure, and a structure-exploiting interior-point method, respectively. The computational cost per iteration...... is quadratic in the dimensions of the controlled system, and linear in the length of the prediction horizon. Simulations show that the approach proposed in this paper is more than an order of magnitude faster than several state-of-the-art quadratic programming algorithms, and that the difference in computation...

Discriminating performance of disposal alternatives - can it be done

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogers, V.C.; Baird, R.D.; Murphy, E.S.

1987-01-01

A basic principle of radioactive waste disposal is that the degree of isolation of the waste from human exposure should increase with the increase in the hazard of the waste. Most disposal concepts, including low-level waste disposal concepts, rely on isolation, limits on release rates, environmental retention, or environmental dilution to provide the necessary margin of safety. The answer to the question posed by the title of this paper is a qualified yes, depending on the measure of performance. Three methodologies for discriminating performance of low-level waste disposal alternatives are described. The disposal technology classification system distinguishes technologies on the basis of three qualitative performance functional features. These are relationship to natural grade, extent of cover, and presence and type of structure. Multi-attribute utility estimation is a semiquantitative decision analysis methodology used to rank disposal alternatives by taking into account both the technical merit of a particular alternative and the relative importance of issues and factors used to make the technical judgment. Use of this decision methodology by several states and compacts to rank proposed near surface disposal alternatives is described. Multipathway performance assessment is a quantitative methodology that uses models to evaluate the abilities of different disposal technologies to limit the release of radioactivity to man and the environment. Unfortunately, the degree of sophistication of present models is such that discrimination between technologies is, generally, determined by differences in input parameters that are usually difficult to justify. Several examples of the use of pathway modeling are presented. 11 references, 2 figures, 5 tables

Alternative fuelds in urban fleets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindsay, T.

1994-12-31

In this presentation the author addresses four main objectives. They are to: discuss programs that are driving the introduction of alternative fuels into fleet operations in urban areas around the country; define alternative fuels; quantify the present use and future projections on alternative fuel vehicles (AVFs) in the Chicago metropolitan statistical area; and discuss benefits of increased use of alternative fuels in urban areas. Factors which touch on these points include: present domestic dependence on petroleum for autos, with usage exceeding production; the large populations in urban areas which do not meet Clean Air Standards; recent legislative initiatives which give guidance and aid in the adoption of such strategies.

Alternative fuelds in urban fleets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindsay, T.

1994-01-01

In this presentation the author addresses four main objectives. They are to: discuss programs that are driving the introduction of alternative fuels into fleet operations in urban areas around the country; define alternative fuels; quantify the present use and future projections on alternative fuel vehicles (AVFs) in the Chicago metropolitan statistical area; and discuss benefits of increased use of alternative fuels in urban areas. Factors which touch on these points include: present domestic dependence on petroleum for autos, with usage exceeding production; the large populations in urban areas which do not meet Clean Air Standards; recent legislative initiatives which give guidance and aid in the adoption of such strategies

Reinforcement of an alternative behavior as a model of recovery and relapse in the rat

Science.gov (United States)

Ginsburg, Brett C.; Lamb, R.J.

2013-01-01

A preclinical model that includes measures of alternative behavior and drug-seeking could improve our understanding of the processes involved in successful recovery; however current preclinical models of relapse do not measure alternative behavior. We assessed the persistence of food-maintained responding and the resumption of ethanol-maintained responding after ethanol-maintained responding was reduced by changing the response requirement for concurrently available food. Ethanol (10% w/v) was always available following 5 responses (FR5). A 16 kHz tone indicating food delivery followed 150 responses (FR150) resulted in ethanol-predominate responding and substantial amounts of ethanol were earned (0.47 g/kg per 30-min session) and consumed. An 8 kHz tone indicating food delivery followed 5 responses (FR5) for 1, 2, 4, or 16 consecutive sessions reduced ethanol-maintained responding despite unchanged ethanol availability. Ethanol-maintained responding resumed upon subsequent presentation of the 16 kHz tone. However, more responses occurred on the food lever before 5 responses occurred on the ethanol lever as the number of preceding FR5 food sessions increased. These results suggest that alternative reinforcement may reduce control by discriminative stimuli that occasion ethanol-seeking and is consistent with the risk of relapse declining with longer periods of recovery because of the strength of alternative behavior. PMID:23274846

A dynamic bioenergetic model for coral-Symbiodinium symbioses and coral bleaching as an alternate stable state.

Science.gov (United States)

Cunning, Ross; Muller, Erik B; Gates, Ruth D; Nisbet, Roger M

2017-10-27

Coral reef ecosystems owe their ecological success - and vulnerability to climate change - to the symbiotic metabolism of corals and Symbiodinium spp. The urgency to understand and predict the stability and breakdown of these symbioses (i.e., coral 'bleaching') demands the development and application of theoretical tools. Here, we develop a dynamic bioenergetic model of coral-Symbiodinium symbioses that demonstrates realistic steady-state patterns in coral growth and symbiont abundance across gradients of light, nutrients, and feeding. Furthermore, by including a mechanistic treatment of photo-oxidative stress, the model displays dynamics of bleaching and recovery that can be explained as transitions between alternate stable states. These dynamics reveal that "healthy" and "bleached" states correspond broadly to nitrogen- and carbon-limitation in the system, with transitions between them occurring as integrated responses to multiple environmental factors. Indeed, a suite of complex emergent behaviors reproduced by the model (e.g., bleaching is exacerbated by nutrients and attenuated by feeding) suggests it captures many important attributes of the system; meanwhile, its modular framework and open source R code are designed to facilitate further problem-specific development. We see significant potential for this modeling framework to generate testable hypotheses and predict integrated, mechanistic responses of corals to environmental change, with important implications for understanding the performance and maintenance of symbiotic systems. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A STUDY ON LIMITATION OF GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE MODEL FOR ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLE (AFV PROMOTION IN CHINA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Byunghun Choi

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Chinese responsibility for reducing Greenhouse Gas or carbon dioxide emission increases continuously. Chinese government suggested two targets; Alternative Fuel Vehicle output volume 500 thousand and AFV market share 5% by the end of 2011. However any of two targets did not come true. Therefore this study accessed the question, ‘why Chinese government initiative model for AFV promotion has been so poor?’ This study reviewed the transition process for AFV policies in China and made a structural analysis for three key policies since 2009. As a result the number of articles for related industries or factor endowments was relatively more than firm strategy or demand conditions. Also this study accessed the AFV strategy of Six SOEs from the perspective of social responsibility. Six SOEs have more concentrated on electric vehicle rather than hybrid vehicle with following the government leadership. However major EV or HEV models of them mostly were made by Joint Ventures being under control of foreign makers and the JVs have actually controlled over AFV business. So the limitation of Chinese government initiative model resulted from supplier-centric approach with targeting for public transportation and institution consumer, and it caused a failure to create the demand conditions of general customers.

Alternative theories: Pregnancy and immune tolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonney, Elizabeth A

2017-09-01

For some time, reproductive immunologists have worked to understand the balance between maternal tolerance of the fetus, maternal health, and fetal protection which leads to successful pregnancy in mammalian species. We have always understood the potential importance of multiple factors, including nutrition, genetics, anatomy, hormonal regulation, environmental insult and many others. Yet, we still struggle to combine our knowledge of these factors and immunology to finally understand complex diseases of pregnancy, such as preeclampsia. Data, and potentially other factors (e.g. politics, economics), support the work to fit pregnancy into classical immune theory driven by the concept of self-non-self-discrimination. However, based on data, many classical theorists call pregnancy "a special case." This review is a first-pass suggestion to attempt to view three models of immune system activation and tolerance as potential alternatives to classical self-non-self-discrimination and to propose a theoretical framework to view them in the context of pregnancy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A finite volume alternate direction implicit approach to modeling selective laser melting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hattel, Jesper Henri; Mohanty, Sankhya

2013-01-01

Over the last decade, several studies have attempted to develop thermal models for analyzing the selective laser melting process with a vision to predict thermal stresses, microstructures and resulting mechanical properties of manufactured products. While a holistic model addressing all involved...... to accurately simulate the process, are constrained by either the size or scale of the model domain. A second challenging aspect involves the inclusion of non-linear material behavior into the 3D implicit FE models. An alternating direction implicit (ADI) method based on a finite volume (FV) formulation...... is proposed for modeling single-layer and few-layers selective laser melting processes. The ADI technique is implemented and applied for two cases involving constant material properties and non-linear material behavior. The ADI FV method consume less time while having comparable accuracy with respect to 3D...

Dark gauge U(1) symmetry for an alternative left-right model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kownacki, Corey; Ma, Ernest; Pollard, Nicholas; Popov, Oleg; Zakeri, Mohammadreza [University of California, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Riverside, CA (United States)

2018-02-15

An alternative left-right model of quarks and leptons, where the SU(2){sub R} lepton doublet (ν, l){sub R} is replaced with (n, l){sub R} so that n{sub R} is not the Dirac mass partner of ν{sub L}, has been known since 1987. Previous versions assumed a global U(1){sub S} symmetry to allow n to be identified as a dark-matter fermion. We propose here a gauge extension by the addition of extra fermions to render the model free of gauge anomalies, and just one singlet scalar to break U(1){sub S}. This results in two layers of dark matter, one hidden behind the other. (orig.)

A potent complement factor C3 specific nanobody inhibiting multiple functions in the alternative pathway of human and murine complement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Rasmus K; Pihl, Rasmus; Gadeberg, Trine A F

2018-01-01

The complement system is a complex, carefully regulated proteolytic cascade for which suppression of aberrant activation is of increasing clinical relevance and inhibition of the complement alternative pathway is a subject of intense research. Here, we describe the nanobody hC3Nb1 that binds...... to multiple functional states of C3 with sub-nanomolar affinity. The nanobody causes a complete shutdown of alternative pathway activity in human and murine serum when present in concentrations comparable to C3, and hC3Nb1 is shown to prevent both proconvertase assembly as well as binding of the C3 substrate...... to C3 convertases. Our crystal structure of the C3b-hC3Nb1 complex and functional experiments demonstrate that proconvertase formation is blocked by steric hindrance between the nanobody and an Asn-linked glycan on complement factor B. In addition, hC3Nb1 is shown to prevent factor H binding to C3b...

A Monte Carlo Investigation of the Box-Cox Model and a Nonlinear Least Squares Alternative.

OpenAIRE

Showalter, Mark H

1994-01-01

This paper reports a Monte Carlo study of the Box-Cox model and a nonlinear least squares alternative. Key results include the following: the transformation parameter in the Box-Cox model appears to be inconsistently estimated in the presence of conditional heteroskedasticity; the constant term in both the Box-Cox and the nonlinear least squares models is poorly estimated in small samples; conditional mean forecasts tend to underestimate their true value in the Box-Cox model when the transfor...

Phosphoproteomics reveals that glycogen synthase kinase-3 phosphorylates multiple splicing factors and is associated with alternative splicing

Science.gov (United States)

Shinde, Mansi Y.; Sidoli, Simone; Kulej, Katarzyna; Mallory, Michael J.; Radens, Caleb M.; Reicherter, Amanda L.; Myers, Rebecca L.; Barash, Yoseph; Lynch, Kristen W.; Garcia, Benjamin A.; Klein, Peter S.

2017-01-01

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a constitutively active, ubiquitously expressed protein kinase that regulates multiple signaling pathways. In vitro kinase assays and genetic and pharmacological manipulations of GSK-3 have identified more than 100 putative GSK-3 substrates in diverse cell types. Many more have been predicted on the basis of a recurrent GSK-3 consensus motif ((pS/pT)XXX(S/T)), but this prediction has not been tested by analyzing the GSK-3 phosphoproteome. Using stable isotope labeling of amino acids in culture (SILAC) and MS techniques to analyze the repertoire of GSK-3–dependent phosphorylation in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), we found that ∼2.4% of (pS/pT)XXX(S/T) sites are phosphorylated in a GSK-3–dependent manner. A comparison of WT and Gsk3a;Gsk3b knock-out (Gsk3 DKO) ESCs revealed prominent GSK-3–dependent phosphorylation of multiple splicing factors and regulators of RNA biosynthesis as well as proteins that regulate transcription, translation, and cell division. Gsk3 DKO reduced phosphorylation of the splicing factors RBM8A, SRSF9, and PSF as well as the nucleolar proteins NPM1 and PHF6, and recombinant GSK-3β phosphorylated these proteins in vitro. RNA-Seq of WT and Gsk3 DKO ESCs identified ∼190 genes that are alternatively spliced in a GSK-3–dependent manner, supporting a broad role for GSK-3 in regulating alternative splicing. The MS data also identified posttranscriptional regulation of protein abundance by GSK-3, with ∼47 proteins (1.4%) whose levels increased and ∼78 (2.4%) whose levels decreased in the absence of GSK-3. This study provides the first unbiased analysis of the GSK-3 phosphoproteome and strong evidence that GSK-3 broadly regulates alternative splicing. PMID:28916722

State and Alternative Fuel Provider Fleets - Fleet Compliance Annual Report: Model Year 2015, Fiscal Year 2016

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2016-12-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) regulates covered state government and alternative fuel provider fleets, pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct), as amended. Covered fleets may meet their EPAct requirements through one of two compliance methods: Standard Compliance or Alternative Compliance. For model year (MY) 2015, the compliance rate with this program for the more than 3011 reporting fleets was 100%. More than 294 fleets used Standard Compliance and exceeded their aggregate MY 2015 acquisition requirements by 8% through acquisitions alone. The seven covered fleets that used Alternative Compliance exceeded their aggregate MY 2015 petroleum use reduction requirements by 46%.

The Journal Impact Factor: Moving Toward an Alternative and Combined Scientometric Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Gasparyan, Armen Yuri; Nurmashev, Bekaidar; Yessirkepov, Marlen; Udovik, Elena E; Baryshnikov, Aleksandr A; Kitas, George D

2017-02-01

The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is a single citation metric, which is widely employed for ranking journals and choosing target journals, but is also misused as the proxy of the quality of individual articles and academic achievements of authors. This article analyzes Scopus-based publication activity on the JIF and overviews some of the numerous misuses of the JIF, global initiatives to overcome the 'obsession' with impact factors, and emerging strategies to revise the concept of the scholarly impact. The growing number of articles on the JIF, most of which are in English, reflects interest of experts in journal editing and scientometrics toward its uses, misuses, and options to overcome related problems. Solely displaying values of the JIFs on the journal websites is criticized by experts as these average metrics do not reflect skewness of citation distribution of individual articles. Emerging strategies suggest to complement the JIFs with citation plots and alternative metrics, reflecting uses of individual articles in terms of downloads and distribution of related information through social media and networking platforms. It is also proposed to revise the original formula of the JIF calculation and embrace the concept of the impact and importance of individual articles. The latter is largely dependent on ethical soundness of the journal instructions, proper editing and structuring of articles, efforts to promote related information through social media, and endorsements of professional societies.

Identification of Alternative Vapor Intrusion Pathways Using Controlled Pressure Testing, Soil Gas Monitoring, and Screening Model Calculations.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Yuanming; Holton, Chase; Luo, Hong; Dahlen, Paul; Gorder, Kyle; Dettenmaier, Erik; Johnson, Paul C

2015-11-17

Vapor intrusion (VI) pathway assessment and data interpretation have been guided by an historical conceptual model in which vapors originating from contaminated soil or groundwater diffuse upward through soil and are swept into a building by soil gas flow induced by building underpressurization. Recent studies reveal that alternative VI pathways involving neighborhood sewers, land drains, and other major underground piping can also be significant VI contributors, even to buildings beyond the delineated footprint of soil and groundwater contamination. This work illustrates how controlled-pressure-method testing (CPM), soil gas sampling, and screening-level emissions calculations can be used to identify significant alternative VI pathways that might go undetected by conventional sampling under natural conditions at some sites. The combined utility of these tools is shown through data collected at a long-term study house, where a significant alternative VI pathway was discovered and altered so that it could be manipulated to be on or off. Data collected during periods of natural and CPM conditions show that the alternative pathway was significant, but its presence was not identifiable under natural conditions; it was identified under CPM conditions when measured emission rates were 2 orders of magnitude greater than screening-model estimates and subfoundation vertical soil gas profiles changed and were no longer consistent with the conventional VI conceptual model.

Inflation with primordial broken power law spectrum as an alternative to the concordance cosmological model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pandolfi, Stefania; Giusarma, Elena; Lattanzi, Massimiliano; Melchiorri, Alessandro

2010-01-01

We consider cosmological models with a non-scale-invariant spectrum of primordial perturbations and assess whether they represent a viable alternative to the concordance ΛCDM model. We find that in the framework of a model selection analysis, the WMAP and 2dF data do not provide any conclusive evidence in favor of one or the other kind of model. However, when a marginalization over the entire space of nuisance parameters is performed, models with a modified primordial spectrum and Ω Λ =0 are strongly disfavored.

Are Fit Indices Biased in Favor of Bi-Factor Models in Cognitive Ability Research?: A Comparison of Fit in Correlated Factors, Higher-Order, and Bi-Factor Models via Monte Carlo Simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grant B. Morgan

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Bi-factor confirmatory factor models have been influential in research on cognitive abilities because they often better fit the data than correlated factors and higher-order models. They also instantiate a perspective that differs from that offered by other models. Motivated by previous work that hypothesized an inherent statistical bias of fit indices favoring the bi-factor model, we compared the fit of correlated factors, higher-order, and bi-factor models via Monte Carlo methods. When data were sampled from a true bi-factor structure, each of the approximate fit indices was more likely than not to identify the bi-factor solution as the best fitting. When samples were selected from a true multiple correlated factors structure, approximate fit indices were more likely overall to identify the correlated factors solution as the best fitting. In contrast, when samples were generated from a true higher-order structure, approximate fit indices tended to identify the bi-factor solution as best fitting. There was extensive overlap of fit values across the models regardless of true structure. Although one model may fit a given dataset best relative to the other models, each of the models tended to fit the data well in absolute terms. Given this variability, models must also be judged on substantive and conceptual grounds.

Intron-mediated alternative splicing of WOOD-ASSOCIATED NAC TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR1B regulates cell wall thickening during fiber development in Populus species.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yunjun; Sun, Jiayan; Xu, Peng; Zhang, Rui; Li, Laigeng

2014-02-01

Alternative splicing is an important mechanism involved in regulating the development of multicellular organisms. Although many genes in plants undergo alternative splicing, little is understood of its significance in regulating plant growth and development. In this study, alternative splicing of black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) wood-associated NAC domain transcription factor (PtrWNDs), PtrWND1B, is shown to occur exclusively in secondary xylem fiber cells. PtrWND1B is expressed with a normal short-transcript PtrWND1B-s as well as its alternative long-transcript PtrWND1B-l. The intron 2 structure of the PtrWND1B gene was identified as a critical sequence that causes PtrWND1B alternative splicing. Suppression of PtrWND1B expression specifically inhibited fiber cell wall thickening. The two PtrWND1B isoforms play antagonistic roles in regulating cell wall thickening during fiber cell differentiation in Populus spp. PtrWND1B-s overexpression enhanced fiber cell wall thickening, while overexpression of PtrWND1B-l repressed fiber cell wall thickening. Alternative splicing may enable more specific regulation of processes such as fiber cell wall thickening during wood formation.

Risk-adjusted capitation funding models for chronic disease in Australia: alternatives to casemix funding.

Science.gov (United States)

Antioch, K M; Walsh, M K

2002-01-01

Under Australian casemix funding arrangements that use Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs) the average price is policy based, not benchmarked. Cost weights are too low for State-wide chronic disease services. Risk-adjusted Capitation Funding Models (RACFM) are feasible alternatives. A RACFM was developed for public patients with cystic fibrosis treated by an Australian Health Maintenance Organization (AHMO). Adverse selection is of limited concern since patients pay solidarity contributions via Medicare levy with no premium contributions to the AHMO. Sponsors paying premium subsidies are the State of Victoria and the Federal Government. Cost per patient is the dependent variable in the multiple regression. Data on DRG 173 (cystic fibrosis) patients were assessed for heteroskedasticity, multicollinearity, structural stability and functional form. Stepwise linear regression excluded non-significant variables. Significant variables were 'emergency' (1276.9), 'outlier' (6377.1), 'complexity' (3043.5), 'procedures' (317.4) and the constant (4492.7) (R(2)=0.21, SE=3598.3, F=14.39, Probpayment (constant). The model explained 21% of the variance in cost per patient. The payment rate is adjusted by a best practice annual admission rate per patient. The model is a blended RACFM for in-patient, out-patient, Hospital In The Home, Fee-For-Service Federal payments for drugs and medical services; lump sum lung transplant payments and risk sharing through cost (loss) outlier payments. State and Federally funded home and palliative services are 'carved out'. The model, which has national application via Coordinated Care Trials and by Australian States for RACFMs may be instructive for Germany, which plans to use Australian DRGs for casemix funding. The capitation alternative for chronic disease can improve equity, allocative efficiency and distributional justice. The use of Diagnostic Cost Groups (DCGs) is a promising alternative classification system for capitation arrangements.

Comparison of Transcription Factor Binding Site Models

KAUST Repository

Bhuyan, Sharifulislam

2012-05-01

Modeling of transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) and TFBS prediction on genomic sequences are important steps to elucidate transcription regulatory mechanism. Dependency of transcription regulation on a great number of factors such as chemical specificity, molecular structure, genomic and epigenetic characteristics, long distance interaction, makes this a challenging problem. Different experimental procedures generate evidence that DNA-binding domains of transcription factors show considerable DNA sequence specificity. Probabilistic modeling of TFBSs has been moderately successful in identifying patterns from a family of sequences. In this study, we compare performances of different probabilistic models and try to estimate their efficacy over experimental TFBSs data. We build a pipeline to calculate sensitivity and specificity from aligned TFBS sequences for several probabilistic models, such as Markov chains, hidden Markov models, Bayesian networks. Our work, containing relevant statistics and evaluation for the models, can help researchers to choose the most appropriate model for the problem at hand.

Reformulation of Crop and Management Factor in ANSWERS Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yayat Hidayat

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Crop and management factor value is significantly corelated with outputs of ANSWERS model especially on soil erosion. Using daily crop and management factors (daily C factors, the ANSWERS model performs well in predicting soil erosion which is showed by determination coeffient (R2 = 0.89, model efficiency (0.86, and average of percentage model deviations (24.1%. Whereas using USLE C factor (2 cropping systems, predicted is much higher than measured soil erosion (over estimate. Output of the model is not statisfy; it is represented by model coefficient (0.40 and average of percentage model deviations (63.6%.

