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Sample records for ill-conditioned toeplitz matrices

  1. Iterative methods for symmetric ill-conditioned Toeplitz matrices

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    Huckle, T. [Institut fuer Informatik, Muenchen (Germany)

    1996-12-31

    We consider ill-conditioned symmetric positive definite, Toeplitz systems T{sub n}x = b. If we want to solve such a system iteratively with the conjugate gradient method, we can use band-Toeplitz-preconditioners or Sine-Transform-peconditioners M = S{sub n}{Lambda}S{sub n}, S{sub n} the Sine-Transform-matrix and {Lambda} a diagonal matrix. A Toeplitz matrix T{sub n} = (t{sub i-j)}{sub i}{sup n},{sub j=1} is often related to an underlying function f defined by the coefficients t{sub j}, j = -{infinity},..,-1,0, 1,.., {infinity}. There are four cases, for which we want to determine a preconditioner M: - T{sub n} is related to an underlying function which is given explicitly; - T{sub n} is related to an underlying function that is given by its Fourier coefficients; - T{sub n} is related to an underlying function that is unknown; - T{sub n} is not related to an underlying function. Especially for the first three cases we show how positive definite and effective preconditioners based on the Sine-Transform can be defined for general nonnegative underlying function f. To define M, we evaluate or estimate the values of f at certain positions, and build a Sine-transform matrix with these values as eigenvalues. Then, the spectrum of the preconditioned system is bounded from above and away from zero.

  2. Procrustes Problems for General, Triangular, and Symmetric Toeplitz Matrices

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    Juan Yang

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The Toeplitz Procrustes problems are the least squares problems for the matrix equation AX=B over some Toeplitz matrix sets. In this paper the necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained about the existence and uniqueness for the solutions of the Toeplitz Procrustes problems when the unknown matrices are constrained to the general, the triangular, and the symmetric Toeplitz matrices, respectively. The algorithms are designed and the numerical examples show that these algorithms are feasible.

  3. Asymptotics of eigenvalues and eigenvectors of Toeplitz matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Böttcher, A.; Bogoya, J. M.; Grudsky, S. M.; Maximenko, E. A.

    2017-11-01

    Analysis of the asymptotic behaviour of the spectral characteristics of Toeplitz matrices as the dimension of the matrix tends to infinity has a history of over 100 years. For instance, quite a number of versions of Szegő's theorem on the asymptotic behaviour of eigenvalues and of the so-called strong Szegő theorem on the asymptotic behaviour of the determinants of Toeplitz matrices are known. Starting in the 1950s, the asymptotics of the maximum and minimum eigenvalues were actively investigated. However, investigation of the individual asymptotics of all the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of Toeplitz matrices started only quite recently: the first papers on this subject were published in 2009-2010. A survey of this new field is presented here. Bibliography: 55 titles.

  4. On some Toeplitz matrices and their inversions

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    S. Dutta

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available In this article, using the difference operator B(a[m], we introduce a lower triangular Toeplitz matrix T which includes several difference matrices such as Δ(1,Δ(m,B(r,s,B(r,s,t, and B(r̃,s̃,t̃,ũ in different special cases. For any x ∈ w and m∈N0={0,1,2,…}, the difference operator B(a[m] is defined by (B(a[m]xk=ak(0xk+ak-1(1xk-1+ak-2(2xk-2+⋯+ak-m(mxk-m,(k∈N0 where a[m] = {a(0, a(1, …, a(m} and a(i = (ak(i for 0 ⩽ i ⩽ m are convergent sequences of real numbers. We use the convention that any term with negative subscript is equal to zero. The main results of this article relate to the determination and applications of the inverse of the Toeplitz matrix T.

  5. TOEPLITZ, Solution of Linear Equation System with Toeplitz or Circulant Matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garbow, B.

    1984-01-01

    Description of program or function: TOEPLITZ is a collection of FORTRAN subroutines for solving linear systems Ax=b, where A is a Toeplitz matrix, a Circulant matrix, or has one or several block structures based on Toeplitz or Circulant matrices. Such systems arise in problems of electrodynamics, acoustics, mathematical statistics, algebra, in the numerical solution of integral equations with a difference kernel, and in the theory of stationary time series and signals

  6. A fast, preconditioned conjugate gradient Toeplitz solver

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Victor; Schrieber, Robert

    1989-01-01

    A simple factorization is given of an arbitrary hermitian, positive definite matrix in which the factors are well-conditioned, hermitian, and positive definite. In fact, given knowledge of the extreme eigenvalues of the original matrix A, an optimal improvement can be achieved, making the condition numbers of each of the two factors equal to the square root of the condition number of A. This technique is to applied to the solution of hermitian, positive definite Toeplitz systems. Large linear systems with hermitian, positive definite Toeplitz matrices arise in some signal processing applications. A stable fast algorithm is given for solving these systems that is based on the preconditioned conjugate gradient method. The algorithm exploits Toeplitz structure to reduce the cost of an iteration to O(n log n) by applying the fast Fourier Transform to compute matrix-vector products. Matrix factorization is used as a preconditioner.

  7. On the Worst-Case Convergence of MR and CG for Symmetric Positive Definite Tridiagonal Toeplitz Matrices

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Liesen, J.; Tichý, Petr

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 20, - (2005), s. 180-197 ISSN 1068-9613 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) KJB1030306 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : Krylov subspace methods * conjugate gradient method * minimal residual method * convergence analysis * tridiagonal Toeplitz matrices * Poisson equation Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.608, year: 2005 http://etna.mcs.kent.edu/volumes/2001-2010/vol20/abstract.php?vol=20&pages=180-197

  8. Asymptotics of the Perron-Frobenius eigenvalue of nonnegative Hessenberg-Toeplitz matrices

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janssen, A.J.E.M.

    1989-01-01

    Asymptotic results for the Perron-Frobenius eigenvalue of a nonnegative Hessenberg-Toeplitz matrix as the dimension of the matrix tends to 8 are given. The results are used and interpreted in terms of source entropies in the case where the Hessenberg-Toeplitz matrix arises as the transition matrix

  9. Exact solution of corner-modified banded block-Toeplitz eigensystems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cobanera, Emilio; Alase, Abhijeet; Viola, Lorenza; Ortiz, Gerardo

    2017-01-01

    Motivated by the challenge of seeking a rigorous foundation for the bulk-boundary correspondence for free fermions, we introduce an algorithm for determining exactly the spectrum and a generalized-eigenvector basis of a class of banded block quasi-Toeplitz matrices that we call corner-modified . Corner modifications of otherwise arbitrary banded block-Toeplitz matrices capture the effect of boundary conditions and the associated breakdown of translational invariance. Our algorithm leverages the interplay between a non-standard, projector-based method of kernel determination (physically, a bulk-boundary separation) and families of linear representations of the algebra of matrix Laurent polynomials. Thanks to the fact that these representations act on infinite-dimensional carrier spaces in which translation symmetry is restored, it becomes possible to determine the eigensystem of an auxiliary projected block-Laurent matrix. This results in an analytic eigenvector Ansatz , independent of the system size, which we prove is guaranteed to contain the full solution of the original finite-dimensional problem. The actual solution is then obtained by imposing compatibility with a boundary matrix , whose shape is also independent of system size. As an application, we show analytically that eigenvectors of short-ranged fermionic tight-binding models may display power-law corrections to exponential behavior, and demonstrate the phenomenon for the paradigmatic Majorana chain of Kitaev. (paper)

  10. Polynomial sequences generated by infinite Hessenberg matrices

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    Verde-Star Luis

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We show that an infinite lower Hessenberg matrix generates polynomial sequences that correspond to the rows of infinite lower triangular invertible matrices. Orthogonal polynomial sequences are obtained when the Hessenberg matrix is tridiagonal. We study properties of the polynomial sequences and their corresponding matrices which are related to recurrence relations, companion matrices, matrix similarity, construction algorithms, and generating functions. When the Hessenberg matrix is also Toeplitz the polynomial sequences turn out to be of interpolatory type and we obtain additional results. For example, we show that every nonderogative finite square matrix is similar to a unique Toeplitz-Hessenberg matrix.

  11. More on Estimation of Banded and Banded Toeplitz Covariance Matrices

    OpenAIRE

    Berntsson, Fredrik; Ohlson, Martin

    2017-01-01

    In this paper we consider two different linear covariance structures, e.g., banded and bended Toeplitz, and how to estimate them using different methods, e.g., by minimizing different norms. One way to estimate the parameters in a linear covariance structure is to use tapering, which has been shown to be the solution to a universal least squares problem. We know that tapering not always guarantee the positive definite constraints on the estimated covariance matrix and may not be a suitable me...

  12. Algebraic Properties of Toeplitz Operators on the Polydisk

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    Bo Zhang

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available We discuss some algebraic properties of Toeplitz operators on the Bergman space of the polydisk Dn. Firstly, we introduce Toeplitz operators with quasihomogeneous symbols and property (P. Secondly, we study commutativity of certain quasihomogeneous Toeplitz operators and commutators of diagonal Toeplitz operators. Thirdly, we discuss finite rank semicommutators and commutators of Toeplitz operators with quasihomogeneous symbols. Finally, we solve the finite rank product problem for Toeplitz operators on the polydisk.

  13. Block Toeplitz operators with frequency-modulated semi-almost periodic symbols

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    A. Böttcher

    2003-01-01

    conditions on an orientation-preserving homeomorphism α of the real line that ensure the following: if b belongs to a certain class of oscillating matrix functions (periodic, almost periodic, or semi-almost periodic matrix functions and the Toeplitz operator generated by the matrix function b(x is semi-Fredholm, then the Toeplitz operator with the matrix symbol b(α(x is also semi-Fredholm.

  14. Conditions for bound states in a periodic linear chain, and the spectra of a class of Toeplitz operators in terms of polylogarithm functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prunele, E de

    2003-01-01

    Conditions for bound states for a periodic linear chain are given within the framework of an exactly solvable non-relativistic quantum-mechanical model in three-dimensional space. These conditions express the strength parameter in terms of the distance between two consecutive centres of the chain, and of the range interaction parameter. This expression can be formulated in terms of polylogarithm functions, and, in some particular cases, in terms of the Riemann zeta function. An interesting mathematical result is that these expressions also correspond to the spectra of Toeplitz complex symmetric operators. The non-trivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function are interpreted as multiple points, at the origin, of the spectra of these Toeplitz operators

  15. Affine coherent states and Toeplitz operators

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    Hutníková, Mária; Hutník, Ondrej

    2012-06-01

    We study a parameterized family of Toeplitz operators in the context of affine coherent states based on the Calderón reproducing formula (= resolution of unity on L_2( {R})) and the specific admissible wavelets (= affine coherent states in L_2( {R})) related to Laguerre functions. Symbols of such Calderón-Toeplitz operators as individual coordinates of the affine group (= upper half-plane with the hyperbolic geometry) are considered. In this case, a certain class of pseudo-differential operators, their properties and their operator algebras are investigated. As a result of this study, the Fredholm symbol algebras of the Calderón-Toeplitz operator algebras for these particular cases of symbols are described. This article is part of a special issue of Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical devoted to ‘Coherent states: mathematical and physical aspects’.

  16. KMS states on Nica-Toeplitz algebras of product systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hong, Jeong Hee; Larsen, Nadia S.; Szymanski, Wojciech

    2012-01-01

    We investigate KMS states of Fowler's Nica-Toeplitz algebra NT(X) associated to a compactly aligned product system X over a semigroup P of Hilbert bimodules. This analysis relies on restrictions of these states to the core algebra which satisfy appropriate scaling conditions. The concept of product...... system of finite type is introduced. If (G, P) is a lattice ordered group and X is a product system of finite type over P satisfying certain coherence properties, we construct KMS_beta states of NT(X) associated to a scalar dynamics from traces on the coefficient algebra of the product system. Our...... results were motivated by, and generalize some of the results of Laca and Raeburn obtained for the Toeplitz algebra of the affine semigroup over the natural numbers....