Evaluation of Expenditure Alternates

Science.gov (United States)

Poehlein, Gary W.; And Others

1973-01-01

Illustrates a system of calculating dollar expenditures over periods of time in terms of present value. The system enables planners, school boards, and administrators to compare expenditure alternatives as a decisionmaking factor. (Author)

Clinical implications of alternative TCP models for nonuniform dose distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deasy, J. O.

1995-01-01

Several tumor control probability (TCP) models for nonuniform dose distributions were compared, including: (a) a logistic/inter-patient-heterogeneity model, (b) a probit/inter-patient-heterogeneity model, (c) a Poisson/radioresistant-strain/identical-patients model, (d) a Poisson/inter-patient-heterogeneity model and (e) a Poisson/intra-tumor- and inter-patient-heterogeneity model. The models were analyzed in terms of the probability of controlling a single tumor voxel (the voxel control probability, or VCP), as a function of voxel volume and dose. Alternatively, the VCP surface can be thought of as the effect of a small cold spot. The models based on the Poisson equation which include inter-patient heterogeneity ((d) and (e)) have VCP surfaces (VCP as a function of dose and volume) which have a threshold 'waterfall' shape: below the waterfall (in dose), VCP is nearly zero. The threshold dose decreases with decreasing voxel volume. However, models (a), (b), and (c) all show a high probability of controlling a voxel (VCP>50%) with very low dose (e.g., 1 Gy) if the voxel is small (smaller than about 10 -3 of the tumor volume). Model (c) does not have the waterfall shape at low volumes due to the assumption of patient uniformity and a neglect of the effect of the clonogens which are more radiosensitive (and more numerous). Models (a) and (b) deviate from the waterfall shape at low volumes due to numerical differences between the functions used and the Poisson function. Hence, the Possion models which include inter-patient heterogeneities ((d) and (e)) are more sensitive to the effects of small cold spots than the other models considered

Model of separated form factors for unilamellar vesicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiselev, M.A.; Aksenov, V.L.; Lesieur, P.; Lombardo, D.; Kiselev, A.M.

2001-01-01

A new model of separated form factors is proposed for the evaluation of small-angle neutron scattering curves from large unilamellar vesicles. The validity of the model was checked via comparison with the model of a hollow sphere. The model of separated form factors and the hollow sphere model give a reasonable agreement in the evaluation of vesicle parameters

PENGUJIAN FAMA-FRENCH THREE-FACTOR MODEL DI INDONESIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damar Hardianto

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This study empirically examined the Fama-French three factor model of stock returnsfor Indonesia over the period 2000-2004. We found evidence for pervasive market, size, andbook-to-market factors in Indonesian stock returns. We found that cross-sectional mean returnswere explained by exposures to these three factors, and not by the market factor alone. Theempirical results were reasonably consistent with the Fama-French three factor model.

Application of sensitivity analysis for assessment of de-desertification alternatives in the central Iran by using Triantaphyllou method.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadeghi Ravesh, Mohammad Hassan; Ahmadi, Hassan; Zehtabian, Gholamreza

2011-08-01

Desertification, land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid regions, is a global environmental problem. With respect to increasing importance of desertification and its complexity, the necessity of attention to the optimal de-desertification alternatives is essential. Therefore, this work presents an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method to objectively select the optimal de-desertification alternatives based on the results of interviews with experts in Khezr Abad region, central Iran as the case study. This model was used in Yazd Khezr Abad region to evaluate the efficiency in presentation of better alternatives related to personal and environmental situations. Obtained results indicate that the criterion "proportion and adaptation to the environment" with the weighted average of 33.6% is the most important criterion from experts viewpoints. While prevention alternatives of land usage unsuitable of reveres and conversion with 22.88% mean weight and vegetation cover development and reclamation with 21.9% mean weight are recognized ordinarily as the most important de-desertification alternatives in region. Finally, sensitivity analysis is performed in detail by varying the objective factor decision weight, the priority weight of subjective factors, and the gain factors. After the fulfillment of sensitivity analysis and determination of the most sensitive criteria and alternatives, the former classification and ranking of alternatives does not change so much, and it was observed that unsuitable land use alternative with the preference degree of 22.7% was still in the first order of priority. The final priority of livestock grazing control alternative was replaced with the alternative of modification of ground water harvesting.

Factor Copula Models for Replicated Spatial Data

KAUST Repository

Krupskii, Pavel

2016-12-19

We propose a new copula model that can be used with replicated spatial data. Unlike the multivariate normal copula, the proposed copula is based on the assumption that a common factor exists and affects the joint dependence of all measurements of the process. Moreover, the proposed copula can model tail dependence and tail asymmetry. The model is parameterized in terms of a covariance function that may be chosen from the many models proposed in the literature, such as the Matérn model. For some choice of common factors, the joint copula density is given in closed form and therefore likelihood estimation is very fast. In the general case, one-dimensional numerical integration is needed to calculate the likelihood, but estimation is still reasonably fast even with large data sets. We use simulation studies to show the wide range of dependence structures that can be generated by the proposed model with different choices of common factors. We apply the proposed model to spatial temperature data and compare its performance with some popular geostatistics models.

Factor Copula Models for Replicated Spatial Data

KAUST Repository

Krupskii, Pavel; Huser, Raphaë l; Genton, Marc G.

2016-01-01

We propose a new copula model that can be used with replicated spatial data. Unlike the multivariate normal copula, the proposed copula is based on the assumption that a common factor exists and affects the joint dependence of all measurements of the process. Moreover, the proposed copula can model tail dependence and tail asymmetry. The model is parameterized in terms of a covariance function that may be chosen from the many models proposed in the literature, such as the Matérn model. For some choice of common factors, the joint copula density is given in closed form and therefore likelihood estimation is very fast. In the general case, one-dimensional numerical integration is needed to calculate the likelihood, but estimation is still reasonably fast even with large data sets. We use simulation studies to show the wide range of dependence structures that can be generated by the proposed model with different choices of common factors. We apply the proposed model to spatial temperature data and compare its performance with some popular geostatistics models.

The Transcription Factor STAT6 Mediates Direct Repression of Inflammatory Enhancers and Limits Activation of Alternatively Polarized Macrophages

OpenAIRE

Czimmerer, Zsolt; Daniel, Bence; Horvath, Attila; Rückerl, Dominik; Nagy, Gergely; Kiss, Mate; Peloquin, Matthew; Budai, Marietta M.; Cuaranta-Monroy, Ixchelt; Simandi, Zoltan; Steiner, Laszlo; Nagy, Bela; Poliska, Szilard; Banko, Csaba; Bacso, Zsolt

2018-01-01

Summary The molecular basis of signal-dependent transcriptional activation has been extensively studied in macrophage polarization, but our understanding remains limited regarding the molecular determinants of repression. Here we show that IL-4-activated STAT6 transcription factor is required for the direct transcriptional repression of a large number of genes during in vitro and in vivo alternative macrophage polarization. Repression results in decreased lineage-determining transcription fac...

Near omni-conductors and insulators: Alternant hydrocarbons in the SSP model of ballistic conduction

OpenAIRE

Fowler, P.W.; Sciriha, I.; Borg, M.; Seville, V.E.; Pickup, B.T.

2017-01-01

Within the source-and-sink-potential model, a complete characterisation is obtained for the conduction behaviour of alternant π-conjugated hydrocarbons (conjugated hydrocarbons without odd cycles). In this model, an omni-conductor has a molecular graph that conducts at the Fermi level irrespective of the choice of connection vertices. Likewise, an omni-insulator is a molecular graph that fails to conduct for any choice of connections. We give a comprehensive classification of possible combina...

Compartmental modeling alternatives for kinetic analysis of pet neurotransmitter receptor studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koeppe, R.A.

1991-01-01

With the increased interest in studying neurotransmitter and receptor function in vivo, imaging procedures using positron emission tomography have presented new challenges for kinetic modeling and analysis of data. The in vivo behavior of radiolabeled markers for examining these neurotransmitter systems can be quite complex and, therefore, the implementation of compartmental models for data analysis is similarly complex. Often, the variability in the estimates of model parameters representing neurotransmitter or receptor densities, association and dissociation rates, or rates of incorporation or turnover does not permit reliable interpretation of the data. When less complex analyses are used, these model parameters may be biased and thus also do not yield the information being sought. Examination of trade-offs between uncertainty and bias in the parameters of interest may be used to select a compartmental model configuration with an appropriate level of complexity. Modeling alternatives will be discussed for radioligands with varying kinetic properties, such as those that bind reversibly and rapidly and others that bind nearly irreversibly. Specific problems, such as those occurring when a radioligand is open-quotes flow limitedclose quotes also will be discussed

Assessment of slip factor models at off-design condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Sung Ho; Baek, Je Hyun

2000-01-01

Slip factor is defined as an empirical factor being multiplied to theoretical energy transfer for the estimation of real work input of a centrifugal compressor. Researchers have tried to develop a simple empirical model, for a century, to predict a slip factor. However most these models were developed on the condition of design point assuming inviscid flow. So these models often fail to predict a correct slip factor at off-design condition. In this study, we summarized various slip factor models and compared these models with experimental and numerical data at off-design condition. As a result of this study, Wiesner's and Paeng and Chung's models are applicable for radial impeller, but all the models are not suitable for backswept impeller. Finally, the essential avenues for future study is discussed

Near omni-conductors and insulators: Alternant hydrocarbons in the SSP model of ballistic conduction

Science.gov (United States)

Fowler, Patrick W.; Sciriha, Irene; Borg, Martha; Seville, Victoria E.; Pickup, Barry T.

2017-10-01

Within the source-and-sink-potential model, a complete characterisation is obtained for the conduction behaviour of alternant π-conjugated hydrocarbons (conjugated hydrocarbons without odd cycles). In this model, an omni-conductor has a molecular graph that conducts at the Fermi level irrespective of the choice of connection vertices. Likewise, an omni-insulator is a molecular graph that fails to conduct for any choice of connections. We give a comprehensive classification of possible combinations of omni-conducting and omni-insulating behaviour for molecular graphs, ranked by nullity (number of non-bonding orbitals). Alternant hydrocarbons are those that have bipartite molecular graphs; they cannot be full omni-conductors or full omni-insulators but may conduct or insulate within well-defined subsets of vertices (unsaturated carbon centres). This leads to the definition of "near omni-conductors" and "near omni-insulators." Of 81 conceivable classes of conduction behaviour for alternants, only 14 are realisable. Of these, nine are realised by more than one chemical graph. For example, conduction of all Kekulean benzenoids (nanographenes) is described by just two classes. In particular, the catafused benzenoids (benzenoids in which no carbon atom belongs to three hexagons) conduct when connected to leads via one starred and one unstarred atom, and otherwise insulate, corresponding to conduction type CII in the near-omni classification scheme.

Bulawayo water supplies: Sustainable alternatives for the next decade

Science.gov (United States)

Mkandla, Noel; Van der Zaag, Pieter; Sibanda, Peter

Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe with a population of nearly one million people. It is located on the watershed of Umzingwane and Gwayi catchments. The former is part of the Limpopo basin, while the latter drains into the Zambezi basin. Bulawayo has a good potential of economic development but has been stymied by lack of sufficient water. The city currently relies on five surface sources in the Umzingwane catchment where it has to compete with evaporation. The well field from the Nyamandlovu aquifer in the Gwayi catchment, which was constructed as an emergency measure during the 1992 drought, is currently not operational. Alternative water supply sources are far and expensive. A multilinear regression model was developed to analyse and quantify the factors affecting water consumption. It was found that per capita water consumption is very low, indicating suppressed demand. Water rationing, tariffs, rainfall, population growth and gross domestic product are the main factors influencing water consumption in Bulawayo. Assuming that these factors will continue to be influential, future water consumption was projected for intensive, regular and slack water demand management. Future water consumption was then compared with the current water supply capacity in order to determine the date by which the next water supply source is required. With slack demand management, the Nyamandlovu well field should have been operational by 2003, while by the year 2007 an additional source of water is required. With intensive demand management and assuming low population growth, current capacities may suffice to satisfy the suppressed demand until the year 2015, by which time Nyamandlovu wells should be operational again. The additional water supply sources that are currently being considered for Bulawayo (namely the Zambezi water pipeline; Gwayi Shangani dam; Mtshabezi dam; Lower Tuli dam; and Glass block dam) were then compared with an alternative water source not yet

Agent-based modeling of oxygen-responsive transcription factors in Escherichia coli.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Bai

2014-04-01

Full Text Available In the presence of oxygen (O2 the model bacterium Escherichia coli is able to conserve energy by aerobic respiration. Two major terminal oxidases are involved in this process - Cyo has a relatively low affinity for O2 but is able to pump protons and hence is energetically efficient; Cyd has a high affinity for O2 but does not pump protons. When E. coli encounters environments with different O2 availabilities, the expression of the genes encoding the alternative terminal oxidases, the cydAB and cyoABCDE operons, are regulated by two O2-responsive transcription factors, ArcA (an indirect O2 sensor and FNR (a direct O2 sensor. It has been suggested that O2-consumption by the terminal oxidases located at the cytoplasmic membrane significantly affects the activities of ArcA and FNR in the bacterial nucleoid. In this study, an agent-based modeling approach has been taken to spatially simulate the uptake and consumption of O2 by E. coli and the consequent modulation of ArcA and FNR activities based on experimental data obtained from highly controlled chemostat cultures. The molecules of O2, transcription factors and terminal oxidases are treated as individual agents and their behaviors and interactions are imitated in a simulated 3-D E. coli cell. The model implies that there are two barriers that dampen the response of FNR to O2, i.e. consumption of O2 at the membrane by the terminal oxidases and reaction of O2 with cytoplasmic FNR. Analysis of FNR variants suggested that the monomer-dimer transition is the key step in FNR-mediated repression of gene expression.

Exploring factors in the decision to choose sterilization vs alternatives in rural El Salvador.

Science.gov (United States)

Cremer, Miriam L; Holland, Erica; Monterroza, Maritza; Duran, Sonia; Singh, Rameet; Terbell, Heather; Edelman, Alison

2008-01-01

To explore the factors that influence rural Salvadoran women to undergo tubal sterilization versus opting for alternative methods of family planning. A moderator fluent in English and Spanish conducted eleven 90-minute focus groups consisting of 5-10 women each. Eligible women in the municipality of San Pedro Perulapan, El Salvador, were identified and recruited by local health workers. Participant demographics and information about family planning decisions were collected through detailed notes and tape-recorded sessions. The tapes were transcribed verbatim, and all data were analyzed using grounded theory procedures to identify common themes. Eighty women aged 24-45 years who had previously been sterilized participated in the study. Three major themes influenced a woman's decision to undergo sterilization instead of opting for alternative forms of family planning: (1) availability: tubal sterilization is readily available, (2) fears about side effects of other methods: these women associated negative side effects with other forms of family planning, (3) effectiveness: the women in these focus groups thought sterilization was more effective than other forms of family planning. This study shows that there is a lack of information, and misinformation, about other effective methods of contraception, especially the intrauterine device and oral contraceptives. Reproductive health education projects, especially those providing services in locations similar to rural El Salvador, should focus on providing accurate information about all forms of contraception, including tubal sterilization.

Longitudinal tests of competing factor structures for the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale: traits, ephemeral artifacts, and stable response styles.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsh, Herbert W; Scalas, L Francesca; Nagengast, Benjamin

2010-06-01

Self-esteem, typically measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), is one of the most widely studied constructs in psychology. Nevertheless, there is broad agreement that a simple unidimensional factor model, consistent with the original design and typical application in applied research, does not provide an adequate explanation of RSE responses. However, there is no clear agreement about what alternative model is most appropriate-or even a clear rationale for how to test competing interpretations. Three alternative interpretations exist: (a) 2 substantively important trait factors (positive and negative self-esteem), (b) 1 trait factor and ephemeral method artifacts associated with positively or negatively worded items, or (c) 1 trait factor and stable response-style method factors associated with item wording. We have posited 8 alternative models and structural equation model tests based on longitudinal data (4 waves of data across 8 years with a large, representative sample of adolescents). Longitudinal models provide no support for the unidimensional model, undermine support for the 2-factor model, and clearly refute claims that wording effects are ephemeral, but they provide good support for models positing 1 substantive (self-esteem) factor and response-style method factors that are stable over time. This longitudinal methodological approach has not only resolved these long-standing issues in self-esteem research but also has broad applicability to most psychological assessments based on self-reports with a mix of positively and negatively worded items.

Evaluation of remedial alternative of a LNAPL plume utilizing groundwater modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, T.; Way, S.; Powell, G.

1997-01-01

The TIMES model was utilized to evaluate remedial options for a large LNAPL spill that was impacting the North Platte River in Glenrock, Wyoming. LNAPL was found discharging into the river from the adjoining alluvial aquifer. Subsequent investigations discovered an 18 hectare plume extended across the alluvium and into a sandstone bedrock outcrop to the south of the river. The TIMES model was used to estimate the LNAPL volume and to evaluate options for optimizing LNAPL recovery. Data collected from recovery and monitoring wells were used for model calibration. A LNAPL volume of 5.5 million L was estimated, over 3.0 million L of which is in the sandstone bedrock. An existing product recovery system was evaluated for its effectiveness. Three alternative recovery scenarios were also evaluated to aid in selecting the most cost-effective and efficient recovery system for the site. An active wellfield hydraulically upgradient of the existing recovery system was selected as most appropriate to augment the existing system in recovering LNAPL efficiently

The asset pricing model of musharakah factors

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, Shahril; Omar, Mohd; Lazam, Norazliani Md

2015-02-01

The existing three-factor model developed by Fama and French for conventional investment was formulated based on risk-free rates element in which contradict with Shariah principles. We note that the underlying principles that govern Shariah investment were mutual risk and profit sharing between parties, the assurance of fairness for all and that transactions were based on an underlying asset. In addition, the three-factor model did not exclude stock that was not permissible by Shariah such as financial services based on riba (interest), gambling operator, manufacture or sale of non-halal products or related products and other activities deemed non-permissible according to Shariah. Our approach to construct the factor model for Shariah investment was based on the basic tenets of musharakah in tabulating the factors. We start by noting that Islamic stocks with similar characteristics should have similar returns and risks. This similarity between Islamic stocks was defined by the similarity of musharakah attributes such as business, management, profitability and capital. These attributes define factor exposures (or betas) to factors. The main takeaways were that musharakah attributes we chose had explain stock returns well in cross section and were significant in different market environments. The management factor seemed to be responsible for the general dynamics of the explanatory power.

Use of complementary and alternative medicines during the third trimester.

Science.gov (United States)

Pallivalapila, Abdul Rouf; Stewart, Derek; Shetty, Ashalatha; Pande, Binita; Singh, Rajvir; McLay, James S

2015-01-01

To estimate the prevalence, indications, and associated factors for complementary and alternative medicine use during the last trimester of pregnancy. A questionnaire survey was conducted of women with a live birth (N=700) admitted to the postnatal unit at the Royal Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, northeast Scotland. Outcome measures included: complementary and alternative medicine used; vitamins and minerals used; reasons for complementary and alternative medicine use; independent associated factors for use; views; and experiences. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed. The response rate was 79.6% of eligible women. Two thirds of respondents (61.4%) reported using complementary and alternative medicine, excluding vitamins and minerals, during the third trimester. Respondents reported using a total of 30 different complementary and alternative medicine modalities, of which oral herbal products were the most common (38% of respondents, 40 different products). The independent associated factors for complementary and alternative medicine use identified were: complementary and alternative medicine use before pregnancy (odds ratio [OR] 4.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.39-7.95, Palternative medicine use by family or friends (OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.61-3.47, Palternative medicines were safer than prescribed medicines (P=.006), less likely to be associated with side effects (P≤.001), and could interfere with conventional medicines (P≤.001). Despite the majority of respondents, and notably users, being uncertain about their safety and effectiveness, complementary and alternative medicine modalities and complementary and alternative medicine products are widely used during the third trimester of pregnancy in this study population. Although prior use was the most significant independent associated factor, the role of family and friends, rather than health professionals, in the decision to use complementary and alternative medicine may be of concern

Dimensional Model for Estimating Factors influencing Childhood Obesity: Path Analysis Based Modeling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maryam Kheirollahpour

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this study is to identify and develop a comprehensive model which estimates and evaluates the overall relations among the factors that lead to weight gain in children by using structural equation modeling. The proposed models in this study explore the connection among the socioeconomic status of the family, parental feeding practice, and physical activity. Six structural models were tested to identify the direct and indirect relationship between the socioeconomic status and parental feeding practice general level of physical activity, and weight status of children. Finally, a comprehensive model was devised to show how these factors relate to each other as well as to the body mass index (BMI of the children simultaneously. Concerning the methodology of the current study, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA was applied to reveal the hidden (secondary effect of socioeconomic factors on feeding practice and ultimately on the weight status of the children and also to determine the degree of model fit. The comprehensive structural model tested in this study suggested that there are significant direct and indirect relationships among variables of interest. Moreover, the results suggest that parental feeding practice and physical activity are mediators in the structural model.

A model explaining synchronization of neuron bioelectric frequency under weak alternating low frequency magnetic field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moral, A. del, E-mail: delmoral@unizar.es [Laboratorio de Magnetismo, Departamento de Física de Materia Condensada and Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales, Universidad de Zaragoza and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 50009 Zaragoza (Spain); Laboratorio de Magnetobiología, Departamento de Anatomía e Histología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza (Spain); Centro de Tecnología Biomédica, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Madrid (Spain); Azanza, María J., E-mail: mjazanza@unizar.es [Laboratorio de Magnetobiología, Departamento de Anatomía e Histología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza (Spain); Centro de Tecnología Biomédica, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Madrid (Spain)

2015-03-01

A biomagnetic-electrical model is presented that explains rather well the experimentally observed synchronization of the bioelectric potential firing rate (“frequency”), f, of single unit neurons of Helix aspersa mollusc under the application of extremely low frequency (ELF) weak alternating (AC) magnetic fields (MF). The proposed model incorporates to our widely experimentally tested model of superdiamagnetism (SD) and Ca{sup 2+} Coulomb explosion (CE) from lipid (LP) bilayer membrane (SD–CE model), the electrical quadrupolar long range interaction between the bilayer LP membranes of synchronized neuron pairs, not considered before. The quadrupolar interaction is capable of explaining well the observed synchronization. Actual extension of our SD–CE-model shows that the neuron firing frequency field, B, dependence becomes not modified, but the bioelectric frequency is decreased and its spontaneous temperature, T, dependence is modified. A comparison of the model with synchronization experimental results of pair of neurons under weak (B{sub 0}≅0.2–15 mT) AC-MF of frequency f{sub M}=50 Hz is reported. From the deduced size of synchronized LP clusters under B, is suggested the formation of small neuron networks via the membrane lipid correlation. - Highlights: • Neuron pair synchronization under low frequency alternating (AC) magnetic field (MF). • Superdiamagnetism and Ca{sup 2+} Coulomb explosion for AC MF effect in synchronized frequency. • Membrane lipid electrical quadrupolar pair interaction as synchronization mechamism. • Good agreement of model with electrophysiological experiments on mollusc Helix neurons.