  17. An Improved Direction Finding Algorithm Based on Toeplitz Approximation

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    Qing Wang

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a novel direction of arrival (DOA estimation algorithm called the Toeplitz fourth order cumulants multiple signal classification method (TFOC-MUSIC algorithm is proposed through combining a fast MUSIC-like algorithm termed the modified fourth order cumulants MUSIC (MFOC-MUSIC algorithm and Toeplitz approximation. In the proposed algorithm, the redundant information in the cumulants is removed. Besides, the computational complexity is reduced due to the decreased dimension of the fourth-order cumulants matrix, which is equal to the number of the virtual array elements. That is, the effective array aperture of a physical array remains unchanged. However, due to finite sampling snapshots, there exists an estimation error of the reduced-rank FOC matrix and thus the capacity of DOA estimation degrades. In order to improve the estimation performance, Toeplitz approximation is introduced to recover the Toeplitz structure of the reduced-dimension FOC matrix just like the ideal one which has the Toeplitz structure possessing optimal estimated results. The theoretical formulas of the proposed algorithm are derived, and the simulations results are presented. From the simulations, in comparison with the MFOC-MUSIC algorithm, it is concluded that the TFOC-MUSIC algorithm yields an excellent performance in both spatially-white noise and in spatially-color noise environments.

  18. Algebraic Properties of Quasihomogeneous and Separately Quasihomogeneous Toeplitz Operators on the Pluriharmonic Bergman Space

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    Hongyan Guan

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We study some algebraic properties of Toeplitz operator with quasihomogeneous or separately quasihomogeneous symbol on the pluriharmonic Bergman space of the unit ball in ℂn. We determine when the product of two Toeplitz operators with certain separately quasi-homogeneous symbols is a Toeplitz operator. Next, we discuss the zero-product problem for several Toeplitz operators, one of whose symbols is separately quasihomogeneous and the others are quasi-homogeneous functions, and show that the zero-product problem for two Toeplitz operators has only a trivial solution if one of the symbols is separately quasihomogeneous and the other is arbitrary. Finally, we also characterize the commutativity of certain quasihomogeneous or separately quasihomogeneous Toeplitz operators.

  19. Berezin-Toeplitz Quantization for Compact Kähler Manifolds. A Review of Results

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    Martin Schlichenmaier

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available This article is a review on Berezin-Toeplitz operator and Berezin-Toeplitz deformation quantization for compact quantizable Kähler manifolds. The basic objects, concepts, and results are given. This concerns the correct semiclassical limit behaviour of the operator quantization, the unique Berezin-Toeplitz deformation quantization (star product, covariant and contravariant Berezin symbols, and Berezin transform. Other related objects and constructions are also discussed.

  20. Generalized Toeplitz operators and cyclic vectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gassier, G.; Mahzouli, H.; Zerouali, E.H.

    2003-04-01

    We give in this paper some asymptotic Von Neumann inequalities for power bounded operators in the class C ρ intersection C 1 . and some spacial von Neumann inequalities associated with non zero elements of the point spectrum, when it is non void, of generalized Toeplitz operators. Introducing perturbed kernel, we consider classes C R which extend the classical classes C ρ . We give results about absolute continuity with respect to the Haar measure for operators in class C R intersection C 1 . This allows us to give new results on cyclic vectors for such operators and provides invariant subspaces for their powers. Relationships between cyclic vectors for T and T* involving generalized Toeplitz operators are given and the commutativity of {T}', the commutant of T is discussed. (author)

  1. Newton`s iteration for inversion of Cauchy-like and other structured matrices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pan, V.Y. [Lehman College, Bronx, NY (United States); Zheng, Ailong; Huang, Xiaohan; Dias, O. [CUNY, New York, NY (United States)

    1996-12-31

    We specify some initial assumptions that guarantee rapid refinement of a rough initial approximation to the inverse of a Cauchy-like matrix, by mean of our new modification of Newton`s iteration, where the input, output, and all the auxiliary matrices are represented with their short generators defined by the associated scaling operators. The computations are performed fast since they are confined to operations with short generators of the given and computed matrices. Because of the known correlations among various structured matrices, the algorithm is immediately extended to rapid refinement of rough initial approximations to the inverses of Vandermonde-like, Chebyshev-Vandermonde-like and Toeplitz-like matrices, where again, the computations are confined to operations with short generators of the involved matrices.

  2. Toeplitz Operators, Pseudo-Homogeneous Symbols, and Moment Maps on the Complex Projective Space

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    Miguel Antonio Morales-Ramos

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Following previous works for the unit ball due to Nikolai Vasilevski, we define quasi-radial pseudo-homogeneous symbols on the projective space and obtain the corresponding commutativity results for Toeplitz operators. A geometric interpretation of these symbols in terms of moment maps is developed. This leads us to the introduction of a new family of symbols, extended pseudo-homogeneous, that provide larger commutative Banach algebras generated by Toeplitz operators. This family of symbols provides new commutative Banach algebras generated by Toeplitz operators on the unit ball.

  3. Analytic continuation of Toeplitz operators

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Bommier-Hato, H.; Engliš, Miroslav; Youssfi, E.-H.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 25, č. 4 (2015), s. 2323-2359 ISSN 1050-6926 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) MEB021108 Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : Toeplitz operator * Bergman space * strictly pseudoconvex domain Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.109, year: 2015 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12220-014-9515-0

  4. Conjugate gradient heat bath for ill-conditioned actions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ceriotti, Michele; Bussi, Giovanni; Parrinello, Michele

    2007-08-01

    We present a method for performing sampling from a Boltzmann distribution of an ill-conditioned quadratic action. This method is based on heat-bath thermalization along a set of conjugate directions, generated via a conjugate-gradient procedure. The resulting scheme outperforms local updates for matrices with very high condition number, since it avoids the slowing down of modes with lower eigenvalue, and has some advantages over the global heat-bath approach, compared to which it is more stable and allows for more freedom in devising case-specific optimizations.

  5. An efficient, block-by-block algorithm for inverting a block tridiagonal, nearly block Toeplitz matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reuter, Matthew G; Hill, Judith C

    2012-01-01

    We present an algorithm for computing any block of the inverse of a block tridiagonal, nearly block Toeplitz matrix (defined as a block tridiagonal matrix with a small number of deviations from the purely block Toeplitz structure). By exploiting both the block tridiagonal and the nearly block Toeplitz structures, this method scales independently of the total number of blocks in the matrix and linearly with the number of deviations. Numerical studies demonstrate this scaling and the advantages of our method over alternatives.

  6. Generalized locally Toeplitz sequences theory and applications

    CERN Document Server

    Garoni, Carlo

    2017-01-01

    Based on their research experience, the authors propose a reference textbook in two volumes on the theory of generalized locally Toeplitz sequences and their applications. This first volume focuses on the univariate version of the theory and the related applications in the unidimensional setting, while the second volume, which addresses the multivariate case, is mainly devoted to concrete PDE applications. This book systematically develops the theory of generalized locally Toeplitz (GLT) sequences and presents some of its main applications, with a particular focus on the numerical discretization of differential equations (DEs). It is the first book to address the relatively new field of GLT sequences, which occur in numerous scientific applications and are especially dominant in the context of DE discretizations. Written for applied mathematicians, engineers, physicists, and scientists who (perhaps unknowingly) encounter GLT sequences in their research, it is also of interest to those working in the fields of...

  7. A new kind of Hankel-Toeplitz type operator

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Engliš, Miroslav; Hille, S. C.; Peetre, J.; Rosengren, H.; Zhang, G.

    2000-01-01

    Roč. 6, č. 1 (2000), s. 49-80 ISSN 1319-5166 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1019905 Keywords : Hankel-Toeplitz type%Schatten von Neumann classes membership Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics

  8. Toeplitz operators on higher Cauchy-Riemann spaces

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Engliš, Miroslav; Zhang, G.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 22, č. 22 (2017), s. 1081-1116 ISSN 1431-0643 Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : Toeplitz operator * Hankel operator * Cauchy-Riemann operators Subject RIV: BA - General Math ematics OBOR OECD: Pure math ematics Impact factor: 0.800, year: 2016 https://www. math .uni-bielefeld.de/documenta/vol-22/32.html

  9. Otto Toeplitz Memorial Conference

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ball, J.A.

    1981-01-01

    A conference in operator theory and its applications commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of the distinguished German mathematician Otto Toeplitz, organized by the University of Tel Aviv together with German Mathematical Society, took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, from May 11th to 15th, 1981. I give here a broad very subjective overview of the proceedings of the conference for the benefit of readers of TTSP; for those interested in further details, a forthcoming volume in the Birkhaeuser series Operator Theory: Advances and Applications will consist of expanded written versions of most of the talks given at the conference

  10. Super Toeplitz operators and non-perturbative deformation quantization of supermanifolds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Borthwick, D.; Lesniewski, A.; Rinaldi, M. (Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States). Lyman Lab. of Physics); Klimek, S. (IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN (United States). Dept. of Mathematics)

    1993-04-01

    The purpose of this paper is to construct non-perturbative deformation quantizations of the algebras of smooth functions on Poisson supermanifolds. For the examples U[sup 1vertical] [sup stroke1] and C[sup mvertical] [sup stroken], algebras of super Toeplitz operators are defined with respect to certain Hilbert spaces of superholomorphic functions. Generators and relations for these algebras are given. The algebras can be thought of as algebras of 'quantized functions', and deformation conditions are proven which demonstrate the recovery of the super Piosson structures in a semi-classical limit. (orig.).

  11. Berezin and Berezin-Toeplitz quantizations for general function spaces

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Engliš, Miroslav

    2006-01-01

    Roč. 19, č. 2 (2006), s. 385-430 ISSN 1139-1138 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA1019301 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10190503 Keywords : Berezin quantization * Berezin-Toeplitz quantization * star product Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics

  12. A Parallel Prefix Algorithm for Almost Toeplitz Tridiagonal Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Xian-He; Joslin, Ronald D.

    1995-01-01

    A compact scheme is a discretization scheme that is advantageous in obtaining highly accurate solutions. However, the resulting systems from compact schemes are tridiagonal systems that are difficult to solve efficiently on parallel computers. Considering the almost symmetric Toeplitz structure, a parallel algorithm, simple parallel prefix (SPP), is proposed. The SPP algorithm requires less memory than the conventional LU decomposition and is efficient on parallel machines. It consists of a prefix communication pattern and AXPY operations. Both the computation and the communication can be truncated without degrading the accuracy when the system is diagonally dominant. A formal accuracy study has been conducted to provide a simple truncation formula. Experimental results have been measured on a MasPar MP-1 SIMD machine and on a Cray 2 vector machine. Experimental results show that the simple parallel prefix algorithm is a good algorithm for symmetric, almost symmetric Toeplitz tridiagonal systems and for the compact scheme on high-performance computers.

  13. Toeplitz quantization and asymptotic expansions : Peter Weyl decomposition

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Engliš, Miroslav; Upmeier, H.