A model explaining synchronization of neuron bioelectric frequency under weak alternating low frequency magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moral, A. del; Azanza, María J.

2015-01-01

A biomagnetic-electrical model is presented that explains rather well the experimentally observed synchronization of the bioelectric potential firing rate (“frequency”), f, of single unit neurons of Helix aspersa mollusc under the application of extremely low frequency (ELF) weak alternating (AC) magnetic fields (MF). The proposed model incorporates to our widely experimentally tested model of superdiamagnetism (SD) and Ca 2+ Coulomb explosion (CE) from lipid (LP) bilayer membrane (SD–CE model), the electrical quadrupolar long range interaction between the bilayer LP membranes of synchronized neuron pairs, not considered before. The quadrupolar interaction is capable of explaining well the observed synchronization. Actual extension of our SD–CE-model shows that the neuron firing frequency field, B, dependence becomes not modified, but the bioelectric frequency is decreased and its spontaneous temperature, T, dependence is modified. A comparison of the model with synchronization experimental results of pair of neurons under weak (B 0 ≅0.2–15 mT) AC-MF of frequency f M =50 Hz is reported. From the deduced size of synchronized LP clusters under B, is suggested the formation of small neuron networks via the membrane lipid correlation. - Highlights: • Neuron pair synchronization under low frequency alternating (AC) magnetic field (MF). • Superdiamagnetism and Ca 2+ Coulomb explosion for AC MF effect in synchronized frequency. • Membrane lipid electrical quadrupolar pair interaction as synchronization mechamism. • Good agreement of model with electrophysiological experiments on mollusc Helix neurons

Hierarchical and coupling model of factors influencing vessel traffic flow.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhao; Liu, Jingxian; Li, Huanhuan; Li, Zongzhi; Tan, Zhirong; Liu, Ryan Wen; Liu, Yi

2017-01-01

Understanding the characteristics of vessel traffic flow is crucial in maintaining navigation safety, efficiency, and overall waterway transportation management. Factors influencing vessel traffic flow possess diverse features such as hierarchy, uncertainty, nonlinearity, complexity, and interdependency. To reveal the impact mechanism of the factors influencing vessel traffic flow, a hierarchical model and a coupling model are proposed in this study based on the interpretative structural modeling method. The hierarchical model explains the hierarchies and relationships of the factors using a graph. The coupling model provides a quantitative method that explores interaction effects of factors using a coupling coefficient. The coupling coefficient is obtained by determining the quantitative indicators of the factors and their weights. Thereafter, the data obtained from Port of Tianjin is used to verify the proposed coupling model. The results show that the hierarchical model of the factors influencing vessel traffic flow can explain the level, structure, and interaction effect of the factors; the coupling model is efficient in analyzing factors influencing traffic volumes. The proposed method can be used for analyzing increases in vessel traffic flow in waterway transportation system.

Alternate service delivery models in cancer genetic counseling: a mini-review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam Hudson Buchanan

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Demand for cancer genetic counseling has grown rapidly in recent years as germline genomic information has become increasingly incorporated into cancer care and the field has entered the public consciousness through high-profile celebrity publications. Increased demand and existing variability in the availability of trained cancer genetics clinicians place a priority on developing and evaluating alternate service delivery models for genetic counseling. This mini-review summarizes the state of science regarding service delivery models such as telephone counseling, telegenetics and group counseling. Research on comparative effectiveness of these models in traditional individual, in-person genetic counseling has been promising for improving access to care in a manner acceptable to patients. Yet, it has not fully evaluated the short- and long-term patient- and system-level outcomes that will help answer the question of whether these models achieve the same beneficial psychosocial and behavioral outcomes as traditional cancer genetic counseling. We propose a research agenda focused on comparative effectiveness of available service delivery models and how to match models to patients and practice settings. Only through this rigorous research can clinicians and systems find the optimal balance of clinical quality, ready and secure access to care, and financial sustainability. Such research will be integral to achieving the promise of genomic medicine in oncology.

An alternative mass model for galactic dark coronae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ninković S.

2001-01-01

Full Text Available A spherically symmetric mass distribution with two scale parameters for the dark corona of a (spiral galaxy as an alternative to the usually applied quasi-isothermal sphere is considered. Examinations of the rotation curve produced by this distribution over a limited interval of the distance to the rotation axis show that it can be a successful alternative to the usual approximation of the quasiisothermal sphere. This is important taking into account that the potential formula considered in the present paper can be easily generalized towards axial symmetry.

Human factors with nonhumans - Factors that affect computer-task performance

Science.gov (United States)

Washburn, David A.

1992-01-01

There are two general strategies that may be employed for 'doing human factors research with nonhuman animals'. First, one may use the methods of traditional human factors investigations to examine the nonhuman animal-to-machine interface. Alternatively, one might use performance by nonhuman animals as a surrogate for or model of performance by a human operator. Each of these approaches is illustrated with data in the present review. Chronic ambient noise was found to have a significant but inconsequential effect on computer-task performance by rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Additional data supported the generality of findings such as these to humans, showing that rhesus monkeys are appropriate models of human psychomotor performance. It is argued that ultimately the interface between comparative psychology and technology will depend on the coordinated use of both strategies of investigation.

A study on the equivalent electric circuit simulation model of DBD streamer and glow alternate discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao, J; Zhang, Z T; Xu, S J; Yu, Q X; Yu, Z; Zhao, J S

2013-01-01

This paper presents a dynamic simulating model of the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), structured as an equivalent electric circuit of the streamer and glow discharge generated alternately in DBD. The main parameters of DBD have been established by means of analysing the structural characteristics of a single discharge cell. An electrical comprehensive Simulink /MATLAB model was developed in order to reveal the interaction of the adjacent two discharge cell. A series of simulations was carried out in order to estimate the key structural parameters that affect the alternate streamer and glow discharge mode. The comparison results of experimental and simulate indicate that there exists a close similarity of the current waveforms graphic. Therefore, we can grasp a deep understanding mechanism of the dielectric barrier discharge and optimize the plasma reactor.

HOCOMOCO: towards a complete collection of transcription factor binding models for human and mouse via large-scale ChIP-Seq analysis

KAUST Repository

Kulakovskiy, Ivan V.; Vorontsov, Ilya E.; Yevshin, Ivan S.; Sharipov, Ruslan N.; Fedorova, Alla D.; Rumynskiy, Eugene I.; Medvedeva, Yulia A.; Magana-Mora, Arturo; Bajic, Vladimir B.; Papatsenko, Dmitry A.; Kolpakov, Fedor A.; Makeev, Vsevolod J.

2017-01-01

We present a major update of the HOCOMOCO collection that consists of patterns describing DNA binding specificities for human and mouse transcription factors. In this release, we profited from a nearly doubled volume of published in vivo experiments on transcription factor (TF) binding to expand the repertoire of binding models, replace low-quality models previously based on in vitro data only and cover more than a hundred TFs with previously unknown binding specificities. This was achieved by systematic motif discovery from more than five thousand ChIP-Seq experiments uniformly processed within the BioUML framework with several ChIP-Seq peak calling tools and aggregated in the GTRD database. HOCOMOCO v11 contains binding models for 453 mouse and 680 human transcription factors and includes 1302 mononucleotide and 576 dinucleotide position weight matrices, which describe primary binding preferences of each transcription factor and reliable alternative binding specificities. An interactive interface and bulk downloads are available on the web: http://hocomoco.autosome.ru and http://www.cbrc.kaust.edu.sa/hocomoco11. In this release, we complement HOCOMOCO by MoLoTool (Motif Location Toolbox, http://molotool.autosome.ru) that applies HOCOMOCO models for visualization of binding sites in short DNA sequences.

HOCOMOCO: towards a complete collection of transcription factor binding models for human and mouse via large-scale ChIP-Seq analysis

KAUST Repository

Kulakovskiy, Ivan V.

2017-10-31

We present a major update of the HOCOMOCO collection that consists of patterns describing DNA binding specificities for human and mouse transcription factors. In this release, we profited from a nearly doubled volume of published in vivo experiments on transcription factor (TF) binding to expand the repertoire of binding models, replace low-quality models previously based on in vitro data only and cover more than a hundred TFs with previously unknown binding specificities. This was achieved by systematic motif discovery from more than five thousand ChIP-Seq experiments uniformly processed within the BioUML framework with several ChIP-Seq peak calling tools and aggregated in the GTRD database. HOCOMOCO v11 contains binding models for 453 mouse and 680 human transcription factors and includes 1302 mononucleotide and 576 dinucleotide position weight matrices, which describe primary binding preferences of each transcription factor and reliable alternative binding specificities. An interactive interface and bulk downloads are available on the web: http://hocomoco.autosome.ru and http://www.cbrc.kaust.edu.sa/hocomoco11. In this release, we complement HOCOMOCO by MoLoTool (Motif Location Toolbox, http://molotool.autosome.ru) that applies HOCOMOCO models for visualization of binding sites in short DNA sequences.

The Alternative Peer Group: A Developmentally Appropriate Recovery Support Model for Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Nash, Angela; Collier, Crystal

2016-01-01

Recovery as the goal for substance use disorder treatment has been a key component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's mission for the past decade. Consistent with their mission, there is a call for research and development of recovery-oriented systems of care to support affected individuals through all stages of the recovery process. Evidence is emerging to support recovery practice and research for adults, but recovery-oriented models for adolescents are scant. The Alternative Peer Group (APG) is a comprehensive adolescent recovery support model that integrates recovering peers and prosocial activities into evidence-based clinical practice. Employing APG participants' own words, this article will describe the essential elements and three theoretical frameworks underlying the APG model to illustrate how the APG serves as a developmentally appropriate recovery support service for adolescents with substance use disorder.

A framework for treating DSM-5 alternative model for personality disorder features.

Science.gov (United States)

Hopwood, Christopher J

2018-04-15

Despite its demonstrated empirical superiority over the DSM-5 Section 2 categorical model of personality disorders for organizing the features of personality pathology, limitations remain with regard to the translation of the DSM-5 Section 3 alternative model of personality disorders (AMPD) to clinical practice. The goal of this paper is to outline a general and preliminary framework for approaching treatment from the perspective of the AMPD. Specific techniques are discussed for the assessment and treatment of both Criterion A personality dysfunction and Criterion B maladaptive traits. A concise and step-by-step model is presented for clinical decision making with the AMPD, in the hopes of offering clinicians a framework for treating personality pathology and promoting further research on the clinical utility of the AMPD. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Distance Model of Intuitionistic Fuzzy Cross Entropy to Solve Preference Problem on Alternatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mei Li

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In the field of decision-making, for the multiple attribute decision-making problem with the partially unknown attribute weights, the evaluation information in the form of the intuitionistic fuzzy numbers, and the preference on alternatives, this paper proposes a comprehensive decision model based on the intuitionistic fuzzy cross entropy distance and the grey correlation analysis. The creative model can make up the deficiency that the traditional intuitionistic fuzzy distance measure is easy to cause the confusion of information and can improve the accuracy of distance measure; meanwhile, the grey correlation analysis method, suitable for the small sample and the poor information decision-making, is applied in the evaluation. This paper constructs a mathematical optimization model of maximizing the synthesis grey correlation coefficient between decision-making evaluation values and decision-makers’ subjective preference values, calculates the attribute weights with the known partial weight information, and then sorts the alternatives by the grey correlation coefficient values. Taking venture capital firm as an example, through the calculation and the variable disturbance, we can see that the methodology used in this paper has good stability and rationality. This research makes the decision-making process more scientific and further improves the theory of intuitionistic fuzzy multiple attribute decision-making.

BEGA Starter/Alternator - Vector Control Implementation and Performance for Wide Speed Range at Unity Power Factor Operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blaabjerg, Frede; Boldea, Ion; Coroban-Schramel, Vasile

2008-01-01

Biaxial Excitation Generator for Automobile (BEGA) is proposed as a solution for integrated starter/alternator systems used in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). This paper demonstrates through experiments and simulations that BEGA has a very large constant power speed range (CPSR), theoretically...... to infinite. A vector control structure is proposed for BEGA operation during motoring and generating, at unity power factor with zero d-axis current (id) and zero q-axis flux (Ψq) control. In such conditions BEGA behaves like a truly dc. brush machine (with zero reactance in steady state !). A high iq...

HIV-1 infection induces changes in expression of cellular splicing factors that regulate alternative viral splicing and virus production in macrophages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Purcell Damian FJ

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Macrophages are important targets and long-lived reservoirs of HIV-1, which are not cleared of infection by currently available treatments. In the primary monocyte-derived macrophage model of infection, replication is initially productive followed by a decline in virion output over ensuing weeks, coincident with a decrease in the levels of the essential viral transactivator protein Tat. We investigated two possible mechanisms in macrophages for regulation of viral replication, which appears to be primarily regulated at the level of tat mRNA: 1 differential mRNA stability, used by cells and some viruses for the rapid regulation of gene expression and 2 control of HIV-1 alternative splicing, which is essential for optimal viral replication. Results Following termination of transcription at increasing times after infection in macrophages, we found that tat mRNA did indeed decay more rapidly than rev or nef mRNA, but with similar kinetics throughout infection. In addition, tat mRNA decayed at least as rapidly in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Expression of cellular splicing factors in uninfected and infected macrophage cultures from the same donor showed an inverse pattern over time between enhancing factors (members of the SR family of RNA binding proteins and inhibitory factors (members of the hnRNP family. While levels of the SR protein SC35 were greatly up-regulated in the first week or two after infection, hnRNPs of the A/B and H groups were down-regulated. Around the peak of virus production in each culture, SC35 expression declined to levels in uninfected cells or lower, while the hnRNPs increased to control levels or above. We also found evidence for increased cytoplasmic expression of SC35 following long-term infection. Conclusion While no evidence of differential regulation of tat mRNA decay was found in macrophages following HIV-1 infection, changes in the balance of cellular splicing factors which regulate alternative

Alternative health insurance schemes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Keiding, Hans; Hansen, Bodil O.

2002-01-01

In this paper, we present a simple model of health insurance with asymmetric information, where we compare two alternative ways of organizing the insurance market. Either as a competitive insurance market, where some risks remain uninsured, or as a compulsory scheme, where however, the level...... competitive insurance; this situation turns out to be at least as good as either of the alternatives...

Modeling and analysis of alternative concept of ITER vacuum vessel primary heat transfer system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carbajo, Juan; Yoder, Graydon; Dell'Orco, G.; Curd, Warren; Kim, Seokho

2010-01-01

A RELAP5-3D model of the ITER (Latin for 'the way') vacuum vessel (VV) primary heat transfer system has been developed to evaluate a proposed design change that relocates the heat exchangers (HXs) from the exterior of the tokamak building to the interior. This alternative design protects the HXs from external hazards such as wind, tornado, and aircraft crash. The proposed design integrates the VV HXs into a VV pressure suppression system (VVPSS) tank that contains water to condense vapour in case of a leak into the plasma chamber. The proposal is to also use this water as the ultimate sink when removing decay heat from the VV system. The RELAP5-3D model has been run under normal operating and abnormal (decay heat) conditions. Results indicate that this alternative design is feasible, with no effects on the VVPSS tank under normal operation and with tank temperature and pressure increasing under decay heat conditions resulting in a requirement to remove steam generated if the VVPSS tank low pressure must be maintained.

Dynamic Multi-Factor Credit Risk Model with Fat-Tailed Factors

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Gapko, Petr; Šmíd, Martin

2012-01-01

Roč. 62, č. 2 (2012), s. 125-140 ISSN 0015-1920 R&D Projects: GA ČR GD402/09/H045; GA ČR GA402/09/0965 Grant - others:Univerzita Karlova(CZ) GAUK 46108 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : credit risk * probability of default * loss given default * credit loss * credit loss distribution * Basel II Subject RIV: AH - Economics Impact factor: 0.340, year: 2012 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2012/E/smid-dynamic multi-factor credit risk model with fat-tailed factors.pdf

Hierarchical and coupling model of factors influencing vessel traffic flow.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao Liu

Full Text Available Understanding the characteristics of vessel traffic flow is crucial in maintaining navigation safety, efficiency, and overall waterway transportation management. Factors influencing vessel traffic flow possess diverse features such as hierarchy, uncertainty, nonlinearity, complexity, and interdependency. To reveal the impact mechanism of the factors influencing vessel traffic flow, a hierarchical model and a coupling model are proposed in this study based on the interpretative structural modeling method. The hierarchical model explains the hierarchies and relationships of the factors using a graph. The coupling model provides a quantitative method that explores interaction effects of factors using a coupling coefficient. The coupling coefficient is obtained by determining the quantitative indicators of the factors and their weights. Thereafter, the data obtained from Port of Tianjin is used to verify the proposed coupling model. The results show that the hierarchical model of the factors influencing vessel traffic flow can explain the level, structure, and interaction effect of the factors; the coupling model is efficient in analyzing factors influencing traffic volumes. The proposed method can be used for analyzing increases in vessel traffic flow in waterway transportation system.

Alternate design of ITER cryostat skirt support system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pandey, Manish Kumar; Gupta, Girish Kumar; Bhardwaj, Anil Kumar; Jha, Saroj Kumar

2015-01-01

The skirt support of ITER cryostat is a support system which takes all the load of cryostat cylinder and dome during normal and operational condition. The present design of skirt support has full penetration weld joints at the bottom (shell to horizontal plate joint). To fulfill the requirements of tolerances and control the welding distortions, we have proposed to change the full penetration weld into fillet weld. A detail calculation is done to check the feasibility and structural impact due to proposed design. The calculations provide the size requirements of fillet weld. To verify the structural integrity during most severe load case, finite element analysis (FEA) has been done in line with ASME section VIII division 2. By FEA 'Plastic Collapse' and 'Local Failure' modes has been assessed. 5° sector of skirt clamp has been modeled in CATIA V5 R21 and used in FEA. Fillet weld at shell to horizontal plate joint has been modeled and symmetry boundary condition at ± 2.5° applied. 'Elastic Plastic Analysis' has been performed for the most severe loading case i.e. Category IV loading. The alternate design of Cryostat Skirt support system has been found safe by analysis against Plastic collapse and Local Failure Modes with load proportionality factor 2.3. Alternate design of Cryostat skirt support system has been done and validated by FEA. As per alternate design, the proposal of fillet weld has been implemented in manufacturing. (author)

Traditional and alternative nonlinear models for estimating the growth of Morada Nova sheep

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laaina de Andrade Souza

2013-09-01

Full Text Available In the present study, alternative and traditional nonlinear models to describe growth curves of Morada Nova sheep reared in the state of Bahia, Brazil, were applied. The nonlinear models were: Schnute, Mitscherlich, Gompertz, Logistic, Meloun I Meloun II, III Meloun, Gamito and Meloun IV. The model adjustment was evaluated by using: Adjusted Coefficient of Determination (R²aj, Akaike Information Criterion (AIC, Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC, Mean Squared Error of Prediction (MEP and Coefficient of Determination of Prediction (R²p. The selection of the best model was based on cluster analysis, using the evaluators as variables. Six out of the nine tested models converged, while Meloun I and Meloun IV were equally effective in explaining animal growth, without significant influence of sex or type of parturition over the curve parameters. The models Meloun I and IV have the best adjustment and reveal a remarkable reduction of weight gain after 150 days of age, which indicates special attention should be given to feeding at this stage.

Connecting the dots: chromatin and alternative splicing in EMT.

Science.gov (United States)

Warns, Jessica A; Davie, James R; Dhasarathy, Archana

2016-02-01

Nature has devised sophisticated cellular machinery to process mRNA transcripts produced by RNA Polymerase II, removing intronic regions and connecting exons together, to produce mature RNAs. This process, known as splicing, is very closely linked to transcription. Alternative splicing, or the ability to produce different combinations of exons that are spliced together from the same genomic template, is a fundamental means of regulating protein complexity. Similar to transcription, both constitutive and alternative splicing can be regulated by chromatin and its associated factors in response to various signal transduction pathways activated by external stimuli. This regulation can vary between different cell types, and interference with these pathways can lead to changes in splicing, often resulting in aberrant cellular states and disease. The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), which leads to cancer metastasis, is influenced by alternative splicing events of chromatin remodelers and epigenetic factors such as DNA methylation and non-coding RNAs. In this review, we will discuss the role of epigenetic factors including chromatin, chromatin remodelers, DNA methyltransferases, and microRNAs in the context of alternative splicing, and discuss their potential involvement in alternative splicing during the EMT process.

Continuing education in athletic training: an alternative approach based on adult learning theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Pitney, W A

1998-01-01

To offer an alternative perspective on current continuing education practices and to propose a model for facilitating continuing education in the athletic training workplace. Professional knowledge can quickly become outdated, and the personal/professional contexts of allied medical fields such as athletic training are becoming increasingly more complex, making continuing education paramount. Adult learning theory suggests that individuals are self- directed, autonomous learners in nature and that experience is a rich source for learning, subsequently making the workplace a fruitful environment in which to engage in continuing education. Unfortunately, mandating continuing education may violate the voluntary nature of adult learning, making the practice questionable. Therefore, alternative aspects of continuing education may be helpful. This article consists of a brief synthesis of related literature that offers an alternative perspective of continuing education and proposes a model for facilitating continuing education in the workplace. The model's foundation includes preparing an environment conducive to learning and then focuses on identifying learning needs, setting goals, implementing specific strategies to facilitate self-directed learning, and assessing leaming. Additionally, the model suggests that ongoing reflection is a key factor in enhancing the identification of learning needs, goals, and strategies. The model may best be used by clinical coordinators, directors, and supervisors to better facilitate employee learning and subsequently improve patient care delivery.

TEST OF THE CHEN-ROLL-ROSS MACROECONOMIC FACTOR MODEL: EVIDENCE FROM CROATIAN STOCK MARKET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denis Dolinar

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper empirically examines the well-known Chen-Roll-Ross model on the Croatian stock market. Modifications of definitions of the Chen-Roll-Ross model variables showed as necessary because of doubtful availability and quality of input data needed. Namely, some macroeconomic and market variables are not available in the originally defined form or do not exist. In that sense this paper gives some alternative definitions for some model variables. Also, in order to improve statistical analysis, in this paper we have modified Fama-MacBeth technique in the way that second-pass regression was substituted with panel regression analysis. Based on the two-pass regression analysis of returns of 34 Croatian stocks on 4 macroeconomic variables during the seven-and-half-year observation period the following conclusion is made. In contrast to the results of Chen, Roll and Ross (1986 for the U.S. stock market, their model is not successful when describing a risk-return relation of Croatian stocks. Nevertheless, one observed version of the Chen-RollRoss model showed certain statistical significance. Namely, two risk factors in that version of the model were statistically significant: default premium, measured as risk premium for the corporate short-term bank loan financing, and term structure premium, measured on short-run basis.