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 68, č. 3 (2010), s. 427-449 ISSN 0378-620X R&D Projects: GA ČR GA201/09/0473 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10190503 Keywords : bounded symmetric domain * real symmetric domain * star product * Toeplitz operator * Peter-Weyl decomposition Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.521, year: 2010 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00020-010-1808-5

  14. Noncommutative coherent states and related aspects of Berezin-Toeplitz quantization

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Chowdhury, S. H. H.; Ali, S. T.; Engliš, Miroslav

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 50, č. 19 (2017), č. článku 195203. ISSN 1751-8113 Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : Berezin-Toeplitz quantization Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics OBOR OECD: Pure mathematics Impact factor: 1.857, year: 2016 http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1751-8121/aa66a6/meta

  15. On commutators and semicommutators of Toeplitz operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berkani, M.

    1994-04-01

    Let φ and ψ be two essentially bounded functions on the unit circle T. This paper is devoted to the study of the semicommutator T φψ -T φ T ψ of the Toeplitz operators T φ and T ψ . We prove that if φ is inner and P+(ψφ-bar) is an element of B 1/p p then the semicommutator T φψ -T φ T ψ is in the Schatten-Von-Neumann class σ p , p>0. Here B 1/p p denote the Besov class, P + is the orthogonal projection from L 2 onto the Hardy space H 2 . Moreover if φ is also continuous, then T φψ -T φ T ψ is of finite rank. An example based on the Hardy-Littelwood series shows that the result fails if we suppose φ only continuous. We also give some sufficient conditions on the Fourier coefficients of the symbols φ and ψ which implies that the commutator [T φ ,T ψ ] belongs to σ p , p>0. (author). 14 refs

  16. On commutators and semicommutators of Toeplitz operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berkani, M.

    1996-08-01

    Let φ and ψ be two essentially bounded functions on the unit circle T. This paper is devoted to the study of the semicommutator T φψ - T φ T ψ of the Toeplitz operators T φ and T ψ . We prove that if φ is inner and P + (ψφ-bar) is an element of B 1/p p then the semicommutator T φψ - T φ T ψ is in the Schatten-Von-Neumann class σ p , p > 0. Here B 1/p p denote the Besov class, P + is the orthogonal projection from L 2 onto the Hardy space H 2 . Moreover if φ is also continuous, then T φψ - T φ T ψ is of finite rank. An example based on the Hardy-Littlewood series shows that the result fails if we suppose φ only continuous. We also give some sufficient conditions on the Fourier coefficients of the symbols φ and ψ which implies that the commutator [T φ , T ψ ] belongs to σ p , p > 0. (author). 14 refs

  17. Universal parity effects in the entanglement entropy of XX chains with open boundary conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fagotti, Maurizio; Calabrese, Pasquale

    2011-01-01

    We consider the Rényi entanglement entropies in the one-dimensional XX spin-chains with open boundary conditions in the presence of a magnetic field. In the case of a semi-infinite system and a block starting from the boundary, we derive rigorously the asymptotic behavior for large block sizes on the basis of a recent mathematical theorem for the determinant of Toeplitz plus Hankel matrices. We conjecture a generalized Fisher–Hartwig form for the corrections to the asymptotic behavior of this determinant that allows the exact characterization of the corrections to the scaling at order o(l -1 ) for any n. By combining these results with conformal field theory arguments, we derive exact expressions also in finite chains with open boundary conditions and in the case when the block is detached from the boundary

  18. Toeplitz quantization of Kaehler manifolds and gl(N), N [yields] [infinity] limits

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bordemann, M. (Dept. of Physics, Univ. of Freiburg (Germany)); Meinrenken, E. (Dept. of Mathematics, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA (United States)); Schlichenmaier, M. (Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science, Univ. of Mannheim (Germany))

    1994-10-01

    For general compact Kaehler manifolds it is shown that both Toeplitz quantization and geometric quantization lead to a well-defined (by operator norm estimates) classical limit. This generalizes earlier results of the authors and Klimek and Lesniewski obtained for the torus and higher genus Riemann surfaces, respectively. We thereby arrive at an approximation of the Poisson algebra by a sequence of finite-dimensional matrix algebras gl(N), N [yields] [infinity]. (orig.)

  19. Evaluation of the technical feasibility of new conditioning matrices for long-lived radionuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deschanels, X.

    2004-01-01

    Several matrices have been selected for the conditioning of long-lived radioactive wastes: a compound made of a iodo-apatite core coated with a densified matrice of vanadium-phosphorus-lead apatite for iodine; the hollandite ceramic for cesium; the britholite, zirconolite, thorium phosphate diphosphate, and the monazite-brabantite solid solution for minor actinides; and a Nb-based metal alloy and phosphate or titanate-type ceramics for technetium. This report presents the results of the researches carried out between 2002-2004 during the technical feasibility step. The main points described are: - the behaviour of matrices under irradiation. These studies were performed thanks to an approach combining the characterization of natural analogues, the doping of matrices with short-lived radionuclides and the use of external irradiations; - the behaviour of these matrices with respect to water alteration; - the sensibility of these structures with respect to the incorporation of chemical impurities; - a package-process approach including the optimization of the process and preliminary studies about the package concept retained. These studies show that important work remains to be done to develop conditioning matrices suitable for iodine and technetium, while for cesium and minor actinides, the first steps of the technical feasibility are made. However, it remains impossible today to determine the structure having the best global behaviour. (J.S.)

  20. Toeplitz and Hankel operators and Dixmier trances on the unit ball of C-n

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Engliš, Miroslav; Guo, K.; Zhang, G.

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 137, č. 11 (2009), s. 3669-3678 ISSN 0002-9939 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA201/06/0128 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10190503 Keywords : Schatten-von Neumann classes * Macaev classes * trace * Dixmier trace * Toeplitz operators * Hankel operators Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.640, year: 2009

  1. Toeplitz and Hankel operators and Dixmier trances on the unit ball of C-n

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Engliš, Miroslav; Guo, K.; Zhang, G.

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 137, č. 11 (2009), s. 3669-3678 ISSN 0002-9939 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA201/06/0128 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10190503 Keywords : Schatten- von Neumann classes * Macaev classes * trace * Dixmier trace * Toeplitz operators * Hankel operators Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.640, year: 2009

  2. Block circulant and block Toeplitz approximants of a class of spatially distributed systems-An LQR perspective

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Iftime, Orest V.

    2012-01-01

    In this paper block circulant and block Toeplitz long strings of MIMO systems with finite length are compared with their corresponding infinite-dimensional spatially invariant systems. The focus is on the convergence of the sequence of solutions to the control Riccati equations and the convergence

  3. Identification of necessary and sufficient conditions for real non-negativeness of rational matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saeed, K.

    1982-12-01

    The necessary and sufficient conditions for real non-negativeness of rational matrices have been identified. A programmable algorithm is developed and is given with its computer flow chart. This algorithm can be used as a general solution to test the real non-negativeness of rational matrices. The computer program assures the feasibility of the suggested algorithm. (author)

  4. Asymptotics of Toeplitz determinants and the emptiness formation probability for the XY spin chain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Franchini, Fabio; Abanov, Alexander G

    2005-01-01

    We study an asymptotic behaviour of a special correlator known as the emptiness formation probability (EFP) for the one-dimensional anisotropic XY spin-1/2 chain in a transverse magnetic field. This correlator is essentially the probability of formation of a ferromagnetic string of length n in the antiferromagnetic ground state of the chain and plays an important role in the theory of integrable models. For the XY spin chain, the correlator can be expressed as the determinant of a Toeplitz matrix and its asymptotical behaviours for n → ∞ throughout the phase diagram are obtained using known theorems and conjectures on Toeplitz determinants. We find that the decay is exponential everywhere in the phase diagram of the XY model except on the critical lines, i.e. where the spectrum is gapless. In these cases, a power-law prefactor with a universal exponent arises in addition to an exponential or Gaussian decay. The latter Gaussian behaviour holds on the critical line corresponding to the isotropic XY model, while at the critical value of the magnetic field the EFP decays exponentially. At small anisotropy one has a crossover from the Gaussian to the exponential behaviour. We study this crossover using the bosonization approach

  5. Report on the scientific feasibility of new matrices for the conditioning of long lived radionuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-01-01

    New specific matrices for the conditioning of long lived radionuclides (I, Cs, Tc, minor actinides) have been developed. This report presents the conditions of their synthesis by sintering or melting and the quantifying of their crystallographic, physical and thermal properties. A 7% mass insertion of iodine can be reached with a phosphorus-vanadium-lead iodo-apatite. A 5% mass insertion of cesium is reached with the hollandite-type crystal structure (barium aluminate-titanate). An insertion level of at least 10% mass of rare earth oxides (simulating the presence of actinides) is reached for britholite, zirconolite, thorium phosphate, monazite, and zirconolite glass/ceramic materials. The chemical durability has been also determined. Enhanced aqueous corrosion resistance, 100 times better than for the glasses used today, are obtained for iodo-apatite (I), hollandite (Cs), britholite (actinides 3+/4+), thorium phosphate (actinides 4+) and monazite (3+/4+). The first elements of stability with respect to irradiation are reported for the minor actinide conditioning matrices. External post-irradiation examinations by heavy ion bombardment coupled to atomistic modeling have been performed. The characterization of self-irradiated natural analogues of britholite, zirconolite and monazite with more than 10 20 α/g disintegrations confirms the very long time stability of these mineral structures (>10 8 years). On the basis of the obtained results, it appears that the iodo-apatite, britholite, zirconolite, and thorium phosphate conditioning matrices have reached the stage of scientifical feasibility. The monazite matrice is on the way to reach the feasibility too. Other specific matrices for technetium (metal alloys) and cesium (hollandite) are also under development, but their long-term properties remain to be determined. (J.S.)

  6. Selection of appropriate conditioning matrices for the safe disposal of radioactive waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vance, E.R.

    2002-01-01

    The selection of appropriate solid conditioning matrices or wasteforms for the safe disposal of radioactive waste is dictated by many factors. The overriding issue is that the matrix incorporating the radionuclides, together with a set of engineered barriers in a near-surface or deep geological repository, should prevent significant groundwater transport of radionuclides to the biosphere. For high-level waste (HLW) from nuclear fuel reprocessing, the favored matrices are glasses, ceramics and glass-ceramics. Borosilicate glasses are presently being used in some countries, but there are strong scientific arguments why ceramics based on assemblages of natural minerals are advantageous for HLW. Much research has been carried out in the last 40 years around the world, and different matrices are more suitable than others for a given waste composition. However a major stumbling block for HLW immobilisation is the mall number of approved geological repositories for such matrices. The most appropriate matrices for Intermediate and low-level wastes are contentious and the selection criteria are not very well defined. The candidate matrices for these latter wastes are cements, bitumen, geopolymers, glasses, glass-ceramics and ceramics. After discussing the pros and cons of various candidate matrices for given kinds of radioactive wastes, the SYNROC research program at ANSTO will be briefly surveyed. Some of the potential applications of this work using a variety of SYNROC derivatives will be given. Finally the basic research program at ANSTO on radioactive waste immobilisation will be summarised. This comprises mainly work on solid state chemistry to understand ionic valences and co-ordinations for the chemical design of wasteforms, aqueous durability to study the pH and temperature dependence of solid-water reactions, radiation damage effects on structure and solid-water reactions. (Author)

  7. On reflectionless equi-transmitting matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavel Kurasov

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Reflectionless equi-transmitting unitary matrices are studied in connection to matching conditions in quantum graphs. All possible such matrices of size 6 are described explicitly. It is shown that such matrices form 30 six-parameter families intersected along 12 five-parameter families closely connected to conference matrices.

  8. A fast direct method for block triangular Toeplitz-like with tri-diagonal block systems from time-fractional partial differential equations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ke, Rihuan; Ng, Michael K.; Sun, Hai-Wei

    2015-12-01

    In this paper, we study the block lower triangular Toeplitz-like with tri-diagonal blocks system which arises from the time-fractional partial differential equation. Existing fast numerical solver (e.g., fast approximate inversion method) cannot handle such linear system as the main diagonal blocks are different. The main contribution of this paper is to propose a fast direct method for solving this linear system, and to illustrate that the proposed method is much faster than the classical block forward substitution method for solving this linear system. Our idea is based on the divide-and-conquer strategy and together with the fast Fourier transforms for calculating Toeplitz matrix-vector multiplication. The complexity needs O (MNlog2 ⁡ M) arithmetic operations, where M is the number of blocks (the number of time steps) in the system and N is the size (number of spatial grid points) of each block. Numerical examples from the finite difference discretization of time-fractional partial differential equations are also given to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method.