Examining the DSM-5 alternative model of personality disorders operationalization of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder in a mental health sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Liggett, Jacqueline; Sellbom, Martin

2018-06-21

The current study evaluated the continuity between the diagnostic operationalizations of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, both as traditionally operationalized and from the perspective of the alternative model of personality disorders. Using both self-report and informant measures, the study had the following four aims: (a) to examine the extent to which self-report and informant data correspond, (b) to investigate whether both self-report and informant measures of the alternative model of OCPD can predict traditional OCPD, (c) to determine if any traits additional to those proposed in the alternative model of OCPD can predict traditional OCPD, and (d) to investigate whether a measure of OCPD-specific impairment is better at predicting traditional OCPD than are measures of general impairment in personality functioning. A mental health sample of 214 participants was recruited and administered measures of both the traditional and alternative models of OCPD. Self-report data moderately corresponded with informant data, which is consistent with the literature. Results further confirmed rigid perfectionism as the core trait of OCPD. Perseveration and workaholism were also associated with OCPD. Hostility was identified as a trait deserving further research. A measure of OCPD-specific impairment demonstrated its ability to incrementally predict OCPD over general measures of impairment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Alternative comparison, analysis, and evaluation of solid waste and materials system alternatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brothers, A.J.

1995-09-01

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the impact of solid waste technical options on values and objectives that are important to the public. It is written in support of the Solid Waste and Materials Systems Alternatives Study (WHC, 1995). Described are the values that were identified, the major programmatic risks, how the impacts were measured, the performance of alternatives, the methodology used for the analysis, and the implications of the results. Decision analysis was used to guide the collection and analysis of data and the logic of the evaluation. Decision analysis is a structured process for the analysis and evaluation of alternatives. It is theoretically grounded in a set of axioms that capture the basic principles of decision making (von Neuman and Morgenstern 1947). Decision analysis objectively specifies what factors are to be considered, how they are to be measured and evaluated, and heir relative importance. The result is an analysis in which the underlying rationale or logic upon which the decision is based is made explicit. This makes possible open discussion of the decision basis in which facts and values are clearly distinguished, resulting in a well- documented decision that can be clearly explained and justified. The strategy of decision analysis is to analyze the various components relevant to the decision separately and then integrate the individual judgments to arrive at an overall decision. This assures that all the relevant factors are identified and their relative importance is considered. The procedure for obtaining the individual judgments, and the decision rules, for combining them and evaluating alternatives, have both theoretical and empirical foundation in mathematics, economics, and psychology

Intron-Mediated Alternative Splicing of WOOD-ASSOCIATED NAC TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR1B Regulates Cell Wall Thickening during Fiber Development in Populus Species1[W

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yunjun; Sun, Jiayan; Xu, Peng; Zhang, Rui; Li, Laigeng

2014-01-01

Alternative splicing is an important mechanism involved in regulating the development of multicellular organisms. Although many genes in plants undergo alternative splicing, little is understood of its significance in regulating plant growth and development. In this study, alternative splicing of black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) wood-associated NAC domain transcription factor (PtrWNDs), PtrWND1B, is shown to occur exclusively in secondary xylem fiber cells. PtrWND1B is expressed with a normal short-transcript PtrWND1B-s as well as its alternative long-transcript PtrWND1B-l. The intron 2 structure of the PtrWND1B gene was identified as a critical sequence that causes PtrWND1B alternative splicing. Suppression of PtrWND1B expression specifically inhibited fiber cell wall thickening. The two PtrWND1B isoforms play antagonistic roles in regulating cell wall thickening during fiber cell differentiation in Populus spp. PtrWND1B-s overexpression enhanced fiber cell wall thickening, while overexpression of PtrWND1B-l repressed fiber cell wall thickening. Alternative splicing may enable more specific regulation of processes such as fiber cell wall thickening during wood formation. PMID:24394777

Testing Constancy of the Error Covariance Matrix in Vector Models against Parametric Alternatives using a Spectral Decomposition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Yukay

I consider multivariate (vector) time series models in which the error covariance matrix may be time-varying. I derive a test of constancy of the error covariance matrix against the alternative that the covariance matrix changes over time. I design a new family of Lagrange-multiplier tests against...... to consider multivariate volatility modelling....

Optimal statistical decisions about some alternative financial models

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vajda, Igor; Stummer, W.

2007-01-01

Roč. 137, č. 2 (2007), s. 441-471 ISSN 0304-4076 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) 1M0572; GA ČR GA201/02/1391; GA AV ČR IAA1075403 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : Black-Scholes-Merton models * Relative entropies * Power divergences * Hellinger intergrals * Total variation distance * Bayesian decisions * Neyman-Pearson testing Subject RIV: BD - Theory of Information Impact factor: 1.990, year: 2007

Alternative face models for 3D face registration

Science.gov (United States)

Salah, Albert Ali; Alyüz, Neşe; Akarun, Lale

2007-01-01

3D has become an important modality for face biometrics. The accuracy of a 3D face recognition system depends on a correct registration that aligns the facial surfaces and makes a comparison possible. The best results obtained so far use a one-to-all registration approach, which means each new facial surface is registered to all faces in the gallery, at a great computational cost. We explore the approach of registering the new facial surface to an average face model (AFM), which automatically establishes correspondence to the pre-registered gallery faces. Going one step further, we propose that using a couple of well-selected AFMs can trade-off computation time with accuracy. Drawing on cognitive justifications, we propose to employ category-specific alternative average face models for registration, which is shown to increase the accuracy of the subsequent recognition. We inspect thin-plate spline (TPS) and iterative closest point (ICP) based registration schemes under realistic assumptions on manual or automatic landmark detection prior to registration. We evaluate several approaches for the coarse initialization of ICP. We propose a new algorithm for constructing an AFM, and show that it works better than a recent approach. Finally, we perform simulations with multiple AFMs that correspond to different clusters in the face shape space and compare these with gender and morphology based groupings. We report our results on the FRGC 3D face database.

Variability of LD50 Values from Rat Oral Acute Toxicity Studies: Implications for Alternative Model Development

Science.gov (United States)

Alternative models developed for estimating acute systemic toxicity are generally evaluated using in vivo LD50 values. However, in vivo acute systemic toxicity studies can produce variable results, even when conducted according to accepted test guidelines. This variability can ma...

Adult Human Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes: An Alternative Model for Evaluating Chemical and Environmental Pollutant Cardiotoxicity

Science.gov (United States)

Heart disease is increasing globally with a significant percentage of the increase being attributed to chemical and pollution exposures. Currently, no alternative or in vitro testing models exist to rapidly and accurately determine the cardiac effects of chemicals and/or pollutan...

A Parametric Factor Model of the Term Structure of Mortality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haldrup, Niels; Rosenskjold, Carsten Paysen T.

The prototypical Lee-Carter mortality model is characterized by a single common time factor that loads differently across age groups. In this paper we propose a factor model for the term structure of mortality where multiple factors are designed to influence the age groups differently via...... on the loading functions, the factors are not designed to be orthogonal but can be dependent and can possibly cointegrate when the factors have unit roots. We suggest two estimation procedures similar to the estimation of the dynamic Nelson-Siegel term structure model. First, a two-step nonlinear least squares...... procedure based on cross-section regressions together with a separate model to estimate the dynamics of the factors. Second, we suggest a fully specified model estimated by maximum likelihood via the Kalman filter recursions after the model is put on state space form. We demonstrate the methodology for US...

The Effect of the Japan 2011 Disaster on Nuclear and Alternative Energy Stocks Worldwide: An Event Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Ferstl

2012-05-01

Full Text Available This event study investigates the impact of the Japanese nuclear disaster in Fukushima-Daiichi on the daily stock prices of French, German, Japanese, and U.S. nuclear utility and alternative energy firms. Hypotheses regarding the (cumulative abnormal returns based on a three-factor model are analyzed through joint tests by multivariate regression models and bootstrapping. Our results show significant abnormal returns for Japanese nuclear utility firms during the one-week event window and the subsequent four-week post-event window. Furthermore, while French and German nuclear utility and alternative energy stocks exhibit significant abnormal returns during the event window, we cannot confirm abnormal returns for U.S. stocks.

[Lake eutrophication modeling in considering climatic factors change: a review].

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Jie-Qiong; Wang, Xuan; Yang, Zhi-Feng

2012-11-01

Climatic factors are considered as the key factors affecting the trophic status and its process in most lakes. Under the background of global climate change, to incorporate the variations of climatic factors into lake eutrophication models could provide solid technical support for the analysis of the trophic evolution trend of lake and the decision-making of lake environment management. This paper analyzed the effects of climatic factors such as air temperature, precipitation, sunlight, and atmosphere on lake eutrophication, and summarized the research results about the lake eutrophication modeling in considering in considering climatic factors change, including the modeling based on statistical analysis, ecological dynamic analysis, system analysis, and intelligent algorithm. The prospective approaches to improve the accuracy of lake eutrophication modeling with the consideration of climatic factors change were put forward, including 1) to strengthen the analysis of the mechanisms related to the effects of climatic factors change on lake trophic status, 2) to identify the appropriate simulation models to generate several scenarios under proper temporal and spatial scales and resolutions, and 3) to integrate the climatic factors change simulation, hydrodynamic model, ecological simulation, and intelligent algorithm into a general modeling system to achieve an accurate prediction of lake eutrophication under climatic change.

A concept of cartographic support for alternative energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Олена Агапова

2016-10-01

Internet services. The article presents a list of maps for alternative energy in Ukraine and the algorithm of their compilation. The regional cartographic products system comprises a series of alternative energy resources maps (wind, solar, small hydro, biomass and geothermal energy; map series of natural, social, economic, technical and environmental conditions and factors that affect the placement of objects belonging to different branches of alternative energy; a series of maps showing the level of alternative energy development in Ukraine, including an inventory of existing in Ukraine thermal and power plants that use alternative energy sources, as well as enterprises for the production of alternative fuels. In addition, the cartographic system includes a recommendation and forecast maps showing perspective regions of alternative energy industries development and projected production of energy from alternative sources.

Alternative Promoter Usage in Healthy and Inflamed Tissue

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lilje, Berit

and cell-lines covering the entire human body. This provides a unique dataset to study gene expression, with promoter level precision. Here we use this large collection of data to study alternative transcription start site usage throughout the human body. We find that many alternative transcription start...... with tumour necrosis factor alpha, and on tissue from mice subjected to carbon nanotubes. Both systems show a strong response, with especially alternative transcription start sites being differentially regulated. Taken together this shows that alternative transcription start sites add an important layer...

A general psychopathology factor in early adolescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Patalay, Praveetha; Fonagy, Peter; Deighton, Jessica; Belsky, Jay; Vostanis, Panos; Wolpert, Miranda

2015-07-01

Recently, a general psychopathology dimension reflecting common aspects among disorders has been identified in adults. This has not yet been considered in children and adolescents, where the focus has been on externalising and internalising dimensions. To examine the existence, correlates and predictive value of a general psychopathology dimension in young people. Alternative factor models were estimated using self-reports of symptoms in a large community-based sample aged 11-13.5 years (N = 23 477), and resulting dimensions were assessed in terms of associations with external correlates and future functioning. Both a traditional two-factor model and a bi-factor model with a general psychopathology bi-factor fitted the data well. The general psychopathology bi-factor best predicted future psychopathology and academic attainment. Associations with correlates and factor loadings are discussed. A general psychopathology factor, which is equal across genders, can be identified in young people. Its associations with correlates and future functioning indicate that investigating this factor can increase our understanding of the aetiology, risk and correlates of psychopathology. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2015.

Alternative energy as a factor of ecological and energy security: features of Russia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris Nikolaevich Porfiryev

2011-06-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes the current situation in the sphere of alternative energy engineering in Russia. On the one hand, the national economy and the population in general do not have problems with energy supply and Russia in general is the world's largest exporter of energy. On the other hand, centralized energy supply covers only one third of its territory and two-thirds are in the area of decentralized and autonomous power supply. In the current situation, energy sources that are independent of centralized networks based on clean technologies are a promising alternative. The paper assesses the current state of alternative energy development in the world and in Russia, its potential and prospects. It was found out that development and qualitative improvement of the regulatory framework should have priority for alternative energy mastering in Russia as well as active joint action of government, business and civic leaders to gradually consolidate in public consciousness and behaviour of a new culture of energy consumption based on the rules of economy and environmental safety. The analysis of the proposals for the development of alternative energy industries in Russia was made. Particular attention is paid to energy saving experience and energy efficiency in housing services and public utilities. Questions on the creation and development of formal and informal institutions of non-conventional energy sources usage are asked.

Dynamic SPECT reconstruction from few projections: a sparsity enforced matrix factorization approach

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Qiaoqiao; Zan, Yunlong; Huang, Qiu; Zhang, Xiaoqun

2015-02-01

The reconstruction of dynamic images from few projection data is a challenging problem, especially when noise is present and when the dynamic images are vary fast. In this paper, we propose a variational model, sparsity enforced matrix factorization (SEMF), based on low rank matrix factorization of unknown images and enforced sparsity constraints for representing both coefficients and bases. The proposed model is solved via an alternating iterative scheme for which each subproblem is convex and involves the efficient alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). The convergence of the overall alternating scheme for the nonconvex problem relies upon the Kurdyka-Łojasiewicz property, recently studied by Attouch et al (2010 Math. Oper. Res. 35 438) and Attouch et al (2013 Math. Program. 137 91). Finally our proof-of-concept simulation on 2D dynamic images shows the advantage of the proposed method compared to conventional methods.

Evaluation of alternative age-based methods for estimating relative abundance from survey data in relation to assessment models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berg, Casper Willestofte; Nielsen, Anders; Kristensen, Kasper

2014-01-01

Indices of abundance from fishery-independent trawl surveys constitute an important source of information for many fish stock assessments. Indices are often calculated using area stratified sample means on age-disaggregated data, and finally treated in stock assessment models as independent...... observations. We evaluate a series of alternative methods for calculating indices of abundance from trawl survey data (delta-lognormal, delta-gamma, and Tweedie using Generalized Additive Models) as well as different error structures for these indices when used as input in an age-based stock assessment model...... the different indices produced. The stratified mean method is found much more imprecise than the alternatives based on GAMs, which are found to be similar. Having time-varying index variances is found to be of minor importance, whereas the independence assumption is not only violated but has significant impact...

Condensation in models with factorized and pair-factorized stationary states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, M R; Waclaw, B

2015-01-01

Non-equilibrium real-space condensation is a phenomenon in which a finite fraction of some conserved quantity (mass, particles, etc) becomes spatially localized. We review two popular stochastic models of hopping particles that lead to condensation and whose stationary states assume a factorized form: the zero-range process and the misanthrope process, and their various generalizations. We also introduce a new model—a misanthrope process with parallel dynamics—that exhibits condensation and has a pair-factorized stationary state

ALTERNATIVE MODEL FOR CORPORATE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY: ACTIVE, PARTICIPATIVE, AND JUST

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Arif Firmansyah

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In this study, will be assessed the implementation of corporate social responsibility by coal corporate to look for an alternative model of corporate social responsibility and environtment protection in the context of protecting and managing of natural resources with environmentally concept. Juridical with conceptual approach, the source analysis data technique derived from literature studies and documents. Dalam penelitian ini akan dikaji pelaksanaan tanggung jawab sosial perusahaan dan lingkungan oleh perusahaan batubara untuk kemudian mencari model alternatif tanggung jawab sosial perusahaan dan lingkungan dalam konteks perlindungan dan pengelolaan sumberdaya alam yang berwawasan lingkungan. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah yuridis normatif dengan pendekatan undangundang dan pendekatan konseptual, sumber data yang digukana diperoleh dari studi kepustakaan, teknik analisa data diperoleh dari studi literatur dan dokumen.

Modelling long-term fire occurrence factors in Spain by accounting for local variations with geographically weighted regression

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Fernández, J.; Chuvieco, E.; Koutsias, N.

2013-02-01

Humans are responsible for most forest fires in Europe, but anthropogenic factors behind these events are still poorly understood. We tried to identify the driving factors of human-caused fire occurrence in Spain by applying two different statistical approaches. Firstly, assuming stationary processes for the whole country, we created models based on multiple linear regression and binary logistic regression to find factors associated with fire density and fire presence, respectively. Secondly, we used geographically weighted regression (GWR) to better understand and explore the local and regional variations of those factors behind human-caused fire occurrence. The number of human-caused fires occurring within a 25-yr period (1983-2007) was computed for each of the 7638 Spanish mainland municipalities, creating a binary variable (fire/no fire) to develop logistic models, and a continuous variable (fire density) to build standard linear regression models. A total of 383 657 fires were registered in the study dataset. The binary logistic model, which estimates the probability of having/not having a fire, successfully classified 76.4% of the total observations, while the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model explained 53% of the variation of the fire density patterns (adjusted R2 = 0.53). Both approaches confirmed, in addition to forest and climatic variables, the importance of variables related with agrarian activities, land abandonment, rural population exodus and developmental processes as underlying factors of fire occurrence. For the GWR approach, the explanatory power of the GW linear model for fire density using an adaptive bandwidth increased from 53% to 67%, while for the GW logistic model the correctly classified observations improved only slightly, from 76.4% to 78.4%, but significantly according to the corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc), from 3451.19 to 3321.19. The results from GWR indicated a significant spatial variation in the local

Reformulated and alternative fuels: modeled impacts on regional air quality with special emphasis on surface ozone concentration.

Science.gov (United States)

Schell, Benedikt; Ackermann, Ingmar J; Hass, Heinz

2002-07-15

The comprehensive European Air Pollution and Dispersion model system was used to estimate the impacts of the usage of reformulated and alternative fuels on regional air quality with special emphasis on surface ozone concentrations. A severe western European summer smog episode in July 1994 has been used as a reference, and the model predictions have been evaluated for this episode. A forecast simulation for the year 2005 (TREND) has been performed, including the future emission development based on the current legislation and technologies available. The results of the scenario TREND are used as a baseline for the other 2005 fuel scenarios, including fuel reformulation, fuel sulfur content, and compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative fuel. Compared to the year 1994, significant reductions in episode peak ozone concentrations and ozone grid hours are predicted for the TREND scenario. These reductions are even more pronounced within the investigated alternative and reformulated fuel scenarios. Especially, low sulfur fuels are appropriate for an immediate improvement in air quality, because they effect the emissions of the whole fleet. Furthermore, the simulation results indicate that the introduction of CNG vehicles would also enhance air quality with respect to ozone.

Complementary and Alternative Therapies in ALS

Science.gov (United States)

Bedlack, Richard S.; Joyce, Nanette; Carter, Gregory T.; Pagononi, Sabrina; Karam, Chafic

2015-01-01

Synopsis Given the severity of their illness and lack of effective disease modifying agents, it is not surprising that most patients with ALS consider trying complementary and alternative therapies. Some of the most commonly considered alternative therapies include special diets, nutritional supplements, cannabis, acupuncture, chelation and energy healing. This chapter reviews these in detail. We also describe 3 models by which physicians may frame discussions about alternative therapies: paternalism, autonomy and shared decision making. Finally, we review a program called ALSUntangled which using shared shared decision making to review alternative therapies for ALS. PMID:26515629

Bayesian Alternation During Tactile Augmentation

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Caspar Mathias Goeke

2016-10-01

Full Text Available A large number of studies suggest that the integration of multisensory signals by humans is well described by Bayesian principles. However, there are very few reports about cue combination between a native and an augmented sense. In particular, we asked the question whether adult participants are able to integrate an augmented sensory cue with existing native sensory information. Hence for the purpose of this study we build a tactile augmentation device. Consequently, we compared different hypotheses of how untrained adult participants combine information from a native and an augmented sense. In a two-interval forced choice (2 IFC task, while subjects were blindfolded and seated on a rotating platform, our sensory augmentation device translated information on whole body yaw rotation to tactile stimulation. Three conditions were realized: tactile stimulation only (augmented condition, rotation only (native condition, and both augmented and native information (bimodal condition. Participants had to choose one out of two consecutive rotations with higher angular rotation. For the analysis, we fitted the participants’ responses with a probit model and calculated the just notable difference (JND. Then we compared several models for predicting bimodal from unimodal responses. An objective Bayesian alternation model yielded a better prediction (χred2 = 1.67 than the Bayesian integration model (χred2= 4.34. Slightly higher accuracy showed a non-Bayesian winner takes all model (χred2= 1.64, which either used only native or only augmented values per subject for prediction. However the performance of the Bayesian alternation model could be substantially improved (χred2= 1.09 utilizing subjective weights obtained by a questionnaire. As a result, the subjective Bayesian alternation model predicted bimodal performance most accurately among all tested models. These results suggest that information from augmented and existing sensory modalities in

Bayes Factor Covariance Testing in Item Response Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, Jean-Paul; Mulder, Joris; Sinharay, Sandip

2017-12-01

Two marginal one-parameter item response theory models are introduced, by integrating out the latent variable or random item parameter. It is shown that both marginal response models are multivariate (probit) models with a compound symmetry covariance structure. Several common hypotheses concerning the underlying covariance structure are evaluated using (fractional) Bayes factor tests. The support for a unidimensional factor (i.e., assumption of local independence) and differential item functioning are evaluated by testing the covariance components. The posterior distribution of common covariance components is obtained in closed form by transforming latent responses with an orthogonal (Helmert) matrix. This posterior distribution is defined as a shifted-inverse-gamma, thereby introducing a default prior and a balanced prior distribution. Based on that, an MCMC algorithm is described to estimate all model parameters and to compute (fractional) Bayes factor tests. Simulation studies are used to show that the (fractional) Bayes factor tests have good properties for testing the underlying covariance structure of binary response data. The method is illustrated with two real data studies.