  9. Report on the scientific feasibility of new matrices for the conditioning of long lived radionuclides; Rapport sur la faisabilite scientifique des matrices nouvelles de conditionnement des radionucleides a vie longue

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-07-01

    New specific matrices for the conditioning of long lived radionuclides (I, Cs, Tc, minor actinides) have been developed. This report presents the conditions of their synthesis by sintering or melting and the quantifying of their crystallographic, physical and thermal properties. A 7% mass insertion of iodine can be reached with a phosphorus-vanadium-lead iodo-apatite. A 5% mass insertion of cesium is reached with the hollandite-type crystal structure (barium aluminate-titanate). An insertion level of at least 10% mass of rare earth oxides (simulating the presence of actinides) is reached for britholite, zirconolite, thorium phosphate, monazite, and zirconolite glass/ceramic materials. The chemical durability has been also determined. Enhanced aqueous corrosion resistance, 100 times better than for the glasses used today, are obtained for iodo-apatite (I), hollandite (Cs), britholite (actinides 3+/4+), thorium phosphate (actinides 4+) and monazite (3+/4+). The first elements of stability with respect to irradiation are reported for the minor actinide conditioning matrices. External post-irradiation examinations by heavy ion bombardment coupled to atomistic modeling have been performed. The characterization of self-irradiated natural analogues of britholite, zirconolite and monazite with more than 10{sup 20} {alpha}/g disintegrations confirms the very long time stability of these mineral structures (>10{sup 8} years). On the basis of the obtained results, it appears that the iodo-apatite, britholite, zirconolite, and thorium phosphate conditioning matrices have reached the stage of scientifical feasibility. The monazite matrice is on the way to reach the feasibility too. Other specific matrices for technetium (metal alloys) and cesium (hollandite) are also under development, but their long-term properties remain to be determined. (J.S.)

  10. Orthogonal systems and convolution operators

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Ellis, Robert; Gohberg, I

    2003-01-01

    .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Krein's Theorem in Terms ofInfinite Toeplitz Matrices ... Krein's Theorem in Terms of Modules ... Comments to Chapter 2 ... 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Inner Products...

  11. Chronic physical conditions in older adults with mental illness and/ or substance use disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Wen-Chieh; Zhang, Jianying; Leung, Gary Y; Clark, Robin E

    2011-10-01

    To examine the association between mental illness and chronic physical conditions in older adults and investigate whether co-occurring substance use disorders (SUDs) are associated with greater risk of chronic physical conditions beyond mental illness alone. A retrospective cross-sectional study. Medicare and Medicaid programs in Massachusetts. Massachusetts Medicare and Medicaid members aged 65 and older as of January 1, 2005 (N = 679,182). Diagnoses recorded on Medicare and Medicaid claims were used to identify mental illness, SUDs, and 15 selected chronic physical conditions. Community-dwelling older adults with mental illness or SUDs had higher adjusted risk for 14 of the 15 selected chronic physical conditions than those without these disorders; the only exception was eye diseases. Moreover, those with co-occurring SUDs and mental illness had the highest adjusted risk for 11 of these chronic conditions. For residents of long-term care facilities, mental illness and SUDs were only moderately associated with the risk of chronic physical conditions. Community-dwelling older adults with mental illness or SUDs, particularly when they co-occurred, had substantially greater medical comorbidity than those without these disorders. For residents of long-term care facilities, the generally uniformly high medical comorbidity may have moderated this relationship, although their high prevalence of mental illness and SUDs signified greater healthcare needs. These findings strongly suggest the imminent need for integrating general medical care, mental health services, and addiction health services for older adults with mental illness or SUDs. © 2011, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2011, The American Geriatrics Society.

  12. Special matrices of mathematical physics stochastic, circulant and Bell matrices

    CERN Document Server

    Aldrovandi, R

    2001-01-01

    This book expounds three special kinds of matrices that are of physical interest, centering on physical examples. Stochastic matrices describe dynamical systems of many different types, involving (or not) phenomena like transience, dissipation, ergodicity, nonequilibrium, and hypersensitivity to initial conditions. The main characteristic is growth by agglomeration, as in glass formation. Circulants are the building blocks of elementary Fourier analysis and provide a natural gateway to quantum mechanics and noncommutative geometry. Bell polynomials offer closed expressions for many formulas co

  13. Fourier-Based Transmit Beampattern Design Using MIMO Radar

    KAUST Repository

    Lipor, John; Ahmed, Sajid; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

    2014-01-01

    a constant-envelope or drawing from a finite alphabet. In this paper, a closed-form method to design for a uniform linear array is proposed that utilizes the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) coefficients and Toeplitz matrices. The resulting

  14. Determination of the Köthe-Toeplitz Duals over the Non-Newtonian Complex Field

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Uğur Kadak

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The important point to note is that the non-Newtonian calculus is a self-contained system independent of any other system of calculus. Therefore the reader may be surprised to learn that there is a uniform relationship between the corresponding operators of this calculus and the classical calculus. Several basic concepts based on non-Newtonian calculus are presented by Grossman (1983, Grossman and Katz (1978, and Grossman (1979. Following Grossman and Katz, in the present paper, we introduce the sets of bounded, convergent, null series and p-bounded variation of sequences over the complex field C* and prove that these are complete. We propose a quite concrete approach based on the notion of Köthe-Toeplitz duals with respect to the non-Newtonian calculus. Finally, we derive some inclusion relationships between Köthe space and solidness.

  15. Comparing large covariance matrices under weak conditions on the dependence structure and its application to gene clustering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Jinyuan; Zhou, Wen; Zhou, Wen-Xin; Wang, Lan

    2017-03-01

    Comparing large covariance matrices has important applications in modern genomics, where scientists are often interested in understanding whether relationships (e.g., dependencies or co-regulations) among a large number of genes vary between different biological states. We propose a computationally fast procedure for testing the equality of two large covariance matrices when the dimensions of the covariance matrices are much larger than the sample sizes. A distinguishing feature of the new procedure is that it imposes no structural assumptions on the unknown covariance matrices. Hence, the test is robust with respect to various complex dependence structures that frequently arise in genomics. We prove that the proposed procedure is asymptotically valid under weak moment conditions. As an interesting application, we derive a new gene clustering algorithm which shares the same nice property of avoiding restrictive structural assumptions for high-dimensional genomics data. Using an asthma gene expression dataset, we illustrate how the new test helps compare the covariance matrices of the genes across different gene sets/pathways between the disease group and the control group, and how the gene clustering algorithm provides new insights on the way gene clustering patterns differ between the two groups. The proposed methods have been implemented in an R-package HDtest and are available on CRAN. © 2016, The International Biometric Society.

  16. Inverse m-matrices and ultrametric matrices

    CERN Document Server

    Dellacherie, Claude; San Martin, Jaime

    2014-01-01

    The study of M-matrices, their inverses and discrete potential theory is now a well-established part of linear algebra and the theory of Markov chains. The main focus of this monograph is the so-called inverse M-matrix problem, which asks for a characterization of nonnegative matrices whose inverses are M-matrices. We present an answer in terms of discrete potential theory based on the Choquet-Deny Theorem. A distinguished subclass of inverse M-matrices is ultrametric matrices, which are important in applications such as taxonomy. Ultrametricity is revealed to be a relevant concept in linear algebra and discrete potential theory because of its relation with trees in graph theory and mean expected value matrices in probability theory. Remarkable properties of Hadamard functions and products for the class of inverse M-matrices are developed and probabilistic insights are provided throughout the monograph.

  17. Discrete inverse scattering theory and the continuum limit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berryman, J.G.; Greene, R.R.

    1978-01-01

    The class of satisfactory difference approximations for the Schroedinger equation in discrete inverse scattering theory is shown smaller than previously supposed. A fast algorithm (analogous to the Levinson algorithm for Toeplitz matrices) is found for solving the discrete inverse problem. (Auth.)

  18. Large truncated Toeplitz matrices, Toeplitz operators, and related topics the Albrecht Böttcher anniversary volume

    CERN Document Server

    Ehrhardt, Torsten; Karlovich, Alexei; Spitkovsky, Ilya

    2017-01-01

    This book presents a collection of expository and research papers on various topics in matrix and operator theory, contributed by several experts on the occasion of Albrecht Böttcher’s 60th birthday. Albrecht Böttcher himself has made substantial contributions to the subject in the past. The book also includes a biographical essay, a complete bibliography of Albrecht Böttcher’s work and brief informal notes on personal encounters with him. The book is of interest to graduate and advanced undergraduate students majoring in mathematics, researchers in matrix and operator theory as well as engineers and applied mathematicians.

  19. Dense tissue-like collagen matrices formed in cell-free conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mosser, Gervaise; Anglo, Anny; Helary, Christophe; Bouligand, Yves; Giraud-Guille, Marie-Madeleine

    2006-01-01

    A new protocol was developed to produce dense organized collagen matrices hierarchically ordered on a large scale. It consists of a two stage process: (1) the organization of a collagen solution and (2) the stabilization of the organizations by a sol-gel transition that leads to the formation of collagen fibrils. This new protocol relies on the continuous injection of an acid-soluble collagen solution into glass microchambers. It leads to extended concentration gradients of collagen, ranging from 5 to 1000 mg/ml. The self-organization of collagen solutions into a wide array of spatial organizations was investigated. The final matrices obtained by this procedure varied in concentration, structure and density. Changes in the liquid state of the samples were followed by polarized light microscopy, and the final stabilized gel states obtained after fibrillogenesis were analyzed by both light and electron microscopy. Typical organizations extended homogeneously by up to three centimetres in one direction and several hundreds of micrometers in other directions. Fibrillogenesis of collagen solutions of high and low concentrations led to fibrils spatially arranged as has been described in bone and derm, respectively. Moreover, a relationship was revealed between the collagen concentration and the aggregation of and rotational angles between lateral fibrils. These results constitute a strong base from which to further develop highly enriched collagen matrices that could lead to substitutes that mimic connective tissues. The matrices thus obtained may also be good candidates for the study of the three-dimensional migration of cells.

  20. Oral health conditions affect functional and social activities of terminally-ill cancer patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fischer, D.J.; Epstein, J.B.; Yao, Y.; Wilkie, D.J.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose Oral conditions are established complications in terminally-ill cancer patients. Yet despite significant morbidity, the characteristics and impact of oral conditions in these patients are poorly documented. The study objective was to characterize oral conditions in terminally-ill cancer patients to determine the presence, severity, and the functional and social impact of these oral conditions. Methods This was an observational clinical study including terminally-ill cancer patients (2.5–3 week life expectancy). Data were obtained via the Oral Problems Scale (OPS) that measures the presence of subjective xerostomia, orofacial pain, taste change, and the functional/social impact of oral conditions and a demographic questionnaire. A standardized oral examination was used to assess objective salivary hypofunction, fungal infection, mucosal erythema, and ulceration. Regression analysis and t test investigated the associations between measures. Results Of 104 participants, most were ≥50 years of age, female, and high-school educated; 45% were African American, 43% Caucasian, and 37% married. Oral conditions frequencies were: salivary hypofunction (98%), mucosal erythema (50%), ulceration (20%), fungal infection (36%), and other oral problems (46%). Xerostomia, taste change, and orofacial pain all had significant functional impact; poral ulcerations had significantly more orofacial pain with a social impact than patients without ulcers (p=.003). Erythema was significantly associated with fungal infection and with mucosal ulceration (pOral conditions significantly affect functional and social activities in terminally-ill cancer patients. Identification and management of oral conditions in these patients should therefore be an important clinical consideration. PMID:24232310

  1. Matrices in Engineering Problems

    CERN Document Server

    Tobias, Marvin

    2011-01-01

    This book is intended as an undergraduate text introducing matrix methods as they relate to engineering problems. It begins with the fundamentals of mathematics of matrices and determinants. Matrix inversion is discussed, with an introduction of the well known reduction methods. Equation sets are viewed as vector transformations, and the conditions of their solvability are explored. Orthogonal matrices are introduced with examples showing application to many problems requiring three dimensional thinking. The angular velocity matrix is shown to emerge from the differentiation of the 3-D orthogo

  2. Covariance matrix estimation for stationary time series

    OpenAIRE

    Xiao, Han; Wu, Wei Biao

    2011-01-01

    We obtain a sharp convergence rate for banded covariance matrix estimates of stationary processes. A precise order of magnitude is derived for spectral radius of sample covariance matrices. We also consider a thresholded covariance matrix estimator that can better characterize sparsity if the true covariance matrix is sparse. As our main tool, we implement Toeplitz [Math. Ann. 70 (1911) 351–376] idea and relate eigenvalues of covariance matrices to the spectral densities or Fourier transforms...

  3. A simple method of fitting ill-conditioned polynomials to data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buckler, A.N.; Lawrence, J.

    1979-04-01

    A very simple transformation of the independent variable x is shown to cure the ill-conditioning when some polynomial series are fitted to given Y values. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the power of the method. (author)

  4. GPU acceleration of preconditioned solvers for ill-conditioned linear systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gupta, R.

    2015-01-01

    In this work we study the implementations of deflation and preconditioning techniques for solving ill-conditioned linear systems using iterative methods. Solving such systems can be a time-consuming process because of the jumps in the coefficients due to large difference in material properties. We

  5. Diagnosis of the Ill-condition of the RFM Based on Condition Index and Variance Decomposition Proportion (CIVDP)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qing, Zhou; Weili, Jiao; Tengfei, Long

    2014-01-01

    The Rational Function Model (RFM) is a new generalized sensor model. It does not need the physical parameters of sensors to achieve a high accuracy that is compatible to the rigorous sensor models. At present, the main method to solve RPCs is the Least Squares Estimation. But when coefficients has a large number or the distribution of the control points is not even, the classical least square method loses its superiority due to the ill-conditioning problem of design matrix. Condition Index and Variance Decomposition Proportion (CIVDP) is a reliable method for diagnosing the multicollinearity among the design matrix. It can not only detect the multicollinearity, but also can locate the parameters and show the corresponding columns in the design matrix. In this paper, the CIVDP method is used to diagnose the ill-condition problem of the RFM and to find the multicollinearity in the normal matrix

  6. Diagnosis of the Ill-condition of the RFM Based on Condition Index and Variance Decomposition Proportion (CIVDP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qing, Zhou; Weili, Jiao; Tengfei, Long

    2014-03-01

    The Rational Function Model (RFM) is a new generalized sensor model. It does not need the physical parameters of sensors to achieve a high accuracy that is compatible to the rigorous sensor models. At present, the main method to solve RPCs is the Least Squares Estimation. But when coefficients has a large number or the distribution of the control points is not even, the classical least square method loses its superiority due to the ill-conditioning problem of design matrix. Condition Index and Variance Decomposition Proportion (CIVDP) is a reliable method for diagnosing the multicollinearity among the design matrix. It can not only detect the multicollinearity, but also can locate the parameters and show the corresponding columns in the design matrix. In this paper, the CIVDP method is used to diagnose the ill-condition problem of the RFM and to find the multicollinearity in the normal matrix.

  7. Evaluating the effect of neighbourhood weight matrices on smoothing properties of Conditional Autoregressive (CAR models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryan Louise

    2007-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The Conditional Autoregressive (CAR model is widely used in many small-area ecological studies to analyse outcomes measured at an areal level. There has been little evaluation of the influence of different neighbourhood weight matrix structures on the amount of smoothing performed by the CAR model. We examined this issue in detail. Methods We created several neighbourhood weight matrices and applied them to a large dataset of births and birth defects in New South Wales (NSW, Australia within 198 Statistical Local Areas. Between the years 1995–2003, there were 17,595 geocoded birth defects and 770,638 geocoded birth records with available data. Spatio-temporal models were developed with data from 1995–2000 and their fit evaluated within the following time period: 2001–2003. Results We were able to create four adjacency-based weight matrices, seven distance-based weight matrices and one matrix based on similarity in terms of a key covariate (i.e. maternal age. In terms of agreement between observed and predicted relative risks, categorised in epidemiologically relevant groups, generally the distance-based matrices performed better than the adjacency-based neighbourhoods. In terms of recovering the underlying risk structure, the weight-7 model (smoothing by maternal-age 'Covariate model' was able to correctly classify 35/47 high-risk areas (sensitivity 74% with a specificity of 47%, and the 'Gravity' model had sensitivity and specificity values of 74% and 39% respectively. Conclusion We found considerable differences in the smoothing properties of the CAR model, depending on the type of neighbours specified. This in turn had an effect on the models' ability to recover the observed risk in an area. Prior to risk mapping or ecological modelling, an exploratory analysis of the neighbourhood weight matrix to guide the choice of a suitable weight matrix is recommended. Alternatively, the weight matrix can be chosen a priori

  8. Applicability of non-invasively collected matrices for human biomonitoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nickmilder Marc

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract With its inclusion under Action 3 in the Environment and Health Action Plan 2004–2010 of the European Commission, human biomonitoring is currently receiving an increasing amount of attention from the scientific community as a tool to better quantify human exposure to, and health effects of, environmental stressors. Despite the policy support, however, there are still several issues that restrict the routine application of human biomonitoring data in environmental health impact assessment. One of the main issues is the obvious need to routinely collect human samples for large-scale surveys. Particularly the collection of invasive samples from susceptible populations may suffer from ethical and practical limitations. Children, pregnant women, elderly, or chronically-ill people are among those that would benefit the most from non-invasive, repeated or routine sampling. Therefore, the use of non-invasively collected matrices for human biomonitoring should be promoted as an ethically appropriate, cost-efficient and toxicologically relevant alternative for many biomarkers that are currently determined in invasively collected matrices. This review illustrates that several non-invasively collected matrices are widely used that can be an valuable addition to, or alternative for, invasively collected matrices such as peripheral blood sampling. Moreover, a well-informed choice of matrix can provide an added value for human biomonitoring, as different non-invasively collected matrices can offer opportunities to study additional aspects of exposure to and effects from environmental contaminants, such as repeated sampling, historical overview of exposure, mother-child transfer of substances, or monitoring of substances with short biological half-lives.

  9. Conditioning of alpha and beta-gamma ashes of incinerator, obtained by radioactive wastes incinerating and encapsulation in several matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kertesz, C.J.; Chenavas, P.R.; Auffret, L.

    1993-01-01

    In this final report, the work carried out, and the results, obtained on the ash incinerator conditioning study, by means of encapsulation in several matrices, are presented. Three encapsulation matrices were checked: - a ternary cement, containing OPC, blast furnace slag and flying ash, - a two component epoxide system, - an epoxide-cement compound matrix. Three ash categories were employed: - real alpha ash, coming from plutonium bearing wastes, - ash, from inactive combustible waste, obtained by treatment in an incinerator prototype, - ash coming from inactive waste incineration plant. Using three different matrices, the encapsulated form properties were determined: at the laboratory scale, the encapsulating formulation was established, and physico mechanical data were obtained, - on active encapsulated forms, containing a calculated amount of 238 Pu, a radiolysis study was performed in order to measure the composition and volume of the radiolytic gas flow, - at the industrial scale, a pilot plant operating the polyvalent encapsulating process, was designed and put into service. Bench-scale experiments were done, on alpha ash embedded forms using the modified sulphur cement matrix as embedding agent. 4 refs., 30 figs., 27 tabs

  10. CIME Summer Course on Exploiting Hidden Structure in Matrix Computations : Algorithms and Applications

    CERN Document Server

    Simoncini, Valeria

    2016-01-01

    Focusing on special matrices and matrices which are in some sense "near" to structured matrices, this volume covers a broad range of topics of current interest in numerical linear algebra. Exploitation of these less obvious structural properties can be of great importance in the design of efficient numerical methods, for example algorithms for matrices with low-rank block structure, matrices with decay, and structured tensor computations. Applications range from quantum chemistry to queuing theory. Structured matrices arise frequently in applications. Examples include banded and sparse matrices, Toeplitz-type matrices, and matrices with semi-separable or quasi-separable structure, as well as Hamiltonian and symplectic matrices. The associated literature is enormous, and many efficient algorithms have been developed for solving problems involving such matrices. The text arose from a C.I.M.E. course held in Cetraro (Italy) in June 2015 which aimed to present this fast growing field to young researchers, exploit...

  11. Approximate source conditions for nonlinear ill-posed problems—chances and limitations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hein, Torsten; Hofmann, Bernd

    2009-01-01

    In the recent past the authors, with collaborators, have published convergence rate results for regularized solutions of linear ill-posed operator equations by avoiding the usual assumption that the solutions satisfy prescribed source conditions. Instead the degree of violation of such source conditions is expressed by distance functions d(R) depending on a radius R ≥ 0 which is an upper bound of the norm of source elements under consideration. If d(R) tends to zero as R → ∞ an appropriate balancing of occurring regularization error terms yields convergence rates results. This approach was called the method of approximate source conditions, originally developed in a Hilbert space setting. The goal of this paper is to formulate chances and limitations of an application of this method to nonlinear ill-posed problems in reflexive Banach spaces and to complement the field of low order convergence rates results in nonlinear regularization theory. In particular, we are going to establish convergence rates for a variant of Tikhonov regularization. To keep structural nonlinearity conditions simple, we update the concept of degree of nonlinearity in Hilbert spaces to a Bregman distance setting in Banach spaces

  12. Hematopoietic stem cell cytokines and fibroblast growth factor-2 stimulate human endothelial cell-pericyte tube co-assembly in 3D fibrin matrices under serum-free defined conditions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annie O Smith

    Full Text Available We describe a novel 3D fibrin matrix model using recombinant hematopoietic stem cell cytokines under serum-free defined conditions which promotes the assembly of human endothelial cell (EC tubes with co-associated pericytes. Individual ECs and pericytes are randomly mixed together and EC tubes form that is accompanied by pericyte recruitment to the EC tube abluminal surface over a 3-5 day period. These morphogenic processes are stimulated by a combination of the hematopoietic stem cell cytokines, stem cell factor, interleukin-3, stromal derived factor-1α, and Flt-3 ligand which are added in conjunction with fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2 into the fibrin matrix. In contrast, this tube morphogenic response does not occur under serum-free defined conditions when VEGF and FGF-2 are added together in the fibrin matrices. We recently demonstrated that VEGF and FGF-2 are able to prime EC tube morphogenic responses (i.e. added overnight prior to the morphogenic assay to hematopoietic stem cell cytokines in collagen matrices and, interestingly, they also prime EC tube morphogenesis in 3D fibrin matrices. EC-pericyte interactions in 3D fibrin matrices leads to marked vascular basement membrane assembly as demonstrated using immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, we show that hematopoietic stem cell cytokines and pericytes stimulate EC sprouting in fibrin matrices in a manner dependent on the α5β1 integrin. This novel co-culture system, under serum-free defined conditions, allows for a molecular analysis of EC tube assembly, pericyte recruitment and maturation events in a critical ECM environment (i.e. fibrin matrices that regulates angiogenic events in postnatal life.

  13. Immanant Conversion on Symmetric Matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Purificação Coelho M.

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Letr Σn(C denote the space of all n χ n symmetric matrices over the complex field C. The main objective of this paper is to prove that the maps Φ : Σn(C -> Σn (C satisfying for any fixed irre- ducible characters X, X' -SC the condition dx(A +aB = dχ·(Φ(Α + αΦ(Β for all matrices A,В ε Σ„(С and all scalars a ε C are automatically linear and bijective. As a corollary of the above result we characterize all such maps Φ acting on ΣИ(С.

  14. Averaging operations on matrices

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2014-07-03

    Jul 3, 2014 ... Role of Positive Definite Matrices. • Diffusion Tensor Imaging: 3 × 3 pd matrices model water flow at each voxel of brain scan. • Elasticity: 6 × 6 pd matrices model stress tensors. • Machine Learning: n × n pd matrices occur as kernel matrices. Tanvi Jain. Averaging operations on matrices ...