A two-matrix alternative

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Rohn, Jiří

2013-01-01

Roč. 26, 15 December (2013), s. 836-841 ISSN 1537-9582 Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : two-matrix alternative * solution * algorithm Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.514, year: 2013 http://www.math.technion.ac.il/iic/ ela / ela -articles/articles/vol26_pp836-841.pdf

The post-opium scenario and rubber in northern Laos: Alternative Western and Chinese models of development.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Paul T

2009-09-01

In the past few years rubber planting has spread rapidly throughout northern Laos, especially in Luang Namtha province that borders China. The impetus for this boom has come partly from the spiralling demand for rubber in China (now the world's largest rubber consumer), the high world prices for rubber, and China's promotion of overseas investment through its opium-replacement policy. These economic factors have converged with the desperate need of impoverished highlanders in northern Laos to replace opium as a cash crop as a consequence of a recent opium-eradication campaign and inadequate alternative development. This paper draws upon ethnographic and agro-economic research in northern Laos and neighbouring regions and reports of international development organisations operating in Laos. The rubber boom in northern Laos represents a fundamental clash between Western drug-oriented alternative development, on the one hand, and China's national economic strategies abroad and investment-led narcotics policy, on the other. China's opium-replacement policy has contributed to a type of unregulated frontier capitalism with socio-economic and environmental effects that threaten the principles and goals of alternative development and even to marginalise the role international development organisations in northern Laos.

Making tensor factorizations robust to non-gaussian noise.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chi, Eric C. (Rice University, Houston, TX); Kolda, Tamara Gibson

2011-03-01

Tensors are multi-way arrays, and the CANDECOMP/PARAFAC (CP) tensor factorization has found application in many different domains. The CP model is typically fit using a least squares objective function, which is a maximum likelihood estimate under the assumption of independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Gaussian noise. We demonstrate that this loss function can be highly sensitive to non-Gaussian noise. Therefore, we propose a loss function based on the 1-norm because it can accommodate both Gaussian and grossly non-Gaussian perturbations. We also present an alternating majorization-minimization (MM) algorithm for fitting a CP model using our proposed loss function (CPAL1) and compare its performance to the workhorse algorithm for fitting CP models, CP alternating least squares (CPALS).

Evaluating environmental and economic consequences of alternative pest management strategies: results of modeling workshops

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Richard L.; Andrews, Austin K.; Auble, Gregor T.L.; Ellison, Richard A.; Hamilton, David B.; Roelle, James E.; McNamee, Peter J.

1983-01-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) needs a comprehensive method to evaluate the human health and environmental effects of alternative agricultural pest management strategies. This project explored the utility of Adaptive Environmental Assessment (AEA) techniques for meeting this need. The project objectives were to produce models for environmental impact analysis, improve communications, identify research needs and data requirements, and demonstrate a process for resolving conflicts. The project was structured around the construction (in an initial 2 1/2-day workshop) and examination (in a second 2 1/2-day workshop) of a simulation model of a corn agroecosystem.

Disturbance maintains alternative biome states.

Science.gov (United States)

Dantas, Vinícius de L; Hirota, Marina; Oliveira, Rafael S; Pausas, Juli G

2016-01-01

Understanding the mechanisms controlling the distribution of biomes remains a challenge. Although tropical biome distribution has traditionally been explained by climate and soil, contrasting vegetation types often occur as mosaics with sharp boundaries under very similar environmental conditions. While evidence suggests that these biomes are alternative states, empirical broad-scale support to this hypothesis is still lacking. Using community-level field data and a novel resource-niche overlap approach, we show that, for a wide range of environmental conditions, fire feedbacks maintain savannas and forests as alternative biome states in both the Neotropics and the Afrotropics. In addition, wooded grasslands and savannas occurred as alternative grassy states in the Afrotropics, depending on the relative importance of fire and herbivory feedbacks. These results are consistent with landscape scale evidence and suggest that disturbance is a general factor driving and maintaining alternative biome states and vegetation mosaics in the tropics. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Evaluation of Alternative Atomistic Models for the Incipient Growth of ZnO by Atomic Layer Deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chu, Manh-Hung; Tian, Liang; Chaker, Ahmad; Skopin, Evgenii; Cantelli, Valentina; Ouled, Toufik; Boichot, Raphaël; Crisci, Alexandre; Lay, Sabine; Richard, Marie-Ingrid; Thomas, Olivier; Deschanvres, Jean-Luc; Renevier, Hubert; Fong, Dillon; Ciatto, Gianluca

2017-03-20

ZnO thin films are interesting for applications in several technological fields, including optoelectronics and renewable energies. Nanodevice applications require controlled synthesis of ZnO structures at nanometer scale, which can be achieved via atomic layer deposition (ALD). However, the mechanisms governing the initial stages of ALD had not been addressed until very recently. Investigations into the initial nucleation and growth as well as the atomic structure of the heterointerface are crucial to optimize the ALD process and understand the structure-property relationships for ZnO. We have used a complementary suite of in situ synchrotron x-ray techniques to investigate both the structural and chemical evolution during ZnO growth by ALD on two different substrates, i.e., SiO2 and Al2O3, which led us to formulate an atomistic model of the incipient growth of ZnO. The model relies on the formation of nanoscale islands of different size and aspect ratio and consequent disorder induced in the Zn neighbors' distribution. However, endorsement of our model requires testing and discussion of possible alternative models which could account for the experimental results. In this work, we review, test, and rule out several alternative models; the results confirm our view of the atomistic mechanisms at play, which influence the overall microstructure and resulting properties of the final thin film.

An alternative form of the Darcy equation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Awad Mohamed M.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study presents an alternative form of the Darcy equation. This alternative form will be presented with the use of Bejan number (Be in the Left Hand Side (LHS of the equation. The main advantage in this alternative form of the Darcy equation is presenting both the Left Hand Side (LHS and the Right Hand Side (RHS as dimensionless quantities. For instance, this is similar to the relation of Fanning friction factor with Reynolds number for Hagen-Poiseuille flow (fully developed laminar flow in a circular pipe.

A 3-factor model for the FACIT-Sp.

Science.gov (United States)

Canada, Andrea L; Murphy, Patricia E; Fitchett, George; Peterman, Amy H; Schover, Leslie R

2008-09-01

The 12-item Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-being Scale (FACIT-Sp) is a popular measure of the religious/spiritual (R/S) components of quality of life (QoL) in patients with cancer. The original factor analyses of the FACIT-Sp supported two factors: Meaning/Peace and Faith. Because Meaning suggests a cognitive aspect of R/S and Peace an affective component, we hypothesized a 3-factor solution: Meaning, Peace, and Faith. Participants were 240 long-term female survivors of cancer who completed the FACIT-Sp, the SF-12, and the BSI 18. We used confirmatory factor analysis to compare the 2- and 3-factor models of the FACIT-Sp and subsequently assessed associations between the resulting solutions and QoL domains. Survivors averaged 44 years of age and 10 years post-diagnosis. A 3-factor solution of the FACIT-Sp significantly improved the fit of the model to the data over the original 2-factor structure (Delta chi(2)=72.36, df=2, p<0.001). Further adjustments to the 3-factor model resulted in a final solution with even better goodness-of-fit indices (chi(2)=59.11, df=1, p=0.13, CFI=1.00, SMRM=0.05).The original Meaning/Peace factor controlling for Faith was associated with mental (r=0.63, p<0.000) and physical (r=0.22, p<0.01) health on the SF-12, and the original Faith factor controlling for Meaning/Peace was negatively associated with mental health (r=-0.15, p<0.05). The 3-factor model was more informative. Specifically, using partial correlations, the Peace factor was only related to mental health (r=0.53, p<0.001); Meaning was related to both physical (r=0.18, p<0.01) and mental (r=0.17, p<0.01) health; and Faith was negatively associated with mental health (r=-0.17, p<0.05). The results of this study support a 3-factor solution of the FACIT-Sp. The new solution not only represents a psychometric improvement over the original, but also enables a more detailed examination of the contribution of different dimensions of R/S to QoL. (c

TEST OF THE FAMA-FRENCH THREE-FACTOR MODEL IN CROATIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denis Dolinar

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This paper empirically examines the Fama-French three-factor model of stock returns for Croatia. In contrast to the results of Fama and French (1993 for the U.S. stock market, their three-factor model did not show so successful when describing risk-return relation of Croatian stocks. This paper shows that the Fama-French three-factor model is a valid pricing model, since it explains cross-section of average returns on stocks in Croatia, and that has a greater explanatory power in comparison to the CAPM. In the case of Croatian stock market, size and B/M factors are not always significant, but on average they individually have certain marginal explanatory power. Namely, they capture small common variation in returns that is missed by the market factor. Moreover, B/M factor has shown as a stronger common risk proxy in relation to size factor. Finally, there is still a large portion of common variation in stock return that may be explained by other factors. Because emerging capital markets bear their own specificity, special care needs to be taken when applying existing or developing new pricing models.

Alternate model of Chladni figures for the circular homogenous thin plate case with open boundaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trejo-Mandujano, H A; Mijares-Bernal, G; Ordoñez-Casanova, E G

2015-01-01

The wave equation is a direct but a complex approach to solve analytically for the Chladni figures, mainly because of the complications that non-smooth and open boundary conditions impose. In this paper, we present an alternate solution model based on the principle of Huygens-Fresnel and on the ideas of Bohr for the hydrogen atom. The proposed model has been implemented numerically and compared, with good agreement, to our own experimental results for the case of a thin homogenous circular plate with open boundaries

Dependent defaults and losses with factor copula models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ackerer Damien

2017-12-01

Full Text Available We present a class of flexible and tractable static factor models for the term structure of joint default probabilities, the factor copula models. These high-dimensional models remain parsimonious with paircopula constructions, and nest many standard models as special cases. The loss distribution of a portfolio of contingent claims can be exactly and efficiently computed when individual losses are discretely supported on a finite grid. Numerical examples study the key features affecting the loss distribution and multi-name credit derivatives prices. An empirical exercise illustrates the flexibility of our approach by fitting credit index tranche prices.

Modeling of a sedimentary rock alternative for the siting of the radioactive waste disposal system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuentes, Nestor O.

2007-01-01

Here are described the main concepts, the approximations, and all those simulation aspects that characterize the modeling performed using the unsaturated saturated approach for porous media. The objective of this work is to obtain a generic description of a sedimentary rock soil as an alternative site for the low and intermediate level radioactive waste disposal system. (author) [es

Society of Gynecologic Oncology Future of Physician Payment Reform Task Force report: The Endometrial Cancer Alternative Payment Model (ECAP).

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Emily M; Havrilesky, Laura J; Alvarez, Ronald D; Zivanovic, Oliver; Boyd, Leslie R; Jewell, Elizabeth L; Timmins, Patrick F; Gibb, Randall S; Jhingran, Anuja; Cohn, David E; Dowdy, Sean C; Powell, Matthew A; Chalas, Eva; Huang, Yongmei; Rathbun, Jill; Wright, Jason D

2018-05-01

Health care in the United States is in the midst of a significant transformation from a "fee for service" to a "fee for value" based model. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 has only accelerated this transition. Anticipating these reforms, the Society of Gynecologic Oncology developed the Future of Physician Payment Reform Task Force (PPRTF) in 2015 to develop strategies to ensure fair value based reimbursement policies for gynecologic cancer care. The PPRTF elected as a first task to develop an Alternative Payment Model for thesurgical management of low risk endometrial cancer. The history, rationale, and conceptual framework for the development of an Endometrial Cancer Alternative Payment Model are described in this white paper, as well as directions forfuture efforts. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study on visibility evaluation model which is considered field factors; Field factor wo koryoshita shininsei hyoka model ni kansuru kenkyu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakanishi, M; Hagiwara, T [Hokkaido University, Sapporo (Japan)

1997-10-01

The present study proposes a model to evaluate visual performance of road traffic facilities required for drivers. Two factors were employed to obtain the suitable contrast for drivers under driving situation. One factor is a suitable luminance range, which is derived from minimum required luminance and glare luminance. Another is a field. The model showed capability of providing visibility range in some cases. 8 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.

Alternative modelling of brittle structures in a sub-area of the SKB candidate area at Forsmark, eastern Sweden.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Askling, Per; Tiren, Sven A.; Beckholmen, Monica; Straeng, Thomas (Geosigma AB, Uppsala (Sweden))

2008-11-15

One way to test the confidence of a presented model is to construct an alternative model. Such work is cognitive process of skill acquisition and also a process of understanding data in the sense of sorting and classifying data. This is of particular interest for the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM) in their technical review of SKB's on-going site investigation programme for potential repository sites. In this study, an alternative brittle deformation model of a selected part of the SKB candidate area in eastern Sweden was constructed. The input data set was obtained from SKB's database SICADA and is a selected set of data from five cored boreholes drilled from two drill-sites and comprises geophysical borehole logs, geological core-logs, hydrological logs (PFL; Posiva Flow Log) and borehole deviation measurements. Statistical cluster analysis applied on the geophysical borehole data were used to obtain the locations of bedrock with contrasting physical characteristics similar to those of brittle deformation zones. The cluster analysis is an objective procedure, contrasting with SKB's more subjective approach to the single-hole interpretation. Thus some differences are expected which could illustrate the effect of methodology that includes subjective 'expert judgement.' and indicate the possibility of alternative interpretations. The information about brittle structures in the geological boreholes logs was sorted and classification was made according to character of the structures (all fractures, open fractures, partly open fractures, frequency, orientate on/identification of fracture sets, sections of crush rock, and alteration). A separate study was performed to relate rock alteration with structures. The resolution applied in the fracture statistics is one metre, i.e. all studied entities were expressed per metre borehole length. All clusters were structurally characterized by the fractures inside the clusters (orientation and

Alternative modelling of brittle structures in a sub-area of the SKB candidate area at Forsmark, eastern Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Askling, Per; Tiren, Sven A.; Beckholmen, Monica; Straeng, Thomas

2008-11-01

One way to test the confidence of a presented model is to construct an alternative model. Such work is cognitive process of skill acquisition and also a process of understanding data in the sense of sorting and classifying data. This is of particular interest for the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM) in their technical review of SKB's on-going site investigation programme for potential repository sites. In this study, an alternative brittle deformation model of a selected part of the SKB candidate area in eastern Sweden was constructed. The input data set was obtained from SKB's database SICADA and is a selected set of data from five cored boreholes drilled from two drill-sites and comprises geophysical borehole logs, geological core-logs, hydrological logs (PFL; Posiva Flow Log) and borehole deviation measurements. Statistical cluster analysis applied on the geophysical borehole data were used to obtain the locations of bedrock with contrasting physical characteristics similar to those of brittle deformation zones. The cluster analysis is an objective procedure, contrasting with SKB's more subjective approach to the single-hole interpretation. Thus some differences are expected which could illustrate the effect of methodology that includes subjective 'expert judgement.' and indicate the possibility of alternative interpretations. The information about brittle structures in the geological boreholes logs was sorted and classification was made according to character of the structures (all fractures, open fractures, partly open fractures, frequency, orientate on/identification of fracture sets, sections of crush rock, and alteration). A separate study was performed to relate rock alteration with structures. The resolution applied in the fracture statistics is one metre, i.e. all studied entities were expressed per metre borehole length. All clusters were structurally characterized by the fractures inside the clusters (orientation and density of fractures) and

Self-phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor: evidence for a model of intermolecular allosteric activation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yarden, Y.; Schlessinger, J.

1987-01-01

The membrane receptor for epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a 170,000 dalton glycoprotein composed of an extracellular EGF-binding domain and a cytoplasmic kinase domain connected by a stretch of 23 amino acids traversing the plasma membrane. The binding of EGF to the extracellular domain activates the cytoplasmic kinase function even in highly purified preparations of EGF receptor, suggesting that the activation occurs exclusively within the EGF receptor moiety. Conceivably, kinase activation may require the transfer of a conformational change through the single transmembrane region from the ligand binding domain to the cytoplasmic kinase region. Alternatively, ligand-induced receptor-receptor interactions may activate the kinase and thus bypass this requirement. Both mechanisms were contrasted by employing independent experimental approaches. On the basis of these results, an allosteric aggregation model is formulated for the activation of the cytoplasmic kinase function of the receptor by EGF. This model may be relevant to the mechanism by which the mitogenic signal of EGF is transferred across the membrane

Factors Associated with the Economic Sustainability of the Registered Dental Hygienist in Alternative Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Coppola, Sara L; Furgeson, Danielle; Fontana, Margherita; Kinney, Janet S; Gwozdek, Anne E

2017-10-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate key factors associated with the economic sustainability of the Registered Dental Hygienist in Alternative Practice (RDHAP). Methods: An invitation to participate in a 38-question electronic survey was sent via postal mail to 440 RDHAP licentiate addressees obtained through the Dental Hygiene Committee of California (DHCC). Legal restrictions did not allow for obtaining the RDHAP licentiate email addresses from the DHCC. The survey was disseminated via email to the 254 RDHAPs who were members of the California Dental Hygienists' Association. Additional invitations to participate were made via flyer distribution at an RDHAP symposium, and on RDHAP only social media sites. Results: The response rate was an estimated 16%. While 44% of the RDHAPs reported some employment in a traditional dental practice, given the opportunity, 61% of these respondents indicated that they would practice exclusively as an RDHAP. With regard to practice strategic planning and alliances, 31% felt that dentists lacked knowledge of the RDHAP, and 25% indicated dentists were resistant to this workforce model. Regarding RDHAP practice staffing patterns, 75% indicated not having any employees. When asked about business systems, 64% had solo, portable practices and 16% had standalone practices. Economic sustainability challenges included practice business/equipment expenses (29%), insurance/reimbursement issues (21%), patient flow (19%) and RDHAP visibility (14%). Conclusions: RDHAP practices face challenges including the need for strategic planning and intra- and inter-professional alliances, efficient and effective patient flow, optimal staffing patterns and effective business systems. Focus on enhancing RDHAP visibility within the dental and medical communities should be a priority. In addition, further research should explore RDHAPs aligning with community-based clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers and Dental Support Organizations

A Multinomial Probit Model with Latent Factors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Piatek, Rémi; Gensowski, Miriam

2017-01-01

be meaningfully linked to an economic model. We provide sufficient conditions that make this structure identified and interpretable. For inference, we design a Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler based on marginal data augmentation. A simulation exercise shows the good numerical performance of our sampler......We develop a parametrization of the multinomial probit model that yields greater insight into the underlying decision-making process, by decomposing the error terms of the utilities into latent factors and noise. The latent factors are identified without a measurement system, and they can...

Alternative fusion concepts: engineering and utility considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gough, W.C.; Amherd, N.A.

1978-01-01

Alternative systems are described to be an integral part of the total fusion effort, making use of many developments of the mainline efforts but also contributing on a broad scale to improved understanding of fusion plasmas, technology and engineering. We hypothesize that the rationale for supporting alternative concepts will shift from physics related justifications to the perceived benefits for commercial use. Three principal factors are used to describe the commercialization potential of energy systems: technological risk, perceived benefit, and capital requirements. R and D can reduce the risk of a technology option, but perceived benefit and capital availability are largely governed by non-R and D elements. Hence, power station decision criteria as determined by electric-utility executives are presented, and a balance among the three commercialization factors described. An outline of past and on-going alternative concept reactor study endeavors is given and a suggestion for rapidly developing the physics base of the concepts is described

Alternative Splicing in Neurogenesis and Brain Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Chun-Hao; D, Dhananjaya; Tarn, Woan-Yuh

2018-01-01

Alternative splicing of precursor mRNA is an important mechanism that increases transcriptomic and proteomic diversity and also post-transcriptionally regulates mRNA levels. Alternative splicing occurs at high frequency in brain tissues and contributes to every step of nervous system development, including cell-fate decisions, neuronal migration, axon guidance, and synaptogenesis. Genetic manipulation and RNA sequencing have provided insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of alternative splicing in stem cell self-renewal and neuronal fate specification. Timely expression and perhaps post-translational modification of neuron-specific splicing regulators play important roles in neuronal development. Alternative splicing of many key transcription regulators or epigenetic factors reprograms the transcriptome and hence contributes to stem cell fate determination. During neuronal differentiation, alternative splicing also modulates signaling activity, centriolar dynamics, and metabolic pathways. Moreover, alternative splicing impacts cortical lamination and neuronal development and function. In this review, we focus on recent progress toward understanding the contributions of alternative splicing to neurogenesis and brain development, which has shed light on how splicing defects may cause brain disorders and diseases.

Alternative Splicing in Neurogenesis and Brain Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chun-Hao Su

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Alternative splicing of precursor mRNA is an important mechanism that increases transcriptomic and proteomic diversity and also post-transcriptionally regulates mRNA levels. Alternative splicing occurs at high frequency in brain tissues and contributes to every step of nervous system development, including cell-fate decisions, neuronal migration, axon guidance, and synaptogenesis. Genetic manipulation and RNA sequencing have provided insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of alternative splicing in stem cell self-renewal and neuronal fate specification. Timely expression and perhaps post-translational modification of neuron-specific splicing regulators play important roles in neuronal development. Alternative splicing of many key transcription regulators or epigenetic factors reprograms the transcriptome and hence contributes to stem cell fate determination. During neuronal differentiation, alternative splicing also modulates signaling activity, centriolar dynamics, and metabolic pathways. Moreover, alternative splicing impacts cortical lamination and neuronal development and function. In this review, we focus on recent progress toward understanding the contributions of alternative splicing to neurogenesis and brain development, which has shed light on how splicing defects may cause brain disorders and diseases.

A Dynamic Multi-Level Factor Model with Long-Range Dependence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ergemen, Yunus Emre; Rodríguez-Caballero, Carlos Vladimir

A dynamic multi-level factor model with stationary or nonstationary global and regional factors is proposed. In the model, persistence in global and regional common factors as well as innovations allows for the study of fractional cointegrating relationships. Estimation of global and regional...

Welfare Implications of Alternative Monetary Policy Rules: A New Keynesian DSGE Model for Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yağcıbaşı Özge Filiz

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In recent years, there has been extensive research on the conduct of monetary policy in small open economies that are subject to inflation and output fluctuations. Policymakers should decide whether to implement strict inflation targeting or to respond to the changes in output fluctuations while conducting monetary policy rule. This study aims to examine the response of alternative monetary policy rules to Turkish economy by means of a DSGE model that is subject to demand and technology shocks. The New Keynesian model we used is borrowed from Gali (2015 and calibrated for the Turkish economy. Welfare effects of alternative Taylor rules are evaluated under different specifications of central bank loss function. One of the main findings of this paper is that in the case of a technology shock, strict inflation targeting rules provide the minimum welfare loss under all loss function configurations. On the contrary, the losses are weakened if the monetary authority responds to output fluctuations in the presence of a demand shock. Finally, there exists a trade-off between the volatility of output and inflation in case of a technology shock, while the volatility of both variables moves in the same direction in response to a demand shock.

Heat-flow properties of systems with alternate masses or alternate on-site potentials

Science.gov (United States)

Pereira, Emmanuel; Santana, Leonardo M.; Ávila, Ricardo

2011-07-01

We address a central issue of phononics: the search of properties or mechanisms to manage the heat flow in reliable materials. We analytically study standard and simple systems modeling the heat flow in solids, namely, the harmonic, self-consistent harmonic and also anharmonic chains of oscillators, and we show an interesting insulating effect: While in the homogeneous models the heat flow decays as the inverse of the particle mass, in the chain with alternate masses it decays as the inverse of the square of the mass difference, that is, it decays essentially as the mass ratio (between the smaller and the larger one) for a large mass difference. A similar effect holds if we alternate on-site potentials instead of particle masses. The existence of such behavior in these different systems, including anharmonic models, indicates that it is a ubiquitous phenomenon with applications in the heat flow control.

Modelling traditional household use of biomass policy changes for a commercial sustainable alternative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Audinet, P.; Fages, E.

1997-01-01

Feasible policy alternatives are searched for, which could tackle the job market problem, thus achieving the first step towards solving the biomass dependency issue. To do this, an economic model is built which includes specific characteristics of biomass collection and use, such as non-monetary income, determinants of time allocation between formal and informal activities, and energy sources substitutability. The economic features of biomass production and use is studied in order to understand the underlying principles at work at the cross-roads between rural labour market and energy consumption patterns. The issue of fuelwood plantation is examined on a commercial basis using a spread-sheet model to assess its viability and the constraints for the policy maker. An economic model is developed to test the effects of a variety of policy changes on the local economy as described in the spread-sheet framework. The case of India is studied. (K.A.)

The effect of alternative work arrangements on women's well-being: a demand-control model.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelloway, E K; Gottlieb, B H

1998-01-01

The growth of women's participation in the labor force and evidence of the conflict they experience between job and family demands have spurred many employers to introduce alternative work arrangements such as flextime, job sharing, and telecommuting. Drawing on data gained from a sample of women (N = 998) in two large Canadian organizations, this study evaluates two mediational models of the impact of alternative work arrangements on women's stress and family role competence. Specifically, it tests and finds support for the hypotheses that (a) work arrangements involving scheduling flexibility (telecommuting and flextime) promote these aspects of women's well-being by increasing their perceived control over their time, and (b) arrangements involving reduced hours of employment (part-time employment and job sharing) promote well-being by reducing perceived job overload. Discussion of these findings centers on their implications for employed women, their employers, and future research.

Matrix factorizations, minimal models and Massey products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knapp, Johanna; Omer, Harun

2006-01-01

We present a method to compute the full non-linear deformations of matrix factorizations for ADE minimal models. This method is based on the calculation of higher products in the cohomology, called Massey products. The algorithm yields a polynomial ring whose vanishing relations encode the obstructions of the deformations of the D-branes characterized by these matrix factorizations. This coincides with the critical locus of the effective superpotential which can be computed by integrating these relations. Our results for the effective superpotential are in agreement with those obtained from solving the A-infinity relations. We point out a relation to the superpotentials of Kazama-Suzuki models. We will illustrate our findings by various examples, putting emphasis on the E 6 minimal model

Model of a ternary complex between activated factor VII, tissue factor and factor IX.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Shu-wen W; Pellequer, Jean-Luc; Schved, Jean-François; Giansily-Blaizot, Muriel

2002-07-01

Upon binding to tissue factor, FVIIa triggers coagulation by activating vitamin K-dependent zymogens, factor IX (FIX) and factor X (FX). To understand recognition mechanisms in the initiation step of the coagulation cascade, we present a three-dimensional model of the ternary complex between FVIIa:TF:FIX. This model was built using a full-space search algorithm in combination with computational graphics. With the known crystallographic complex FVIIa:TF kept fixed, the FIX docking was performed first with FIX Gla-EGF1 domains, followed by the FIX protease/EGF2 domains. Because the FIXa crystal structure lacks electron density for the Gla domain, we constructed a chimeric FIX molecule that contains the Gla-EGF1 domains of FVIIa and the EGF2-protease domains of FIXa. The FVIIa:TF:FIX complex has been extensively challenged against experimental data including site-directed mutagenesis, inhibitory peptide data, haemophilia B database mutations, inhibitor antibodies and a novel exosite binding inhibitor peptide. This FVIIa:TF:FIX complex provides a powerful tool to study the regulation of FVIIa production and presents new avenues for developing therapeutic inhibitory compounds of FVIIa:TF:substrate complex.

Assessment of comparative and non-comparative factors in alternate energy system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rowe, W D; Oterson, P

1983-01-01

The American University Institute for Risk Analysis (AURA) has undertaken a study for the European Economic Community to critically evaluate the methodologies for comparative risk analyses and costs and benefits of alternative energy systems used to generate electricity, principally nuclear, coal, and oil. Other energy systems and related industries with major hazards are also addressed where pertinent. This is particularly true for cases where electrical energy may be an inefficient form for end use as for transportation and space heating. Here, comparison on an end use basis by the most efficient method, electrical or otherwise, is required. The starting point and basis for this evaluation has been the array of existing studies of alternative energy systems already published. These studies, including those already undertaken by the Community, are over 50 in number. The purpose of this study is not to make a comparison of alternative energy systems, but to evaluate what is and what is not useful in existing studies, as well as to provide insight on how meaningful studies can be conducted. There has been considerable criticism and discussion about the conduct and validity of several studies, particularly the Inhaber study and the critiques of Holdren et al. While much of the critiques deal with methods and approaches, substantial criticism and discussion has focused on the motivations of the investigators and how the studies were applied. This latter set of issues is hardly a technological or methodological argument.

Clinical utility of the DSM-5 alternative model for borderline personality disorder: Differential diagnostic accuracy of the BFI, SCID-II-PQ, and PID-5.

Science.gov (United States)

Fowler, J Christopher; Madan, Alok; Allen, Jon G; Patriquin, Michelle; Sharp, Carla; Oldham, John M; Frueh, B Christopher

2018-01-01

With the publication of DSM 5 alternative model for personality disorders it is critical to assess the components of the model against evidence-based models such as the five factor model and the DSM-IV-TR categorical model. This study explored the relative clinical utility of these models in screening for borderline personality disorder (BPD). Receiver operator characteristics and diagnostic efficiency statistics were calculated for three personality measures to ascertain the relative diagnostic efficiency of each measure. A total of 1653 adult inpatients at a specialist psychiatric hospital completed SCID-II interviews. Sample 1 (n=653) completed the SCID-II interviews, SCID-II Questionnaire (SCID-II-PQ) and the Big Five Inventory (BFI), while Sample 2 (n=1,000) completed the SCID-II interviews, Personality Inventory for DSM5 (PID-5) and the BFI. BFI measure evidenced moderate accuracy for two composites: High Neuroticism+ low agreeableness composite (AUC=0.72, SE=0.01, ptrait constellation for diagnosing BPD. Limitations of the study include the single inpatient setting and use of two discrete samples to assess PID-5 and SCID-II-PQ. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bids in Brazilian E and P oil and gas sector: evaluation, challenges and alternative models; Modelo de licitacoes de blocos: evolucao, desafios e alternativas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Araujo, Renato S.B. [Instituto Federal de Educacao, Ciencia e Tecnologia (CEFET-RN), Natal, RN (Brazil); Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao de Pos-graduacao e Pesquisa em Engenharia. Nucleo de Estudos de Tecnologia, Gestao e Logistica; Fernandes, Elton [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (TGL/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao de Pos-graduacao e Pesquisa em Engenharia. Nucleo de Estudos de Tecnologia, Gestao e Logistica; Alonso, Paulo S.R. [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); SERMAT Montagens e Instalacoes Industriais Ltda, Itaquaquecetuba, SP (Brazil)

2008-07-01

This paper presents results of a survey, that among other subject matter approaches the model of farewell adopted by the National Agency of Oil Gas and Biofuels - ANP in Brazil. It is an analysis and discussion of evolution of the scenario of exploration and production of hydrocarbons in this country. In addition, it analyzes issues such as competition about farewell rounds and the reconfiguration of the upstream segment. The study is based on the methodology of the study-compared cases with focus in Brazilian and OCS-GOM-EUA auction models.The results of the study suggest that the model of granting the ANP produced: degree of concentration of business moderate to high, balancing of the reserves / production and strengthen the competitive capacity of PETROBRAS and considerable insertion of new entrants in the production chain, while political factors, Economic, social and technological developments have significantly affected the performance of rounds. Facing the new scenario of international prices, discoveries of large reserves and geopolitical issues the findings point to the need to consider possible exemptions to the model and suggests alternatives. (author)

A hierarchical model for ordinal matrix factorization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paquet, Ulrich; Thomson, Blaise; Winther, Ole

2012-01-01

This paper proposes a hierarchical probabilistic model for ordinal matrix factorization. Unlike previous approaches, we model the ordinal nature of the data and take a principled approach to incorporating priors for the hidden variables. Two algorithms are presented for inference, one based...

Cloud Computing Adoption Business Model Factors: Does Enterprise Size Matter?

OpenAIRE

Bogataj Habjan, Kristina; Pucihar, Andreja

2017-01-01

This paper presents the results of research investigating the impact of business model factors on cloud computing adoption. The introduced research model consists of 40 cloud computing business model factors, grouped into eight factor groups. Their impact and importance for cloud computing adoption were investigated among enterpirses in Slovenia. Furthermore, differences in opinion according to enterprise size were investigated. Research results show no statistically significant impacts of in...

Model development for quantitative evaluation of nuclear fuel cycle alternatives and its application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ko, Won Il

2000-02-01

This study addresses the quantitative evaluation of the proliferation resistance and the economics which are important factors of the alternative nuclear fuel cycle system. In this study, model was developed to quantitatively evaluate the proliferation resistance of the nuclear fuel cycles, and a fuel cycle cost analysis model was suggested to incorporate various uncertainties in the fuel cycle cost calculation. The proposed models were then applied to Korean environment as a sample study to provide better references for the determination of future nuclear fuel cycle system in Korea. In order to quantify the proliferation resistance of the nuclear fuel cycle, the proliferation resistance index was defined in imitation of an electrical circuit with an electromotive force and various electrical resistance components. In this model, the proliferation resistance was described an a relative size of the barrier that must be overcome in order to acquire nuclear weapons. Therefore, a larger barriers means that the risk of failure is great, expenditure of resources is large and the time scales for implementation is long. The electromotive force was expressed as the political motivation of the potential proliferators, such as an unauthorized party or a national group to acquire nuclear weapons. The electrical current was then defined as a proliferation resistance index. There are two electrical circuit models used in the evaluation of the proliferation resistance: the series and the parallel circuits. In the series circuit model of the proliferation resistance, a potential proliferator has to overcome all resistance barriers to achieve the manufacturing of the nuclear weapons. This phenomenon could be explained by the fact that the IAEA(International Atomic Energy Agency)'s safeguards philosophy relies on the defense-in-depth principle against nuclear proliferation at a specific facility. The parallel circuit model was also used to imitate the risk of proliferation for

Micro-Tom Tomato as an Alternative Plant Model System: Mutant Collection and Efficient Transformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Shikata, Masahito; Ezura, Hiroshi

2016-01-01

Tomato is a model plant for fruit development, a unique feature that classical model plants such as Arabidopsis and rice do not have. The tomato genome was sequenced in 2012 and tomato is becoming very popular as an alternative system for plant research. Among many varieties of tomato, Micro-Tom has been recognized as a model cultivar for tomato research because it shares some key advantages with Arabidopsis including its small size, short life cycle, and capacity to grow under fluorescent lights at a high density. Mutants and transgenic plants are essential materials for functional genomics research, and therefore, the availability of mutant resources and methods for genetic transformation are key tools to facilitate tomato research. Here, we introduce the Micro-Tom mutant database "TOMATOMA" and an efficient transformation protocol for Micro-Tom.

On the Complexity of Model-Checking Branching and Alternating-Time Temporal Logics in One-Counter Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vester, Steen

2015-01-01

We study the complexity of the model-checking problem for the branching-time logic CTL ∗  and the alternating-time temporal logics ATL/ATL ∗  in one-counter processes and one-counter games respectively. The complexity is determined for all three logics when integer weights are input in unary (non...

An alternative approach for socio-hydrology: case study research

Science.gov (United States)

Mostert, Erik

2018-01-01

Currently the most popular approach in socio hydrology is to develop coupled human-water models. This article proposes an alternative approach, qualitative case study research, involving a systematic review of (1) the human activities affecting the hydrology in the case, (2) the main human actors, and (3) the main factors influencing the actors and their activities. Moreover, this article presents a case study of the Dommel Basin in Belgium and the Netherlands, and compares this with a coupled model of the Kissimmee Basin in Florida. In both basins a pendulum swing from water resources development and control to protection and restoration can be observed. The Dommel case study moreover points to the importance of institutional and financial arrangements, community values, and broader social, economic, and technical developments. These factors are missing from the Kissimmee model. Generally, case studies can result in a more complete understanding of individual cases than coupled models, and if the cases are selected carefully and compared with previous studies, it is possible to generalize on the basis of them. Case studies also offer more levers for management and facilitate interdisciplinary cooperation. Coupled models, on the other hand, can be used to generate possible explanations of past developments and quantitative scenarios for future developments. The article concludes that, given the limited attention they currently get and their potential benefits, case studies deserve more attention in socio-hydrology.

Effect of Bundled Payments and Health Care Reform as Alternative Payment Models in Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Clinical Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Siddiqi, Ahmed; White, Peter B; Mistry, Jaydev B; Gwam, Chukwuweike U; Nace, James; Mont, Michael A; Delanois, Ronald E

2017-08-01

In an effort to control rising healthcare costs, healthcare reforms have developed initiatives to evaluate the efficacy of alternative payment models (APMs) for Medicare reimbursements. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center (CMMSIC) introduced the voluntary Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) model experiment as a means to curtail Medicare cost by allotting a fixed payment for an episode of care. The purpose of this review is to (1) summarize the preliminary clinical results of the BPCI and (2) discuss how it has led to other healthcare reforms and alternative payment models. A literature search was performed using PubMed and the CMMSIC to explore different APMs and clinical results after implementation. All studies that were not in English or unrelated to the topic were excluded. Preliminary results of bundled payment models have shown reduced costs in total joint arthroplasty largely by reducing hospital length of stay, decreasing readmission rates, as well as reducing the number of patients sent to in-patient rehabilitation facilities. In order to refine episode of care bundles, CMMSIC has also developed other initiatives such as the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) pathway and Surgical Hip and Femur Fracture (SHFFT). Despite the unknown future of the Affordable Care Act, BPCI, and CJR, preliminary results of alternative models have shown promise to reduce costs and improve quality of care. Moving into the future, surgeon control of the BPCI and CJR bundle should be investigated to further improve patient care and maximize financial compensation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Skyrme-model πNN form factor and nucleon-nucleon interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holzwarth, G.; Machleidt, R.

1997-01-01

We apply the strong πNN form factor, which emerges from the Skyrme model, in the two-nucleon system using a one-boson-exchange (OBE) model for the nucleon-nucleon (NN) interaction. Deuteron properties and phase parameters of NN scattering are reproduced well. In contrast to the form factor of monopole shape that is traditionally used in OBE models, the Skyrme form factor leaves low-momentum transfers essentially unaffected while it suppresses the high-momentum region strongly. It turns out that this behavior is very appropriate for models of the NN interaction and makes it possible to use a soft pion form factor in the NN system. As a consequence, the πN and the NN systems can be described using the same πNN form factor, which is impossible with the monopole. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

The Impact of Alternative Payment Models on Oncology Innovation and Patient Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Amy M; Omenn, Gilbert S; Kean, Marcia A

2016-05-15

Oncology care is in a time of major transformation. Scientific discovery is driving breakthroughs in prevention, diagnostics, and treatment, resulting in tremendous gains for patients as the number of cancer survivors continues to grow on an annual basis. At the same time, there is mounting pressure across the healthcare system to contain costs while improving the quality of cancer care. In response to this pressure, private and government payers are increasingly turning to tools such as alternative payment models (APM) and clinical pathways to improve the efficiency of care, inform coverage decisions, and support shared decision-making. As APMs, clinical pathways and other tools are utilized more broadly, it will be critical that these models support the evidence-based use of innovative biomedical advances, including personalized medicine, and deliver patient-centered, high-value care. Clin Cancer Res; 22(10); 2335-41. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

Regional on-road vehicle running emissions modeling and evaluation for conventional and alternative vehicle technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Frey, H Christopher; Zhai, Haibo; Rouphail, Nagui M

2009-11-01

This study presents a methodology for estimating high-resolution, regional on-road vehicle emissions and the associated reductions in air pollutant emissions from vehicles that utilize alternative fuels or propulsion technologies. The fuels considered are gasoline, diesel, ethanol, biodiesel, compressed natural gas, hydrogen, and electricity. The technologies considered are internal combustion or compression engines, hybrids, fuel cell, and electric. Road link-based emission models are developed using modal fuel use and emission rates applied to facility- and speed-specific driving cycles. For an urban case study, passenger cars were found to be the largest sources of HC, CO, and CO(2) emissions, whereas trucks contributed the largest share of NO(x) emissions. When alternative fuel and propulsion technologies were introduced in the fleet at a modest market penetration level of 27%, their emission reductions were found to be 3-14%. Emissions for all pollutants generally decreased with an increase in the market share of alternative vehicle technologies. Turnover of the light duty fleet to newer Tier 2 vehicles reduced emissions of HC, CO, and NO(x) substantially. However, modest improvements in fuel economy may be offset by VMT growth and reductions in overall average speed.

Dynamic Factor Models for the Volatility Surface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Wel, Michel; Ozturk, Sait R.; Dijk, Dick van

The implied volatility surface is the collection of volatilities implied by option contracts for different strike prices and time-to-maturity. We study factor models to capture the dynamics of this three-dimensional implied volatility surface. Three model types are considered to examine desirable...

Alternative [SU(3]4 model of leptonic color and dark matter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Corey Kownacki

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The alternative [SU(3]4 model of leptonic color and dark matter is discussed. It unifies at MU∼1014 GeV and has the low-energy subgroup SU(3q×SU(2l×SU(2L×SU(2R×U(1X with (u,hR instead of (u,dR as doublets under SU(2R. It has the built-in global U(1 dark symmetry which is generalized B–L. In analogy to SU(3q quark triplets, it has SU(2l hemion doublets which have half-integral charges and are confined by SU(2l gauge bosons (stickons. In analogy to quarkonia, their vector bound states (hemionia are uniquely suited for exploration at a future e−e+ collider.

Alternative [SU(3)]4 model of leptonic color and dark matter

Science.gov (United States)

Kownacki, Corey; Ma, Ernest; Pollard, Nicholas; Popov, Oleg; Zakeri, Mohammadreza

2018-03-01

The alternative [ SU (3) ] 4 model of leptonic color and dark matter is discussed. It unifies at MU ∼1014 GeV and has the low-energy subgroup SU(3)q × SU(2)l × SU(2)L × SU(2)R × U(1)X with (u , h) R instead of (u , d) R as doublets under SU(2)R. It has the built-in global U (1) dark symmetry which is generalized B- L. In analogy to SU(3)q quark triplets, it has SU(2)l hemion doublets which have half-integral charges and are confined by SU(2)l gauge bosons (stickons). In analogy to quarkonia, their vector bound states (hemionia) are uniquely suited for exploration at a future e-e+ collider.

An alternative approach to modelling HbA1c trajectories in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Science.gov (United States)

McEwan, Phil; Bennett, Hayley; Qin, Lei; Bergenheim, Klas; Gordon, Jason; Evans, Marc

2017-05-01

Time-dependent HbA1c trajectories in health economic models of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are typically informed by the UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS). However, this approach may not accurately predict HbA1c progression in patients who do not conform to the demographic profile of the original UKPDS cohort. This study aimed to develop an alternative mathematical model (MM) to simulate HbA1c progression in T2DM. A systematic literature review identified studies, published between 2005 and 2015, that reported HbA1c in adult T2DM patients over a minimum duration of 18 months. Pooled data from eligible studies were used to develop an alternative MM equation for HbA1c progression, which was then contrasted with the UKPDS 68 progression equation in illustrative scenarios. A total of 68 studies were eligible for data extraction (mean follow-up time 4.1 years). HbA1c progression was highly heterogeneous across studies, varying with baseline HbA1c, treatment group and patient age. The MM equation was fitted with parameters for mean baseline HbA1c (8.3%), initial change in HbA1c (-0.62%) and upper quartile of maximum observed HbA1c (9.3%). Differences in HbA1c trajectories between the MM and UKPDS approaches altered the timing of therapy escalation in illustrative scenarios. The MM represents an alternative approach to simulate HbA1c trajectories in T2DM models, as UKPDS data may not adequately reflect the heterogeneity of HbA1c profiles observed in clinical studies. However, the choice of approach should ultimately be determined by the characteristics of individual patients under consideration and the clinical face validity of the modelled trajectories. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluation of alternative future energy scenarios for Brazil using an energy mix model

Science.gov (United States)

Coelho, Maysa Joppert

The purpose of this study is to model and assess the performance and the emissions impacts of electric energy technologies in Brazil, based on selected economic scenarios, for a time frame of 40 years, taking the year of 1995 as a base year. A Base scenario has been developed, for each of three economic development projections, based upon a sectoral analysis. Data regarding the characteristics of over 300 end-use technologies and 400 energy conversion technologies have been collected. The stand-alone MARKAL technology-based energy-mix model, first developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory, was applied to a base case study and five alternative case studies, for each economic scenario. The alternative case studies are: (1) minimum increase in the thermoelectric contribution to the power production system of 20 percent after 2010; (2) extreme values for crude oil price; (3) minimum increase in the renewable technologies contribution to the power production system of 20 percent after 2010; (4) uncertainty on the cost of future renewable conversion technologies; and (5) model is forced to use the natural gas plants committed to be built in the country. Results such as the distribution of fuel used for power generation, electricity demand across economy sectors, total CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels for power generation, shadow price (marginal cost) of technologies, and others, are evaluated and compared to the Base scenarios previous established. Among some key findings regarding the Brazilian energy system it may be inferred that: (1) diesel technologies are estimated to be the most cost-effective thermal technology in the country; (2) wind technology is estimated to be the most cost-effective technology to be used when a minimum share of renewables is imposed to the system; and (3) hydroelectric technologies present the highest cost/benefit relation among all conversion technologies considered. These results are subject to the limitations of key input

Alternative Reimbursement Models: Bundled Payment and Beyond: AOA Critical Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenwald, A Seth; Bassano, Amy; Wiggins, Stephen; Froimson, Mark I

2016-06-01

The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative was begun in January 2013 by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through its Innovation Center authority, which was created by the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The BPCI program seeks to improve health-care delivery and to ultimately reduce costs by allowing providers to enter into prenegotiated payment arrangements that include financial and performance accountability for a clinical episode in which a risk-and-reward calculus must be determined. BPCI is a contemporary 3-year experiment designed to test the applicability of episode-based payment models as a viable strategy to transform the CMS payment methodology while improving health outcomes. A summary of the 4 models being evaluated in the BPCI initiative is presented in addition to the awardee types and the number of awardees in each model. Data from one of the BPCI-designated pilot sites demonstrate that strategies do exist for successful implementation of an alternative payment model by keeping patients first while simultaneously improving coordination, alignment of care, and quality and reducing cost. Providers will need to embrace change and their areas of opportunity to gain a competitive advantage. Health-care providers, including orthopaedic surgeons, health-care professionals at post-acute care institutions, and product suppliers, all have a role in determining the strategies for success. Open dialogue between CMS and awardees should be encouraged to arrive at a solution that provides opportunity for gainsharing, as this program continues to gain traction and to evolve. Copyright © 2016 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.