  15. Toeplitz Inverse Covariance-Based Clustering of Multivariate Time Series Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hallac, David; Vare, Sagar; Boyd, Stephen; Leskovec, Jure

    2018-01-01

    Subsequence clustering of multivariate time series is a useful tool for discovering repeated patterns in temporal data. Once these patterns have been discovered, seemingly complicated datasets can be interpreted as a temporal sequence of only a small number of states, or clusters. For example, raw sensor data from a fitness-tracking application can be expressed as a timeline of a select few actions (i.e., walking, sitting, running). However, discovering these patterns is challenging because it requires simultaneous segmentation and clustering of the time series. Furthermore, interpreting the resulting clusters is difficult, especially when the data is high-dimensional. Here we propose a new method of model-based clustering, which we call Toeplitz Inverse Covariance-based Clustering (TICC). Each cluster in the TICC method is defined by a correlation network, or Markov random field (MRF), characterizing the interdependencies between different observations in a typical subsequence of that cluster. Based on this graphical representation, TICC simultaneously segments and clusters the time series data. We solve the TICC problem through alternating minimization, using a variation of the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm. We derive closed-form solutions to efficiently solve the two resulting subproblems in a scalable way, through dynamic programming and the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), respectively. We validate our approach by comparing TICC to several state-of-the-art baselines in a series of synthetic experiments, and we then demonstrate on an automobile sensor dataset how TICC can be used to learn interpretable clusters in real-world scenarios. PMID:29770257

  16. Minimal residual method stronger than polynomial preconditioning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Faber, V.; Joubert, W.; Knill, E. [Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)] [and others

    1994-12-31

    Two popular methods for solving symmetric and nonsymmetric systems of equations are the minimal residual method, implemented by algorithms such as GMRES, and polynomial preconditioning methods. In this study results are given on the convergence rates of these methods for various classes of matrices. It is shown that for some matrices, such as normal matrices, the convergence rates for GMRES and for the optimal polynomial preconditioning are the same, and for other matrices such as the upper triangular Toeplitz matrices, it is at least assured that if one method converges then the other must converge. On the other hand, it is shown that matrices exist for which restarted GMRES always converges but any polynomial preconditioning of corresponding degree makes no progress toward the solution for some initial error. The implications of these results for these and other iterative methods are discussed.

  17. THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT EXPOSURE CONDITIONS ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MINERAL MATRICES STABILIZING HAZARDOUS WASTE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Król

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Mineral binders are more and more often used in the difficult process of disposal of inorganic hazardous waste containing heavy metals. Composites solidifying hazardous waste are deposited in the environment, which exposes them to the interaction of many variable factors. The paper presents the effect of different exposure conditions on physical and mechanical properties of concrete stabilizing galvanic sewage sludge (GO. The effect of the cyclic freezing and thawing, carbon dioxide (carbonation and high temperatures (200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C on the properties of stabilizing matrices has been described. The results, in most cases, show a loss of durability of composites solidifying sewage sludge (GO by the influence of external conditions.

  18. Incidence and impact of pain conditions and comorbid illnesses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Davis JA

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Jessica A Davis, Rebecca L Robinson, Trong Kim Le, Jin XieLilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USABackground: Individuals with pain often present with more than one painful condition. The purpose of this study was to characterize the rates of comorbidity, pain medication use, and health care costs for 23 selected pain conditions in a large health plan using administrative claims data from 2005 to 2007.Methods: Eligible patients included 1,211,483 adults with at least one pain condition during the one-year study period. Pain condition cohorts were classified based on the first diagnosis present in the claims during the study period.Results: Musculoskeletal pain conditions were among the most prevalent cohorts including low back pain, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia. Cancer pain was the least prevalent cohort. Conditions with the lowest illness severity included migraine and painful bladder syndrome cohorts, while cohorts with diabetic neuropathy, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-associated pain, and cancer pain were the most severe. Across cohorts, the mean number of comorbid pain conditions ranged from 1.39 (for cancer pain and migraine to 2.65 (for multiple sclerosis pain. High rates of mental health conditions were found in cohorts with HIV-associated pain and multiple sclerosis pain (42.59% and 34.78% and were lowest among cohorts with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthropathy (12.73% and 13.31%, respectively. Rates of sleep disorders ranged from 5.47% (for painful bladder syndrome to 11.59% (for multiple sclerosis pain. Overall, patients averaged 3.53 unique pain medications during the study period. Considerable annual total health care costs were observed in the cancer pain cohort and the lowest costs were observed in the postherpetic neuropathy, surgically-induced pain, migraine, and irritable bowel syndrome cohorts. Costs attributed to pain were highest among the multiple sclerosis, HIV, and cancer

  19. Electrostatic point charge fitting as an inverse problem: Revealing the underlying ill-conditioning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ivanov, Maxim V.; Talipov, Marat R.; Timerghazin, Qadir K.

    2015-01-01

    Atom-centered point charge (PC) model of the molecular electrostatics—a major workhorse of the atomistic biomolecular simulations—is usually parameterized by least-squares (LS) fitting of the point charge values to a reference electrostatic potential, a procedure that suffers from numerical instabilities due to the ill-conditioned nature of the LS problem. To reveal the origins of this ill-conditioning, we start with a general treatment of the point charge fitting problem as an inverse problem and construct an analytical model with the point charges spherically arranged according to Lebedev quadrature which is naturally suited for the inverse electrostatic problem. This analytical model is contrasted to the atom-centered point-charge model that can be viewed as an irregular quadrature poorly suited for the problem. This analysis shows that the numerical problems of the point charge fitting are due to the decay of the curvatures corresponding to the eigenvectors of LS sum Hessian matrix. In part, this ill-conditioning is intrinsic to the problem and is related to decreasing electrostatic contribution of the higher multipole moments, that are, in the case of Lebedev grid model, directly associated with the Hessian eigenvectors. For the atom-centered model, this association breaks down beyond the first few eigenvectors related to the high-curvature monopole and dipole terms; this leads to even wider spread-out of the Hessian curvature values. Using these insights, it is possible to alleviate the ill-conditioning of the LS point-charge fitting without introducing external restraints and/or constraints. Also, as the analytical Lebedev grid PC model proposed here can reproduce multipole moments up to a given rank, it may provide a promising alternative to including explicit multipole terms in a force field

  20. VanderLaan Circulant Type Matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongyan Pan

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Circulant matrices have become a satisfactory tools in control methods for modern complex systems. In the paper, VanderLaan circulant type matrices are presented, which include VanderLaan circulant, left circulant, and g-circulant matrices. The nonsingularity of these special matrices is discussed by the surprising properties of VanderLaan numbers. The exact determinants of VanderLaan circulant type matrices are given by structuring transformation matrices, determinants of well-known tridiagonal matrices, and tridiagonal-like matrices. The explicit inverse matrices of these special matrices are obtained by structuring transformation matrices, inverses of known tridiagonal matrices, and quasi-tridiagonal matrices. Three kinds of norms and lower bound for the spread of VanderLaan circulant and left circulant matrix are given separately. And we gain the spectral norm of VanderLaan g-circulant matrix.

  1. Production and characterization of cornstarch/cellulose acetate/silver sulfadiazine extrudate matrices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zepon, Karine Modolon [CIMJECT, Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil); TECFARMA, Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina, 88704-900 Tubarão, SC (Brazil); Petronilho, Fabricia [FICEXP, Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina, 88704-900 Tubarão, SC (Brazil); Soldi, Valdir [POLIMAT, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil); Salmoria, Gean Vitor [CIMJECT, Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil); Kanis, Luiz Alberto, E-mail: luiz.kanis@unisul.br [TECFARMA, Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina, 88704-900 Tubarão, SC (Brazil)

    2014-11-01

    The production and evaluation of cornstarch/cellulose acetate/silver sulfadiazine extrudate matrices are reported herein. The matrices were melt extruded under nine different conditions, altering the temperature and the screw speed values. The surface morphology of the matrices was examined by scanning electron microscopy. The micrographs revealed the presence of non-melted silver sulfadiazine microparticles in the matrices extruded at lower temperature and screw speed values. The thermal properties were evaluated and the results for both the biopolymer and the drug indicated no thermal degradation during the melt extrusion process. The differential scanning analysis of the extrudate matrices showed a shift to lower temperatures for the silver sulfadiazine melting point compared with the non-extruded drug. The starch/cellulose acetate matrices containing silver sulfadiazine demonstrated significant inhibition of the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. In vivo inflammatory response tests showed that the extrudate matrices, with or without silver sulfadiazine, did not trigger chronic inflammatory processes. - Highlights: • Melt extruded bio-based matrices containing silver sulfadiazine was produced. • The silver sulfadiazine is stable during melt-extrusion. • The extrudate matrices shown bacterial growth inhibition. • The matrices obtained have potential to development wound healing membranes.

  2. Hierarchical quark mass matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rasin, A.

    1998-02-01

    I define a set of conditions that the most general hierarchical Yukawa mass matrices have to satisfy so that the leading rotations in the diagonalization matrix are a pair of (2,3) and (1,2) rotations. In addition to Fritzsch structures, examples of such hierarchical structures include also matrices with (1,3) elements of the same order or even much larger than the (1,2) elements. Such matrices can be obtained in the framework of a flavor theory. To leading order, the values of the angle in the (2,3) plane (s 23 ) and the angle in the (1,2) plane (s 12 ) do not depend on the order in which they are taken when diagonalizing. We find that any of the Cabbibo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix parametrizations that consist of at least one (1,2) and one (2,3) rotation may be suitable. In the particular case when the s 13 diagonalization angles are sufficiently small compared to the product s 12 s 23 , two special CKM parametrizations emerge: the R 12 R 23 R 12 parametrization follows with s 23 taken before the s 12 rotation, and vice versa for the R 23 R 12 R 23 parametrization. (author)

  3. Long Term Behaviour Evaluation of Cement Conditioning Matrices Used for Management of Radioactive Wastes at IFIN-HH

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dragolici, F.

    2013-01-01

    The mechanical and structural characterization of the radioactive waste conditioning matrix is very important during the final disposal stage in the radioactive waste management cycle. The conditioning products should be a monolith with acceptable mechanical, chemical and physical properties that are maintained over an appropriate time such that the release of radioactivity from the waste form in the environment is minimized. The aim of this work is the XRD application for the phase identification of matrix that simulates the conditioned radioactive waste and the correlation with mechanical performance. The selected matrices for the study are normal cement with iron precipitates (hydroxide and phosphate), mineral additives (bentonite and volcanic tuff) and complexing agents (tartaric, citric and oxalic acids). The results obtained by this analysis give information about the chemical reactions between the radioactive precipitates and the hydrates, hydrolysis products of the cement. (author)

  4. Dynamical correlations for circular ensembles of random matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagao, Taro; Forrester, Peter

    2003-01-01

    Circular Brownian motion models of random matrices were introduced by Dyson and describe the parametric eigenparameter correlations of unitary random matrices. For symmetric unitary, self-dual quaternion unitary and an analogue of antisymmetric Hermitian matrix initial conditions, Brownian dynamics toward the unitary symmetry is analyzed. The dynamical correlation functions of arbitrary number of Brownian particles at arbitrary number of times are shown to be written in the forms of quaternion determinants, similarly as in the case of Hermitian random matrix models

  5. Infinite matrices and sequence spaces

    CERN Document Server

    Cooke, Richard G

    2014-01-01

    This clear and correct summation of basic results from a specialized field focuses on the behavior of infinite matrices in general, rather than on properties of special matrices. Three introductory chapters guide students to the manipulation of infinite matrices, covering definitions and preliminary ideas, reciprocals of infinite matrices, and linear equations involving infinite matrices.From the fourth chapter onward, the author treats the application of infinite matrices to the summability of divergent sequences and series from various points of view. Topics include consistency, mutual consi

  6. Complex Wedge-Shaped Matrices: A Generalization of Jacobi Matrices

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hnětynková, Iveta; Plešinger, M.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 487, 15 December (2015), s. 203-219 ISSN 0024-3795 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-06684S Keywords : eigenvalues * eigenvector * wedge-shaped matrices * generalized Jacobi matrices * band (or block) Krylov subspace methods Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.965, year: 2015

  7. Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Injury in Chronic Multisymptom Conditions: From Gulf War Illness to Autism Spectrum Disorder

    OpenAIRE

    Beatrice A. Golomb

    2012-01-01

    Background: Overlapping chronic multisymptom illnesses (CMI) include Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity, and Gulf War illness (GWI), and subsets of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). GWI entails a more circumscribed set of experiences that may provide insights of relevance to overlapping conditions.

  8. Theory of quark mixing matrix and invariant functions of mass matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jarlskog, C.

    1987-10-01

    The outline of this talk is as follows: The origin of the quark mixing matrix. Super elementary theory of flavour projection operators. Equivalences and invariances. The commutator formalism and CP violation. CP conditions for any number of families. The 'angle' between the quark mass matrices. Application to Fritzsch and Stech matrices. References. (author)

  9. Expansion of Sobolev functions in series in Laguerre polynomials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Selyakov, K.I.