Big bang nucleosynthesis: The standard model and alternatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schramm, D.N.

1991-01-01

Big bang nucleosynthesis provides (with the microwave background radiation) one of the two quantitative experimental tests of the big bang cosmological model. This paper reviews the standard homogeneous-isotropic calculation and shows how it fits the light element abundances ranging from 4 He at 24% by mass through 2 H and 3 He at parts in 10 5 down to 7 Li at parts in 10 10 . Furthermore, the recent LEP (and SLC) results on the number of neutrinos are discussed as a positive laboratory test of the standard scenario. Discussion is presented on the improved observational data as well as the improved neutron lifetime data. Alternate scenarios of decaying matter or of quark-hadron induced inhomogeneities are discussed. It is shown that when these scenarios are made to fit the observed abundances accurately, the resulting conclusions on the baryonic density relative to the critical density, Ω b , remain approximately the same as in the standard homogeneous case, thus, adding to the robustness of the conclusion that Ω b ≅0.06. This latter point is the driving force behind the need for non-baryonic dark matter (assuming Ω total =1) and the need for dark baryonic matter, since Ω visible b . (orig.)

Cognitive Theory within the Framework of an Information Processing Model and Learning Hierarchy: Viable Alternative to the Bloom-Mager System.

Science.gov (United States)

Stahl, Robert J.

This review of the current status of the human information processing model presents the Stahl Perceptual Information Processing and Operations Model (SPInPrOM) as a model of how thinking, memory, and the processing of information take place within the individual learner. A related system, the Domain of Cognition, is presented as an alternative to…

Alternative Splicing Control of Abiotic Stress Responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Laloum, Tom; Martín, Guiomar; Duque, Paula

2018-02-01

Alternative splicing, which generates multiple transcripts from the same gene, is an important modulator of gene expression that can increase proteome diversity and regulate mRNA levels. In plants, this post-transcriptional mechanism is markedly induced in response to environmental stress, and recent studies have identified alternative splicing events that allow rapid adjustment of the abundance and function of key stress-response components. In agreement, plant mutants defective in splicing factors are severely impaired in their response to abiotic stress. Notably, mounting evidence indicates that alternative splicing regulates stress responses largely by targeting the abscisic acid (ABA) pathway. We review here current understanding of post-transcriptional control of plant stress tolerance via alternative splicing and discuss research challenges for the near future. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Matrix Management: An Organizational Alternative for Libraries.

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Johnson, Peggy

1990-01-01

Describes various organizational structures and models, presents matrix management as an alternative to traditional hierarchical structures, and suggests matrix management as an appropriate organizational alternative for academic libraries. Benefits that are discussed include increased flexibility, a higher level of professional independence, and…

New JLS-Factor Model versus the Standard JLS Model: A Case Study on Chinese Stock Bubbles

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Zongyi Hu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we extend the Johansen-Ledoit-Sornette (JLS model by introducing fundamental economic factors in China (including the interest rate and deposit reserve rate and the historical volatilities of targeted and US equity indices into the original model, which is a flexible tool to detect bubbles and predict regime changes in financial markets. We then derive a general method to incorporate these selected factors in addition to the log-periodic power law signature of herding and compare the prediction accuracy of the critical time between the original and the new JLS models (termed the JLS-factor model by applying these two models to fit two well-known Chinese stock indices in three bubble periods. The results show that the JLS-factor model with Chinese characteristics successfully depicts the evolutions of bubbles and “antibubbles” and constructs efficient end-of-bubble signals for all bubbles in Chinese stock markets. In addition, the results of standard statistical tests demonstrate the excellent explanatory power of these additive factors and confirm that the new JLS model provides useful improvements over the standard JLS model.

Modeling Factors with Influence on Sustainable University Management

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Oana Dumitrascu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this paper is to present the factors with influence on the sustainable university management and the relationships between them. In the scientific approach we begin from a graphical model, according to which the extracurricular activities together with internal environmental factors influence students’ involvement in such activities, the university attractiveness, their academic performance and their integration into the socially-economic and natural environment (components related with sustainable development. The model emphasizes that individual performances, related to students’ participation in extracurricular activities, have a positive influence on the sustainability of university management. The results of the study have shown that the university sustainability may be influenced by a number of factors, such as students’ performance, students’ involvement in extracurricular activities or university’s attractiveness and can in turn influence implicitly also the sustainability of university management. The originality of the paper consists in the relationships study using the modeling method in general and informatics tools of modeling in particular, as well as through graphical visualization of some influences, on the sustainability university management.

The effect of regular walking and alternate day fasting on health-related factors in overweight and obese females

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Roya Seighali

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Obesity is a complex health problem. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of regular walking with alternate day fasting (ADF on health-related factors of overweight and obese females.‎  Methods: 30 healthy inactive, overweight and obese women were divided randomly into three equal groups.  The groups were: control group (BMI: 30.72±4.40 kg/m2; the experimental group I: ADF along with regular walking with 50% to 65% maximal heart rate (BMI: 28.69 ±2.81 kg/m2 and the experimental group II: ADF (BMI: 30.56 ±3.66 kg/m2. Participants were under the diet for six weeks. The diet ADF means that, they had days of fasting and free day (with regular walking, alternately. Two days before and two days after the end of the study, the participants’ fasting blood sugar were measured after 12 hours. Resting heart rate, blood pressure and body composition were assessed in the same day. The collected data were analyzed using paired t-test and ANOVA test. Results: Body mass index in both experimental groups had significant decrease‎ (P

Use of the FAR Guide in Alternative Teaching Models Developed on Structuring the Topic of Energy

OpenAIRE

Hilal Aktamış

2012-01-01

The objective of this study is to determine the impact of the use of alternative teaching models, under the leadership of the FAR Guide, on the ability of students to comprehend the topic of energy. After the experiment done related to each subject, modelling was performed to provide the students to configure such an abstract concept as ‘energy’ in their minds. The participants of the research was consisted of ninth grade students (n=52) existing in Aydin Province, Turkey. In the research, th...

The crucial role of the micro caregiving environment: Factors associated with attachment styles in alternative care in Chile.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia Quiroga, Manuela; Hamilton-Giachritsis, Catherine

2017-08-01

The distribution of attachment styles has been shown to differ between groups of children living with their parents and children placed in alternative care (AC), defined as residential or foster. However, this is the first study in Latin America to explore possible factors affecting the quality of attachment in children living in both residential and foster care. Two groups of children (N=57) were compared: one group living in Residential Homes (RC) and the other in Foster Care (FC) in Chile. Children's, caregivers' and structural factors (e.g., child: caregiver ratios) and their links with attachment styles were investigated. The micro caregiving environment (i.e., the specific individual child caregiver relationship), especially the caregivers' engagement, sensitivity, disciplinary control and affection, as well as some structural factors (i.e., child: caregiver ratios), were linked to attachment security in children. Specifically, better emotional caregiving and lower child-caregiver ratios were associated with higher rates of secure attachment. The association between quality of care (as measured by the HOME inventory) and attachment styles seems to be influenced by caregiver relationships (as measured by CCSERSS). Caregiver relationship factors (i.e., affection, engagement and sensitivity) directly impact the quality of the attachment children establish with them while living in AC. However, the relationships that caregivers establish with children under their care can be facilitated by good quality structural factors, particularly child-caregiver ratios. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Alternative medicine: faith or science?].

Science.gov (United States)

Pletscher, A

1990-04-21

For the success of both alternative and scientific (conventional) medicine, factors such as the psychological influence of the doctor, loving care, human affection, the patient's belief in the treatment, the suggestive power of attractive (even unproven) theories, dogmas and chance events (e.g. spontaneous remissions) etc. play a major role. Some practices of alternative medicine have a particularly strong appeal to the non-rational side of the human being. Conventional medicine includes a component which is based on scientific and statistical methods. The possibility that in alternative medicine principles and effects exist which are not (yet) known to scientific medicine, but which match up to scientific criteria, cannot be excluded. However, up to now this has not been convincingly proven. The difficulties which arise in the elucidation of this problem are discussed in the light of examples from the literature and some experiments of our own.

Sulphur release from alternative fuel firing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cortada Mut, Maria del Mar; Nørskov, Linda Kaare; Glarborg, Peter

2014-01-01

The cement industry has long been dependent on the use of fossil fuels, although a recent trend in replacing fossil fuels with alternative fuels has arisen. 1, 2 However, when unconverted or partly converted alternative fuels are admitted directly in the rotary kiln inlet, the volatiles released...... from the fuels may react with sulphates present in the hot meal to form SO 2 . Here Maria del Mar Cortada Mut and associates describe pilot and industrial scale experiments focusing on the factors that affect SO 2 release in the cement kiln inlet....

FACTORING – ALTERNATIVE OF SHORT-TERM FINANCING FOR COMPANIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicoleta Barbuta-Misu

2013-12-01

Full Text Available In developed countries, had been created formidable conditions for encouraging the factoring business, because using this instrument of investment and financing have grown the economic and financial stability of the company and generated a more efficient management of accounts receivable by the policy of claims recovering. Also, the factoring may be considered both a commercial and financial activity. The essential role of the factoring companies is given by taking the place of company in activities that are not referring exclusively to the commercial field. Given the importance of this financing operation, in this paper are presented different ways of defining, their importance, advantages and disadvantages for the company, the return for the factoring of accounts receivables and the real cost of factoring.

Aggressive behavior: an alternative model of resting heart rate and sensation seeking.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Laura C; Scarpa, Angela

2014-01-01

Low resting heart rate is a well-replicated biological correlate of aggression, and sensation seeking is frequently cited as the underlying causal explanation. However, little empirical evidence supports this mediating relationship. Furthermore, the biosocial model of violence and social push theory suggest sensation seeking may moderate the relationship between heart rate and aggression. In a sample of 128 college students (82.0% White; 73.4% female), the current study tested a moderation model as an alternative relationship between resting heart rate and sensation seeking in regard to aggression. Overall, the findings partially supported an interaction effect, whereby the relationship between heart rate and aggression was moderated by sensation seeking. Specifically, the oft-noted relationship between low resting heart rate and increased aggression was found, but only for individuals with low levels of sensation seeking. If replication supports this finding, the results may better inform prevention and intervention work. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Building an Ensemble Seismic Hazard Model for the Magnitude Distribution by Using Alternative Bayesian Implementations

Science.gov (United States)

Taroni, M.; Selva, J.

2017-12-01

In this work we show how we built an ensemble seismic hazard model for the magnitude distribution for the TSUMAPS-NEAM EU project (http://www.tsumaps-neam.eu/). The considered source area includes the whole NEAM region (North East Atlantic, Mediterranean and connected seas). We build our models by using the catalogs (EMEC and ISC), their completeness and the regionalization provided by the project. We developed four alternative implementations of a Bayesian model, considering tapered or truncated Gutenberg-Richter distributions, and fixed or variable b-value. The frequency size distribution is based on the Weichert formulation. This allows for simultaneously assessing all the frequency-size distribution parameters (a-value, b-value, and corner magnitude), using multiple completeness periods for the different magnitudes. With respect to previous studies, we introduce the tapered Pareto distribution (in addition to the classical truncated Pareto), and we build a novel approach to quantify the prior distribution. For each alternative implementation, we set the prior distributions using the global seismic data grouped according to the different types of tectonic setting, and assigned them to the related regions. The estimation is based on the complete (not declustered) local catalog in each region. Using the complete catalog also allows us to consider foreshocks and aftershocks in the seismic rate computation: the Poissonicity of the tsunami events (and similarly the exceedances of the PGA) will be insured by the Le Cam's theorem. This Bayesian approach provides robust estimations also in the zones where few events are available, but also leaves us the possibility to explore the uncertainty associated with the estimation of the magnitude distribution parameters (e.g. with the classical Metropolis-Hastings Monte Carlo method). Finally we merge all the models with their uncertainty to create the ensemble model that represents our knowledge of the seismicity in the

Development of a Low Inductance Linear Alternator for Stirling Power Convertors

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Steven M.; Schifer, Nicholas A.

2017-01-01

The free-piston Stirling power convertor is a promising technology for high efficiency heat-to-electricity power conversion in space. Stirling power convertors typically utilize linear alternators for converting mechanical motion into electricity. The linear alternator is one of the heaviest components of modern Stirling power convertors. In addition, state-of-art Stirling linear alternators usually require the use of tuning capacitors or active power factor correction controllers to maximize convertor output power. The linear alternator to be discussed in this paper, eliminates the need for tuning capacitors and delivers electrical power output in which current is inherently in phase with voltage. No power factor correction is needed. In addition, the linear alternator concept requires very little iron, so core loss has been virtually eliminated. This concept is a unique moving coil design where the magnetic flux path is defined by the magnets themselves. This paper presents computational predictions for two different low inductance alternator configurations, and compares the predictions with experimental data for one of the configurations that has been built and is currently being tested.

Development of a Low-Inductance Linear Alternator for Stirling Power Convertors

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Steven M.; Schifer, Nicholas A.

2017-01-01

The free-piston Stirling power convertor is a promising technology for high-efficiency heat-to-electricity power conversion in space. Stirling power convertors typically utilize linear alternators for converting mechanical motion into electricity. The linear alternator is one of the heaviest components of modern Stirling power convertors. In addition, state-of-the-art Stirling linear alternators usually require the use of tuning capacitors or active power factor correction controllers to maximize convertor output power. The linear alternator to be discussed in this paper eliminates the need for tuning capacitors and delivers electrical power output in which current is inherently in phase with voltage. No power factor correction is needed. In addition, the linear alternator concept requires very little iron, so core loss has been virtually eliminated. This concept is a unique moving coil design where the magnetic flux path is defined by the magnets themselves. This paper presents computational predictions for two different low inductance alternator configurations. Additionally, one of the configurations was built and tested at GRC, and the experimental data is compared with the predictions.

Generalized Efficient Inference on Factor Models with Long-Range Dependence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ergemen, Yunus Emre

. Short-memory dynamics are allowed in the common factor structure and possibly heteroskedastic error term. In the estimation, a generalized version of the principal components (PC) approach is proposed to achieve efficiency. Asymptotics for efficient common factor and factor loading as well as long......A dynamic factor model is considered that contains stochastic time trends allowing for stationary and nonstationary long-range dependence. The model nests standard I(0) and I(1) behaviour smoothly in common factors and residuals, removing the necessity of a priori unit-root and stationarity testing...

Health, Islam and Alternative Capitalism. Three possible Key Factors in Developing Somaliland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daria Zizzola

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The main aim of this paper is to investigate the socio, political and economic dynamics that have occurred in Somaliland in the last decades. Even though this country is still unrecognized by the international community, Somaliland’s economy has undertaken an enduring growth, above all in the private entrepreneurial sector. The author argues that religion has had an important role in the Somali cultural and social identification. According to this assumption, the article analyzes the Islamic factor by showing how it has led to the creation of many alternative connections supported by mutual trust and religious solidarity among involved communities. These connections are somehow fulfilling the absence of political legitimacy while progressively substituting conventional routes of intra-national negotiation, like diplomacy. To confirm this tendency, specific arguments are drawn from Somaliland’s health sector. The health care system is considered a preferential index to evaluate the level of national development. Above all, the private non-profit sector gives some evidence of the Somali capacity of running competitive private businesses while multiplying simultaneously their resources and suppliers with a consequent increase in autonomy and efficiency. This successful compromise bears the fruits of Somali engagement and can be identified by their inexhaustible adaptability to adverse conditions and their ability to avoid, not deny, the rational rules imposed by external actors and their ostensible, insurmountable interests.

Innovative supply chain optimization models with multiple uncertainty factors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Choi, Tsan Ming; Govindan, Kannan; Li, Xiang

2017-01-01

Uncertainty is an inherent factor that affects all dimensions of supply chain activities. In today’s business environment, initiatives to deal with one specific type of uncertainty might not be effective since other types of uncertainty factors and disruptions may be present. These factors relate...... to supply chain competition and coordination. Thus, to achieve a more efficient and effective supply chain requires the deployment of innovative optimization models and novel methods. This preface provides a concise review of critical research issues regarding innovative supply chain optimization models...

The Earnings/Price Risk Factor in Capital Asset Pricing Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafael Falcão Noda

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This article integrates the ideas from two major lines of research on cost of equity and asset pricing: multi-factor models and ex ante accounting models. The earnings/price ratio is used as a proxy for the ex ante cost of equity, in order to explain realized returns of Brazilian companies within the period from 1995 to 2013. The initial finding was that stocks with high (low earnings/price ratios have higher (lower risk-adjusted realized returns, already controlled by the capital asset pricing model's beta. The results show that selecting stocks based on high earnings/price ratios has led to significantly higher risk-adjusted returns in the Brazilian market, with average abnormal returns close to 1.3% per month. We design asset pricing models including an earnings/price risk factor, i.e. high earnings minus low earnings, based on the Fama and French three-factor model. We conclude that such a risk factor is significant to explain returns on portfolios, even when controlled by size and market/book ratios. Models including the high earnings minus low earnings risk factor were better to explain stock returns in Brazil when compared to the capital asset pricing model and to the Fama and French three-factor model, having the lowest number of significant intercepts. These findings may be due to the impact of historically high inflation rates, which reduce the information content of book values, thus making the models based on earnings/price ratios better than those based on market/book ratios. Such results are different from those obtained in more developed markets and the superiority of the earnings/price ratio for asset pricing may also exist in other emerging markets.

The determinants of alternative RNA splicing in human cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramanouskaya, Tatsiana V; Grinev, Vasily V

2017-12-01

Alternative splicing represents an important level of the regulation of gene function in eukaryotic organisms. It plays a critical role in virtually every biological process within an organism, including regulation of cell division and cell death, differentiation of tissues in the embryo and the adult organism, as well as in cellular response to diverse environmental factors. In turn, studies of the last decade have shown that alternative splicing itself is controlled by different mechanisms. Unfortunately, there is no clear understanding of how these diverse mechanisms, or determinants, regulate and constrain the set of alternative RNA species produced from any particular gene in every cell of the human body. Here, we provide a consolidated overview of alternative splicing determinants including RNA-protein interactions, epigenetic regulation via chromatin remodeling, coupling of transcription-to-alternative splicing, effect of secondary structures in pre-RNA, and function of the RNA quality control systems. We also extensively and critically discuss some mechanistic insights on coordinated inclusion/exclusion of exons during the formation of mature RNA molecules. We conclude that the final structure of RNA is pre-determined by a complex interplay between cis- and trans-acting factors. Altogether, currently available empirical data significantly expand our understanding of the functioning of the alternative splicing machinery of cells in normal and pathological conditions. On the other hand, there are still many blind spots that require further deep investigations.

Alternatives to Violence.

Science.gov (United States)

Children Today, 1994

1994-01-01

Notes that our capacity to diffuse conflict rests in our ability to recognize and verbalize feelings, develop empathy, and think of alternatives to violence. Explores the influence of role models and culture on violence and how the media can use violent images effectively in helping us confront a culture of violence. (HTH)

A rough multi-factor model of electricity spot prices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennedsen, Mikkel

2017-01-01

We introduce a new continuous-time mathematical model of electricity spot prices which accounts for the most important stylized facts of these time series: seasonality, spikes, stochastic volatility, and mean reversion. Empirical studies have found a possible fifth stylized fact, roughness, and our approach explicitly incorporates this into the model of the prices. Our setup generalizes the popular Ornstein–Uhlenbeck-based multi-factor framework of and allows us to perform statistical tests to distinguish between an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck-based model and a rough model. Further, through the multi-factor approach we account for seasonality and spikes before estimating – and making inference on – the degree of roughness. This is novel in the literature and we present simulation evidence showing that these precautions are crucial for accurate estimation. Lastly, we estimate our model on recent data from six European energy exchanges and find statistical evidence of roughness in five out of six markets. As an application of our model, we show how, in these five markets, a rough component improves short term forecasting of the prices. - Highlights: • Statistical modeling of electricity spot prices • Multi-factor decomposition • Roughness • Electricity price forecasting

Fructose-fed streptozotocin-injected rat: an alternative model for type 2 diabetes.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Rachel D; Islam, Md Shahidul

2012-01-01

The main objective of the study was to develop an alternative non-genetic rat model for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Six-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats (190.56 ± 23.60 g) were randomly divided into six groups, namely: Normal Control (NC), Diabetic Control (DBC), Fructose-10 (FR10), Fructose-20 (FR20), Fructose-30 (FR30) and Fructose-40 (FR40) and were fed a normal rat pellet diet ad libitum for 2 weeks. During this period, the two control groups received normal drinking water whilst the fructose groups received 10, 20, 30 and 40% fructose in drinking water ad libitum, respectively. After two weeks of dietary manipulation, all groups except the NC group received a single injection (i.p.) of streptozotocin (STZ) (40 mg/kg b.w.) dissolved in citrate buffer (pH 4.4). The NC group received only a vehicle buffer injection (i.p.). One week after the STZ injection, animals with non-fasting blood glucose levels > 300 mg/dl were considered as diabetic. Three weeks after the STZ injection, the animals in FR20, FR30 and FR40 groups were eliminated from the study due to the severity of diabetes and the FR10 group was selected for the remainder of the 11 weeks experimental period. The significantly (p < 0.05) higher fluid intake, blood glucose, serum lipids, liver glycogen, liver function enzymes and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and significantly (p < 0.05) lower body weight, oral glucose tolerance, number of pancreatic β-cells and pancreatic β-cell functions (HOMA-β) of FR10 group demonstrate that the 10% fructose-fed followed by 40 mg/kg of BWSTZ injected rat can be a new and alternative model for T2D.

Evaluation and Selection of International Supplier, Underscoring Risk Factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

seyed Mohammad Ali Khatami Firouzabadi

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This paper evaluates the decision making process for import complete manufactured pieces versus import of partial pieces to assemble in Iran, taking into account the risk factors for a manufacturing company. Since this sort of decision making confront with several risks, it is necessary to establish a process for finding the risks associated with this kind of problems in order to decrease the effects of these risks in the process. Since the problem is classified as a Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM problem, Uncertain Analytical Hierarchy Process (UAHP was used to find the most attractive alternative. Because the alternatives were identified from the first point, a bottom-up procedure was used to organize the hierarchy. In initial stage, the attributes which distinct from the alternatives were obtained by literature review and experts' interviews. Then the attributes were grouped to upper level to establish the criteria. Three criteria were found from this stage. The criteria were product, partners, and environment which they encompassed 12 attributes. Forming the hierarchy and doing the uncertain pairwised comparisons, which considers a range of numbers instead of one single number for declaring the preference between two factors, a Linear Programming (LP model with two types of objective functions were formed for each individual alternative. Each single LP model can express the maximum and minimum value of each individual alternative. The research's results indicate the most appropriate alternative is to import the final product from India. The last preferred one was to import the parts of the final product from India. This study can be a suitable framework in supply chain management and purchasing decisions and risk evaluations because the major parts of manufacturing activities is always to decide about the selection of most preferred strategies for companies.

The multi-factor energy input–output model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guevara, Zeus; Domingos, Tiago

2017-01-01

Energy input–output analysis (EIO analysis) is a noteworthy tool for the analysis of the role of energy in the economy. However, it has relied on models that provide a limited description of energy flows in the economic system and do not allow an adequate analysis of energy efficiency. This paper introduces a novel energy input–output model, the multi-factor energy input–output model (MF-EIO model), which is obtained from a partitioning of a hybrid-unit input–output system of the economy. This model improves on current models by describing the energy flows according to the processes of energy conversion and the levels of energy use in the economy. It characterizes the vector of total energy output as a function of seven factors: two energy efficiency indicators; two characteristics of end-use energy consumption; and three economic features of the rest of the economy. Moreover, it is consistent with the standard model for EIO analysis, i.e., the hybrid-unit model. This paper also introduces an approximate version of the MF-EIO model, which is equivalent to the former under equal energy prices for industries and final consumers, but requires less data processing. The latter is composed by two linked models: a model of the energy sector in physical units, and a model of the rest of the economy in monetary units. In conclusion, the proposed modelling framework improves EIO analysis and extends EIO applications to the accounting for energy efficiency of the economy. - Highlights: • A novel energy input–output model is introduced. • It allows a more adequate analysis of energy flows than current models. • It describes energy flows according to processes of energy conversion and use. • It can be used for other environmental applications (material use and emissions). • An approximate version of the model is introduced, simpler and less data intensive.

Capital Cost Optimization for Prefabrication: A Factor Analysis Evaluation Model

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Hong Xue

2018-01-01

Full Text Available High capital cost is a significant hindrance to the promotion of prefabrication. In order to optimize cost management and reduce capital cost, this study aims to explore the latent factors and factor analysis evaluation model. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore potential variables and then questionnaire survey was employed to collect professionals’ views on their effects. After data collection, exploratory factor analysis was adopted to explore the latent factors. Seven latent factors were identified, including “Management Index”, “Construction Dissipation Index”, “Productivity Index”, “Design Efficiency Index”, “Transport Dissipation Index”, “Material increment Index” and “Depreciation amortization Index”. With these latent factors, a factor analysis evaluation model (FAEM, divided into factor analysis model (FAM and comprehensive evaluation model (CEM, was established. The FAM was used to explore the effect of observed variables on the high capital cost of prefabrication, while the CEM was used to evaluate comprehensive cost management level on prefabrication projects. Case studies were conducted to verify the models. The results revealed that collaborative management had a positive effect on capital cost of prefabrication. Material increment costs and labor costs had significant impacts on production cost. This study demonstrated the potential of on-site management and standardization design to reduce capital cost. Hence, collaborative management is necessary for cost management of prefabrication. Innovation and detailed design were needed to improve cost performance. The new form of precast component factories can be explored to reduce transportation cost. Meanwhile, targeted strategies can be adopted for different prefabrication projects. The findings optimized the capital cost and improved the cost performance through providing an evaluation and optimization model, which helps managers to

John Carroll’s Views on Intelligence: Bi-Factor vs. Higher-Order Models

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A. Alexander Beaujean

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The development of factor models is inextricably tied to the history of intelligence research. One of the most commonly-cited scholars in the field is John Carroll, whose three-stratum theory of cognitive ability has been one of the most influential models of cognitive ability in the past 20 years. Nonetheless, there is disagreement about how Carroll conceptualized the factors in his model. Some argue that his model is best represented through a higher-order model, while others argue that a bi-factor model is a better representation. Carroll was explicit about what he perceived the best way to represent his model, but his writings are not always easy to understand. In this article, I clarify his position by first describing the details and implications of bi-factor and higher-order models then show that Carroll’s published views are better represented by a bi-factor model.

Higgs bosons and sleptons in an alternative left-right model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roszkowski, L.

1990-01-01

The phenomenological structure of the combined Higgs-boson--slepton sector of the alternative left-right-supersymmetric model introduced by Ma is explored. Constraints upon and relations between Higgs-boson and slepton masses are derived and a tightly constrained mass spectrum is found. In general, one neutral Higgs boson is never heavier than 98 GeV, one neutral Higgs boson is always nearly degenerate in mass with the extra neutral gauge boson Z 2 0 , and the charged Higgs boson can in principle be as light as 22 GeV. Further constraints require large ratios of Higgs vacuum expectation values, strongly favor the W R mass above ∼423 GeV, predict one Higgs-boson mass to be always very close to 98 GeV, and masses of the other Higgs bosons and the sleptons to be bounded from above and preferably not much above the Z mass. In addition, the possibility of detecting light Higgs bosons at CERN LEP and the SLAC Linear Collider is briefly discussed

Alternative Payment Models in Radiology: The Legislative and Regulatory Roadmap for Reform.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Ezequiel; McGinty, Geraldine B; Hughes, Danny R; Duszak, Richard

2016-10-01

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) replaces the sustainable growth rate with a payment system based on the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and incentives for alternative payment model participation. It is important that radiologists understand the statutory requirements of MACRA. This includes the nature of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System composite performance score and its impact on payments. The timeline for MACRA implementation is fairly aggressive and includes a robust effort to define episode groups, which include radiologic services. A number of organizations, including the ACR, are commenting on the structure of MACRA-directed initiatives. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An alternative ionospheric correction model for global navigation satellite systems

Science.gov (United States)

Hoque, M. M.; Jakowski, N.

2015-04-01

The ionosphere is recognized as a major error source for single-frequency operations of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). To enhance single-frequency operations the global positioning system (GPS) uses an ionospheric correction algorithm (ICA) driven by 8 coefficients broadcasted in the navigation message every 24 h. Similarly, the global navigation satellite system Galileo uses the electron density NeQuick model for ionospheric correction. The Galileo satellite vehicles (SVs) transmit 3 ionospheric correction coefficients as driver parameters of the NeQuick model. In the present work, we propose an alternative ionospheric correction algorithm called Neustrelitz TEC broadcast model NTCM-BC that is also applicable for global satellite navigation systems. Like the GPS ICA or Galileo NeQuick, the NTCM-BC can be optimized on a daily basis by utilizing GNSS data obtained at the previous day at monitor stations. To drive the NTCM-BC, 9 ionospheric correction coefficients need to be uploaded to the SVs for broadcasting in the navigation message. Our investigation using GPS data of about 200 worldwide ground stations shows that the 24-h-ahead prediction performance of the NTCM-BC is better than the GPS ICA and comparable to the Galileo NeQuick model. We have found that the 95 percentiles of the prediction error are about 16.1, 16.1 and 13.4 TECU for the GPS ICA, Galileo NeQuick and NTCM-BC, respectively, during a selected quiet ionospheric period, whereas the corresponding numbers are found about 40.5, 28.2 and 26.5 TECU during a selected geomagnetic perturbed period. However, in terms of complexity the NTCM-BC is easier to handle than the Galileo NeQuick and in this respect comparable to the GPS ICA.

Negative Regulation of Interferon-β Production by Alternative Splicing of Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor-Associated Factor 3 in Ducks

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Xiaoqin Wei

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 3 (TRAF3, an intracellular signal transducer, is identified as an important component of Toll-like receptors and RIG-I-like receptors induced type I interferon (IFN signaling pathways. Previous studies have clarified TRAF3 function in mammals, but little is known about the role of TRAF3 in ducks. Here, we cloned and characterized the full-length duck TRAF3 (duTRAF3 gene and an alternatively spliced isoform of duTRAF3 (duTRAF3-S lacking the fragment encoding amino acids 217–319, from duck embryo fibroblasts (DEFs. We found that duTRAF3 and duTRAF3-S played different roles in regulating IFN-β production in DEFs. duTRAF3 through its TRAF domain interacted with duMAVS or duTRIF, leading to the production of IFN-β. However, duTRAF3-S, containing the TRAF domain, was unable to bind duMAVS or duTRIF due to the intramolecular binding between the N- and C-terminal of duTRAF3-S that blocked the function of its TRAF domain. Further analysis identified that duTRAF3-S competed with duTRAF3 itself for binding to duTRAF3, perturbing duTRAF3 self-association, which impaired the assembly of duTRAF3-duMAVS/duTRIF complex, ultimately resulted in a reduced production of IFN-β. These findings suggest that duTRAF3 is an important regulator of duck innate immune signaling and reveal a novel mechanism for the negative regulation of IFN-β production via changing the formation of the homo-oligomerization of wild molecules, implying a novel regulatory role of truncated proteins.

Dense Alternating Sign Matrices and Extensions

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Fiedler, Miroslav; Hall, F.J.; Stroev, M.

2014-01-01

Roč. 444, 1 March (2014), s. 219-226 ISSN 0024-3795 Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : alternating sign matrix * dense matrix * totally unimodular matrix * combined matrix * generalized complementary basic matrix Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.939, year: 2014

Model of key success factors for Business Intelligence implementation

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Peter Mesaros

2016-07-01

Full Text Available New progressive technologies recorded growth in every area. Information-communication technologies facilitate the exchange of information and it facilitates management of everyday activities in enterprises. Specific modules (such as Business Intelligence facilitate decision-making. Several studies have demonstrated the positive impact of Business Intelligence to decision-making. The first step is to put in place the enterprise. The implementation process is influenced by many factors. This article discusses the issue of key success factors affecting to successful implementation of Business Intelligence. The article describes the key success factors for successful implementation and use of Business Intelligence based on multiple studies. The main objective of this study is to verify the effects and dependence of selected factors and proposes a model of key success factors for successful implementation of Business Intelligence. Key success factors and the proposed model are studied in Slovak enterprises.

An alternative way of plotting the data and results of models of $J/\\psi$ suppression

CERN Document Server

Pisút, J

2003-01-01

We propose an alternative way of looking at data on anomalous J/ psi suppression. The proposed method is in principle equivalent to the one used by the NA50 Collaboration, but it permits to visualize separate contributions of individual processes responsible for the disintegration of J/ psi 's produced by a hard process in nuclear collisions. The method can be used provided that the time sequence of contributing mechanisms is known or assumed. It offers an alternative graphical presentation of the onset of anomalous J/ psi suppression in Pb-Pb interactions observed by the NA50 Collaboration at the CERN SPS and might contribute to explain why different mechanisms, such as J/ psi suppression by the quark-gluon plasma and by co-movers in the dual parton model or in Monte Carlo microscopic approaches, all lead to an approximate description of anomalous J/ psi suppression. (29 refs).

Perspectives in the use of tannins as alternative to antimicrobial growth promoter factors in poultry

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Leandro M Redondo

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Antibiotics have been included in the formulation of feed for livestock production for more than 40 years as a strategy to improve feed conversion rates and to reduce costs. The use of antimicrobials as growth-promoting factors (AGP in sub-therapeutic doses for long periods is particularly favorable to select antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms. In the last years, global concern about development of antimicrobial resistance and transference of resistance genes from animal to human strains has been arising. Removal of AGP from animal diets involves a tremendous pressure on the livestock and poultry farmers, one of the main consequences being a substantial increase in the incidence of infectious diseases with the related increase in the use of antibiotics for therapy and, concomitantly, economic cost. Therefore, alternatives to AGP are urgently needed. The challenge is to implement new alternatives without affecting the production performances of livestock and also avoiding the increase of antimicrobial resistant microorganisms. Plant extracts and purified derived substances are showing promising results for food animal production, either from their efficacy as well as from an economical point of view. Tannins are plant derived compounds that are being successfully used as additives in feed poultry to control diseases and to improve animal performance. Successful use of any of these extracts as feed additive must ensure a product of consistent quality in enough quantities to fulfill the actual requirements of the poultry industry. Chestnut (hydrolizable and Quebracho (condennsed tannins are probably the most readily available commercial products that are covering those needs. The present report intends to analyze the available data supporting their use.

Quantifying credit portfolio losses under multi-factor models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

G. Colldeforns-Papiol (Gemma); L. Ortiz Gracia (Luis); C.W. Oosterlee (Kees)

2018-01-01

textabstractIn this work, we investigate the challenging problem of estimating credit risk measures of portfolios with exposure concentration under the multi-factor Gaussian and multi-factor t-copula models. It is well-known that Monte Carlo (MC) methods are highly demanding from the computational

Capacitated set-covering model considering the distance objective and dependency of alternative facilities

Science.gov (United States)

Wayan Suletra, I.; Priyandari, Yusuf; Jauhari, Wakhid A.

2018-03-01

We propose a new model of facility location to solve a kind of problem that belong to a class of set-covering problem using an integer programming formulation. Our model contains a single objective function, but it represents two goals. The first is to minimize the number of facilities, and the other is to minimize the total distance of customers to facilities. The first goal is a mandatory goal, and the second is an improvement goal that is very useful when alternate optimum solutions for the first goal exist. We use a big number as a weight on the first goal to force the solution algorithm to give first priority to the first goal. Besides considering capacity constraints, our model accommodates a kind of either-or constraints representing facilities dependency. The either-or constraints will prevent the solution algorithm to select two or more facilities from the same set of facility with mutually exclusive properties. A real location selection problem to locate a set of wastewater treatment facility (IPAL) in Surakarta city, Indonesia, will describe the implementation of our model. A numerical example is given using the data of that real problem.

Predictors of complementary and alternative medicine use in chronic pain patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Ndao-Brumblay, S Khady; Green, Carmen R

2010-01-01

We used Andersen's behavioral model of healthcare utilization to assess the relationship between sociodemographic, physical and psychosocial factors, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use among chronic pain patients. Three practitioner-based alternative therapies were considered: acupuncture, biofeedback/relaxation training, and manipulation services. A retrospective analysis of self-reported clinical data with 5,750 black and white adults presenting for initial assessment between 1994 and 2000 at the University of Michigan Multidisciplinary Pain Center was performed. CAM therapies were used in high frequencies, with 34.7% users. Specifically 8.3% used acupuncture, 13.0% used biofeedback/relaxation, and 24.9% used manipulation techniques. Race and age were predisposing factors associated with CAM use. Blacks used less biofeedback/relaxation and manipulation services than whites. Aging was related to more acupuncture, but less biofeedback/relaxation use. Women marginally used more biofeedback/relaxation services than men, and education was positively associated with all three CAM use. Perceived pain control was a consistent enabling factor positively correlated with the use of all three CAM services. Among need factors, pain characteristics and physical health were positively associated with at least one of the modalities. Depressive symptoms were not related to CAM services use. This study identifies variable patterns of CAM usage based on sociodemographic and health factors in chronic pain patients. Overall, who uses CAM depends on the modality; however, education, pain severity, and pain duration are persistent correlates of CAM usage regardless of the therapy considered. We found that mental health, as measured by depressive symptoms, had no noticeable impact on CAM usage among chronic pain patients. The clinical, policy, and research implications of CAM use are discussed.

Factors accounting for youth suicide attempt in Hong Kong: a model building.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Gloria W Y; Leung, Patrick W L

2010-10-01

This study aimed at proposing and testing a conceptual model of youth suicide attempt. We proposed a model that began with family factors such as a history of physical abuse and parental divorce/separation. Family relationship, presence of psychopathology, life stressors, and suicide ideation were postulated as mediators, leading to youth suicide attempt. The stepwise entry of the risk factors to a logistic regression model defined their proximity as related to suicide attempt. Path analysis further refined our proposed model of youth suicide attempt. Our originally proposed model was largely confirmed. The main revision was dropping parental divorce/separation as a risk factor in the model due to lack of significant contribution when examined alongside with other risk factors. This model was cross-validated by gender. This study moved research on youth suicide from identification of individual risk factors to model building, integrating separate findings of the past studies.

Alternative approaches to electronic damage by ion-beam irradiation: Exciton models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agullo-Lopez, F.; Munoz-Martin, A.; Zucchiatti, A. [Centro de Micro-Analisis de Materiales, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid (Spain); Climent-Font, A. [Centro de Micro-Analisis de Materiales, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid (Spain); Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid (Spain)

2016-11-15

The paper briefly describes the main features of the damage produced by swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation. After a short revision of the widely used thermal spike concept, it focuses on cumulative mechanisms of track formation which are alternative to those based on lattice melting (thermal spike models). These cumulative mechanisms rely on the production of point defects around the ion trajectory, and their accumulation up to a final lattice collapse or amorphization. As to the formation of point defects, the paper considers those mechanisms relying on direct local conversion of the excitation energy into atomic displacements (exciton models). A particular attention is given to processes based on the non-radiative recombination of excitons that have become self-trapped as a consequence of a strong electron-phonon interaction (STEs). These mechanisms, although operative under purely ionizing radiation in some dielectric materials, have been rarely invoked, so far, to discuss SHI damage. They are discussed in this paper together with relevant examples to materials such as Cu{sub 3}N, alkali halides, SiO{sub 2}, and LiNbO{sub 3}. (copyright 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

First International Workshop on Human Factors in Modeling (HuFaMo 2015)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Störrle, Harald; Chaudron, Michel R. V.; Amaral, Vasco

2015-01-01

human factors in modeling. Our goal is to improve the state of the science and professionalism in empirical research in the Model Based Engineering community. Typical examples of research questions might consider the usability of a certain approach, such as a method or language, or the emotional states......Modeling is a human-intensive enterprise. As such, many research questions related to modeling can only be answered by empirical studies employing human factors. The International Workshop Series on Human Factors in Modeling (HuFaMo) is dedicated to the discussion of empirical research involving...... or personal judgements of modelers. While concerned with foundations and framework support for modeling, the community has been somehow neglecting the issue of human factors in this context. There is a growing need from the community concerned with quality factors to understand the best practices...

The conception of the alternative and the decision to divorce.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalb, M

1983-07-01

Despite soaring divorce rates and the effect of divorce on the individual, family, and society, professional scientific literature examining the factors governing the decision to divorce has been scant. The author suggests that the key variable affecting the decision to divorce can best be understood through an exploration of the individual's conception of the alternative. The factors that comprise the conception of the alternative are discussed and the problems inherent in its valid construction by the patient are examined. The therapeutic implementation of this conception is outlined.

Big bang nucleosynthesis: The standard model and alternatives

Science.gov (United States)

Schramm, David N.

1991-01-01

Big bang nucleosynthesis provides (with the microwave background radiation) one of the two quantitative experimental tests of the big bang cosmological model. This paper reviews the standard homogeneous-isotropic calculation and shows how it fits the light element abundances ranging from He-4 at 24% by mass through H-2 and He-3 at parts in 10(exp 5) down to Li-7 at parts in 10(exp 10). Furthermore, the recent large electron positron (LEP) (and the stanford linear collider (SLC)) results on the number of neutrinos are discussed as a positive laboratory test of the standard scenario. Discussion is presented on the improved observational data as well as the improved neutron lifetime data. Alternate scenarios of decaying matter or of quark-hadron induced inhomogeneities are discussed. It is shown that when these scenarios are made to fit the observed abundances accurately, the resulting conlusions on the baryonic density relative to the critical density, omega(sub b) remain approximately the same as in the standard homogeneous case, thus, adding to the robustness of the conclusion that omega(sub b) approximately equals 0.06. This latter point is the driving force behind the need for non-baryonic dark matter (assuming omega(sub total) = 1) and the need for dark baryonic matter, since omega(sub visible) is less than omega(sub b).

Some considerations in the evaluation of concrete as a structural material for alternative LLW disposal technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacKenzie, D.R.; Siskind, B.; Bowerman, B.S.; Piciulo, P.L.

1987-01-01

The objective of this study was to develop information needed to evaluate the long-term performance of concrete and reinforced concrete as a structural material for alternative LLW disposal methods. The capability to carry out such an evaluation is required for licensing a site which employs one of these alternative methods. The basis for achieving the study objective was the review and analysis of the literature on concrete and its properties, particularly its durability. In carrying out this program characteristics of concrete useful in evaluating its performance and factors that can affect its performance were identified. The factors are both intrinsic, i.e., associated with composition of the concrete (and thus controllable), and extrinsic, i.e., due to external environmental forces such as climatic conditions and aggressive chemicals in the soil. The testing of concrete, using both accelerated tests and long-term non-accelerated tests, is discussed with special reference to its application to modeling of long-term performance prediction. On the basis of the study's results, conditions for acceptance are recommended as an aid in the licensing of disposal sites which make use of alternative methods

The Pariser-Parr-Pople model for trans-polyenes. I. Ab initio and semiempirical study of the bond alternation in trans-butadiene

Science.gov (United States)

Förner, Wolfgang

1992-03-01

Ab initio investigations of the bond alternation in butadiene are presented. The atomic basis sets applied range from minimal to split valence plus polarization quality. With the latter one the Hartree-Fock limit for the bond alternation is reached. Correlation is considered on Møller-Plesset many-body perturbation theory of second order (MP2), linear coupled cluster doubles (L-CCD) and coupled cluster doubles (CCD) level. For the smaller basis sets it is shown that for the bond alternation π-π correlations are essential while the effects of σ-σ and σ-π correlations are, though large, nearly independent of bond alternation. On MP2 level the variation of σ-π correlation with bond alternation is surprisingly large. This is discussed as an artefact of MP2. Comparative Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) and Pariser-Parr-Pople (PPP) calculations show that these models in their usual parametrizations cannot reproduce the ab initio results.

The building of the kitchen table : In search of an alternative model for in-company leadership development programs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sigaloff, C.L.; Nabben, E.H. (Iselien); Bergsma, E.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide an alternative model of a leadership-development program. Design/methodology/approach: A leadership-development program based on a "closure-type description" instead of an "input-type description" (Varela) was designed and executed for an organization. The