    1985-01-01

    The solution of the integral equation for the Sobolev functions is represented in the form of series in Laguerre polynomials. The coefficients of these series are simultaneously the coefficients of the power series for the Ambartsumyan-Chandrasekhar H functions. Infinite systems of linear algebraic equations with Toeplitz matrices are given for the coefficients of the series. Numerical results and approximate expressions are given for the case of isotropic scattering

  10. Exertional Heat Illnesses and Environmental Conditions During High School Football Practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tripp, Brady L; Eberman, Lindsey E; Smith, Michael Seth

    2015-10-01

    Guidelines for preventing exertional heat illnesses (EHIs) during extreme heat stress should be specific to regional environments, age, and sport and should be based on evidence of reducing the risk. Each year in the United States, over 1 million high school football players practice in the August heat; however, no published data describe the incidence of EHIs in these athletes. To describe the environmental conditions and incidence of EHIs during high school football practices over a 3-month period. Descriptive epidemiology study. For a 3-month period (August-October), athletic trainers at 12 high schools in North Central Florida recorded the practice time and length, environmental conditions (wet-bulb globe temperature), and incidences of EHIs in varsity football athletes. Athletes suffered 57 total EHIs during 29,759 athlete-exposures (AEs) for the 3-month data collection period (rate = 1.92/1000 AEs). August accounted for the majority of all EHIs, with 82.5% (47/57) and the highest rate (4.35/1000 AEs). Of total heat illnesses, heat cramps accounted for 70.2% (40/57), heat exhaustion 22.8% (13/57), and heat syncope 7.0% (4/57). The odds ratio indicated that athletes in August practices that lasted longer than the recommended 3 hours were 9.84 times more likely to suffer a heat illness than those in practices lasting ≤3 hours. The highest rate of EHIs was during August. Practices in August that exceeded the recommended 3 hours were associated with a greater risk of heat illnesses. The overall rate of EHIs was lower for the high school football athletes observed in the study compared with that reported for collegiate football athletes in the region. The low rates of EHIs recorded suggest that the prevention guidelines employed by sports medicine teams are appropriate for the region and population. Team physicians and athletic trainers should employ evidence-based, region- and population-specific EHI prevention guidelines. Sports medicine teams, coaches, and

  11. No Eigenvalues Outside the Limiting Support of Generally Correlated Gaussian Matrices

    KAUST Repository

    Kammoun, Abla; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

    2016-01-01

    This paper investigates the behaviour of the spectrum of generally correlated Gaussian random matrices whose columns are zero-mean independent vectors but have different correlations, under the specific regime where the number of their columns and that of their rows grow at infinity with the same pace. Following the approach proposed in [1], we prove that under some mild conditions, there is no eigenvalue outside the limiting support of generally correlated Gaussian matrices. As an outcome of this result, we establish that the smallest singular value of these matrices is almost surely greater than zero. From a practical perspective, this control of the smallest singular value is paramount to applications from statistical signal processing and wireless communication, in which this kind of matrices naturally arise.

  12. No Eigenvalues Outside the Limiting Support of Generally Correlated Gaussian Matrices

    KAUST Repository

    Kammoun, Abla

    2016-05-04

    This paper investigates the behaviour of the spectrum of generally correlated Gaussian random matrices whose columns are zero-mean independent vectors but have different correlations, under the specific regime where the number of their columns and that of their rows grow at infinity with the same pace. Following the approach proposed in [1], we prove that under some mild conditions, there is no eigenvalue outside the limiting support of generally correlated Gaussian matrices. As an outcome of this result, we establish that the smallest singular value of these matrices is almost surely greater than zero. From a practical perspective, this control of the smallest singular value is paramount to applications from statistical signal processing and wireless communication, in which this kind of matrices naturally arise.

  13. Portraying mental illness and drug addiction as treatable health conditions: effects of a randomized experiment on stigma and discrimination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGinty, Emma E; Goldman, Howard H; Pescosolido, Bernice; Barry, Colleen L

    2015-02-01

    Despite significant advances in treatment, stigma and discrimination toward persons with mental illness and drug addiction have remained constant in past decades. Prior work suggests that portraying other stigmatized health conditions (i.e., HIV/AIDS) as treatable can improve public attitudes toward those affected. Our study compared the effects of vignettes portraying persons with untreated and symptomatic versus successfully treated and asymptomatic mental illness and drug addiction on several dimensions of public attitudes about these conditions. We conducted a survey-embedded randomized experiment using a national sample (N = 3940) from an online panel. Respondents were randomly assigned to read one of ten vignettes. Vignette one was a control vignette, vignettes 2-5 portrayed individuals with untreated schizophrenia, depression, prescription pain medication addiction and heroin addiction, and vignettes 6-10 portrayed successfully treated individuals with the same conditions. After reading the randomly assigned vignette, respondents answered questions about their attitudes related to mental illness or drug addiction. Portrayals of untreated and symptomatic schizophrenia, depression, and heroin addiction heightened negative public attitudes toward persons with mental illness and drug addiction. In contrast, portrayals of successfully treated schizophrenia, prescription painkiller addiction, and heroin addiction led to less desire for social distance, greater belief in the effectiveness of treatment, and less willingness to discriminate against persons with these conditions. Portrayal of persons with successfully treated mental illness and drug addiction is a promising strategy for reducing stigma and discrimination toward persons with these conditions and improving public perceptions of treatment effectiveness. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Physical properties of the Schur complement of local covariance matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haruna, L F; Oliveira, M C de

    2007-01-01

    General properties of global covariance matrices representing bipartite Gaussian states can be decomposed into properties of local covariance matrices and their Schur complements. We demonstrate that given a bipartite Gaussian state ρ 12 described by a 4 x 4 covariance matrix V, the Schur complement of a local covariance submatrix V 1 of it can be interpreted as a new covariance matrix representing a Gaussian operator of party 1 conditioned to local parity measurements on party 2. The connection with a partial parity measurement over a bipartite quantum state and the determination of the reduced Wigner function is given and an operational process of parity measurement is developed. Generalization of this procedure to an n-partite Gaussian state is given, and it is demonstrated that the n - 1 system state conditioned to a partial parity projection is given by a covariance matrix such that its 2 x 2 block elements are Schur complements of special local matrices

  15. On the Wigner law in dilute random matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khorunzhy, A.; Rodgers, G. J.

    1998-12-01

    We consider ensembles of N × N symmetric matrices whose entries are weakly dependent random variables. We show that random dilution can change the limiting eigenvalue distribution of such matrices. We prove that under general and natural conditions the normalised eigenvalue counting function coincides with the semicircle (Wigner) distribution in the limit N → ∞. This can be explained by the observation that dilution (or more generally, random modulation) eliminates the weak dependence (or correlations) between random matrix entries. It also supports our earlier conjecture that the Wigner distribution is stable to random dilution and modulation.

  16. Fermionic Markov Chains

    OpenAIRE

    Fannes, Mark; Wouters, Jeroen

    2012-01-01

    We study a quantum process that can be considered as a quantum analogue for the classical Markov process. We specifically construct a version of these processes for free Fermions. For such free Fermionic processes we calculate the entropy density. This can be done either directly using Szeg\\"o's theorem for asymptotic densities of functions of Toeplitz matrices, or through an extension of said theorem to rates of functions, which we present in this article.

  17. Parallelism in matrix computations

    CERN Document Server

    Gallopoulos, Efstratios; Sameh, Ahmed H

    2016-01-01

    This book is primarily intended as a research monograph that could also be used in graduate courses for the design of parallel algorithms in matrix computations. It assumes general but not extensive knowledge of numerical linear algebra, parallel architectures, and parallel programming paradigms. The book consists of four parts: (I) Basics; (II) Dense and Special Matrix Computations; (III) Sparse Matrix Computations; and (IV) Matrix functions and characteristics. Part I deals with parallel programming paradigms and fundamental kernels, including reordering schemes for sparse matrices. Part II is devoted to dense matrix computations such as parallel algorithms for solving linear systems, linear least squares, the symmetric algebraic eigenvalue problem, and the singular-value decomposition. It also deals with the development of parallel algorithms for special linear systems such as banded ,Vandermonde ,Toeplitz ,and block Toeplitz systems. Part III addresses sparse matrix computations: (a) the development of pa...

  18. Random Matrices for Information Processing – A Democratic Vision

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cakmak, Burak

    The thesis studies three important applications of random matrices to information processing. Our main contribution is that we consider probabilistic systems involving more general random matrix ensembles than the classical ensembles with iid entries, i.e. models that account for statistical...... dependence between the entries. Specifically, the involved matrices are invariant or fulfill a certain asymptotic freeness condition as their dimensions grow to infinity. Informally speaking, all latent variables contribute to the system model in a democratic fashion – there are no preferred latent variables...

  19. Fungible Correlation Matrices: A Method for Generating Nonsingular, Singular, and Improper Correlation Matrices for Monte Carlo Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waller, Niels G

    2016-01-01

    For a fixed set of standardized regression coefficients and a fixed coefficient of determination (R-squared), an infinite number of predictor correlation matrices will satisfy the implied quadratic form. I call such matrices fungible correlation matrices. In this article, I describe an algorithm for generating positive definite (PD), positive semidefinite (PSD), or indefinite (ID) fungible correlation matrices that have a random or fixed smallest eigenvalue. The underlying equations of this algorithm are reviewed from both algebraic and geometric perspectives. Two simulation studies illustrate that fungible correlation matrices can be profitably used in Monte Carlo research. The first study uses PD fungible correlation matrices to compare penalized regression algorithms. The second study uses ID fungible correlation matrices to compare matrix-smoothing algorithms. R code for generating fungible correlation matrices is presented in the supplemental materials.

  20. Two-mode Gaussian density matrices and squeezing of photons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tucci, R.R.

    1992-01-01

    In this paper, the authors generalize to 2-mode states the 1-mode state results obtained in a previous paper. The authors study 2-mode Gaussian density matrices. The authors find a linear transformation which maps the two annihilation operators, one for each mode, into two new annihilation operators that are uncorrelated and unsqueezed. This allows the authors to express the density matrix as a product of two 1-mode density matrices. The authors find general conditions under which 2-mode Gaussian density matrices become pure states. Possible pure states include the 2-mode squeezed pure states commonly mentioned in the literature, plus other pure states never mentioned before. The authors discuss the entropy and thermodynamic laws (Second Law, Fundamental Equation, and Gibbs-Duhem Equation) for the 2-mode states being considered

  1. Exploring cross-sectional associations between common childhood illness, housing and social conditions in remote Australian Aboriginal communities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brewster David

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background There is limited epidemiological research that provides insight into the complex web of causative and moderating factors that links housing conditions to a variety of poor health outcomes. This study explores the relationship between housing conditions (with a primary focus on the functional state of infrastructure and common childhood illness in remote Australian Aboriginal communities for the purpose of informing development of housing interventions to improve child health. Methods Hierarchical multi-level analysis of association between carer report of common childhood illnesses and functional and hygienic state of housing infrastructure, socio-economic, psychosocial and health related behaviours using baseline survey data from a housing intervention study. Results Multivariate analysis showed a strong independent association between report of respiratory infection and overall functional condition of the house (Odds Ratio (OR 3.00; 95%CI 1.36-6.63, but no significant association between report of other illnesses and the overall functional condition or the functional condition of infrastructure required for specific healthy living practices. Associations between report of child illness and secondary explanatory variables which showed an OR of 2 or more included: for skin infection - evidence of poor temperature control in the house (OR 3.25; 95%CI 1.06-9.94, evidence of pests and vermin in the house (OR 2.88; 95%CI 1.25-6.60; for respiratory infection - breastfeeding in infancy (OR 0.27; 95%CI 0.14-0.49; for diarrhoea/vomiting - hygienic state of food preparation and storage areas (OR 2.10; 95%CI 1.10-4.00; for ear infection - child care attendance (OR 2.25; 95%CI 1.26-3.99. Conclusion These findings add to other evidence that building programs need to be supported by a range of other social and behavioural interventions for potential health gains to be more fully realised.

  2. On the nonnegative inverse eigenvalue problem of traditional matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alimohammad Nazari

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, at first for a given set of real or complex numbers $\\sigma$ with nonnegativesummation, we introduce some special conditions that with them there is no nonnegativetridiagonal matrix in which $\\sigma$ is its spectrum. In continue we present some conditions forexistence such nonnegative tridiagonal matrices.

  3. Double stochastic matrices in quantum mechanics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Louck, J.D.

    1997-01-01

    The general set of doubly stochastic matrices of order n corresponding to ordinary nonrelativistic quantum mechanical transition probability matrices is given. Lande's discussion of the nonquantal origin of such matrices is noted. Several concrete examples are presented for elementary and composite angular momentum systems with the focus on the unitary symmetry associated with such systems in the spirit of the recent work of Bohr and Ulfbeck. Birkhoff's theorem on doubly stochastic matrices of order n is reformulated in a geometrical language suitable for application to the subset of quantum mechanical doubly stochastic matrices. Specifically, it is shown that the set of points on the unit sphere in cartesian n'-space is subjective with the set of doubly stochastic matrices of order n. The question is raised, but not answered, as to what is the subset of points of this unit sphere that correspond to the quantum mechanical transition probability matrices, and what is the symmetry group of this subset of matrices

  4. Deterministic matrices matching the compressed sensing phase transitions of Gaussian random matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monajemi, Hatef; Jafarpour, Sina; Gavish, Matan; Donoho, David L.; Ambikasaran, Sivaram; Bacallado, Sergio; Bharadia, Dinesh; Chen, Yuxin; Choi, Young; Chowdhury, Mainak; Chowdhury, Soham; Damle, Anil; Fithian, Will; Goetz, Georges; Grosenick, Logan; Gross, Sam; Hills, Gage; Hornstein, Michael; Lakkam, Milinda; Lee, Jason; Li, Jian; Liu, Linxi; Sing-Long, Carlos; Marx, Mike; Mittal, Akshay; Monajemi, Hatef; No, Albert; Omrani, Reza; Pekelis, Leonid; Qin, Junjie; Raines, Kevin; Ryu, Ernest; Saxe, Andrew; Shi, Dai; Siilats, Keith; Strauss, David; Tang, Gary; Wang, Chaojun; Zhou, Zoey; Zhu, Zhen

    2013-01-01

    In compressed sensing, one takes samples of an N-dimensional vector using an matrix A, obtaining undersampled measurements . For random matrices with independent standard Gaussian entries, it is known that, when is k-sparse, there is a precisely determined phase transition: for a certain region in the (,)-phase diagram, convex optimization typically finds the sparsest solution, whereas outside that region, it typically fails. It has been shown empirically that the same property—with the same phase transition location—holds for a wide range of non-Gaussian random matrix ensembles. We report extensive experiments showing that the Gaussian phase transition also describes numerous deterministic matrices, including Spikes and Sines, Spikes and Noiselets, Paley Frames, Delsarte-Goethals Frames, Chirp Sensing Matrices, and Grassmannian Frames. Namely, for each of these deterministic matrices in turn, for a typical k-sparse object, we observe that convex optimization is successful over a region of the phase diagram that coincides with the region known for Gaussian random matrices. Our experiments considered coefficients constrained to for four different sets , and the results establish our finding for each of the four associated phase transitions. PMID:23277588

  5. Matrices and linear transformations

    CERN Document Server

    Cullen, Charles G

    1990-01-01

    ""Comprehensive . . . an excellent introduction to the subject."" - Electronic Engineer's Design Magazine.This introductory textbook, aimed at sophomore- and junior-level undergraduates in mathematics, engineering, and the physical sciences, offers a smooth, in-depth treatment of linear algebra and matrix theory. The major objects of study are matrices over an arbitrary field. Contents include Matrices and Linear Systems; Vector Spaces; Determinants; Linear Transformations; Similarity: Part I and Part II; Polynomials and Polynomial Matrices; Matrix Analysis; and Numerical Methods. The first

  6. Teaching Fourier optics through ray matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreno, I; Sanchez-Lopez, M M; Ferreira, C; Davis, J A; Mateos, F

    2005-01-01

    In this work we examine the use of ray-transfer matrices for teaching and for deriving some topics in a Fourier optics course, exploiting the mathematical simplicity of ray matrices compared to diffraction integrals. A simple analysis of the physical meaning of the elements of the ray matrix provides a fast derivation of the conditions to obtain the optical Fourier transform. We extend this derivation to fractional Fourier transform optical systems, and derive the order of the transform from the ray matrix. Some examples are provided to stress this point of view, both with classical and with graded index lenses. This formulation cannot replace the complete explanation of Fourier optics provided by the wave theory, but it is a complementary tool useful to simplify many aspects of Fourier optics and to relate them to geometrical optics

  7. Lambda-matrices and vibrating systems

    CERN Document Server

    Lancaster, Peter; Stark, M; Kahane, J P

    1966-01-01

    Lambda-Matrices and Vibrating Systems presents aspects and solutions to problems concerned with linear vibrating systems with a finite degrees of freedom and the theory of matrices. The book discusses some parts of the theory of matrices that will account for the solutions of the problems. The text starts with an outline of matrix theory, and some theorems are proved. The Jordan canonical form is also applied to understand the structure of square matrices. Classical theorems are discussed further by applying the Jordan canonical form, the Rayleigh quotient, and simple matrix pencils with late

  8. Manin matrices and Talalaev's formula

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chervov, A; Falqui, G

    2008-01-01

    In this paper we study properties of Lax and transfer matrices associated with quantum integrable systems. Our point of view stems from the fact that their elements satisfy special commutation properties, considered by Yu I Manin some 20 years ago at the beginning of quantum group theory. These are the commutation properties of matrix elements of linear homomorphisms between polynomial rings; more explicitly these read: (1) elements of the same column commute; (2) commutators of the cross terms are equal: [M ij , M kl ] [M kj , M il ] (e.g. [M 11 , M 22 ] = [M 21 , M 12 ]). The main aim of this paper is twofold: on the one hand we observe and prove that such matrices (which we call Manin matrices in short) behave almost as well as matrices with commutative elements. Namely, the theorems of linear algebra (e.g., a natural definition of the determinant, the Cayley-Hamilton theorem, the Newton identities and so on and so forth) have a straightforward counterpart in the case of Manin matrices. On the other hand, we remark that such matrices are somewhat ubiquitous in the theory of quantum integrability. For instance, Manin matrices (and their q-analogs) include matrices satisfying the Yang-Baxter relation 'RTT=TTR' and the so-called Cartier-Foata matrices. Also, they enter Talalaev's remarkable formulae: det(∂ z -L gaudin (z)), det(1-e -∂z T Yangian (z)) for the 'quantum spectral curve', and appear in the separation of variables problem and Capelli identities. We show that theorems of linear algebra, after being established for such matrices, have various applications to quantum integrable systems and Lie algebras, e.g. in the construction of new generators in Z(U crit (gl-hat n )) (and, in general, in the construction of quantum conservation laws), in the Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equation, and in the problem of Wick ordering. We propose, in the appendix, a construction of quantum separated variables for the XXX-Heisenberg system

  9. Introduction into Hierarchical Matrices

    KAUST Repository

    Litvinenko, Alexander

    2013-01-01

    Hierarchical matrices allow us to reduce computational storage and cost from cubic to almost linear. This technique can be applied for solving PDEs, integral equations, matrix equations and approximation of large covariance and precision matrices.

  10. Introduction into Hierarchical Matrices

    KAUST Repository

    Litvinenko, Alexander

    2013-12-05

    Hierarchical matrices allow us to reduce computational storage and cost from cubic to almost linear. This technique can be applied for solving PDEs, integral equations, matrix equations and approximation of large covariance and precision matrices.

  11. From Coalgebra to Bialgebra for the Six-Vertex Model: The Star-Triangle Relation as a Necessary Condition for Commuting Transfer Matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeffrey R. Schmidt

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Using the most elementary methods and considerations, the solution of the star-triangle condition (a2+b2-c2/2ab = ((a’^2+(b’^2-(c’^2/2a’b’ is shown to be a necessary condition for the extension of the operator coalgebra of the six-vertex model to a bialgebra. A portion of the bialgebra acts as a spectrum-generating algebra for the algebraic Bethe ansatz, with which higher-dimensional representations of the bialgebra can be constructed. The star-triangle relation is proved to be necessary for the commutativity of the transfer matrices T(a, b, c and T(a’, b’, c’.

  12. Coherence and extensions of stochastic matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angelo Gilio

    1995-11-01

    Full Text Available In this paper a review of some general results on coherence of conditional probability assessments is given. Then, a necessary and sufficient condition on coherence of two finite families of discrete conditianal probability distributions, represented by two stochastic matrices P and Q, is obtained. Moreover, the possible extensions of the assessment (P,Q to the marginal distributions are examined and explicit formulas for them are given in some special case. Finally, a general algorithm to check coherence of (P,Q and to derive its extensions is proposed.

  13. An ill-conditioning conformal radiotherapy analysis based on singular values decomposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lefkopoulos, D.; Grandjean, P.; Bendada, S.; Dominique, C.; Platoni, K.; Schlienger, M.

    1995-01-01

    Clinical experience in stereotactic radiotherapy of irregular complex lesions had shown that optimization algorithms were necessary to improve the dose distribution. We have developed a general optimization procedure which can be applied to different conformal irradiation techniques. In this presentation this procedure is tested on the stereotactic radiotherapy modality of complex cerebral lesions treated with multi-isocentric technique based on the 'associated targets methodology'. In this inverse procedure we use the singular value decomposition (SVD) analysis which proposes several optimal solutions for the narrow beams weights of each isocentre. The SVD analysis quantifies the ill-conditioning of the dosimetric calculation of the stereotactic irradiation, using the condition number which is the ratio of the bigger to smaller singular values. Our dose distribution optimization approach consists on the study of the irradiation parameters influence on the stereotactic radiotherapy inverse problem. The adjustment of the different irradiation parameters into the 'SVD optimizer' procedure is realized taking into account the ratio of the quality reconstruction to the time calculation. It will permit a more efficient use of the 'SVD optimizer' in clinical applications for real 3D lesions. The evaluation criteria for the choice of satisfactory solutions are based on the dose-volume histograms and clinical considerations. We will present the efficiency of ''SVD optimizer'' to analyze and predict the ill-conditioning in stereotactic radiotherapy and to recognize the topography of the different beams in order to create optimal reconstructed weighting vector. The planification of stereotactic treatments using the ''SVD optimizer'' is examined for mono-isocentrically and complex dual-isocentrically treated lesions. The application of the SVD optimization technique provides conformal dose distribution for complex intracranial lesions. It is a general optimization procedure

  14. MERSENNE AND HADAMARD MATRICES CALCULATION BY SCARPIS METHOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. A. Balonin

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. The paper deals with the problem of basic generalizations of Hadamard matrices associated with maximum determinant matrices or not optimal by determinant matrices with orthogonal columns (weighing matrices, Mersenne and Euler matrices, ets.; calculation methods for the quasi-orthogonal local maximum determinant Mersenne matrices are not studied enough sufficiently. The goal of this paper is to develop the theory of Mersenne and Hadamard matrices on the base of generalized Scarpis method research. Methods. Extreme solutions are found in general by minimization of maximum for absolute values of the elements of studied matrices followed by their subsequent classification according to the quantity of levels and their values depending on orders. Less universal but more effective methods are based on structural invariants of quasi-orthogonal matrices (Silvester, Paley, Scarpis methods, ets.. Results. Generalizations of Hadamard and Belevitch matrices as a family of quasi-orthogonal matrices of odd orders are observed; they include, in particular, two-level Mersenne matrices. Definitions of section and layer on the set of generalized matrices are proposed. Calculation algorithms for matrices of adjacent layers and sections by matrices of lower orders are described. Approximation examples of the Belevitch matrix structures up to 22-nd critical order by Mersenne matrix of the third order are given. New formulation of the modified Scarpis method to approximate Hadamard matrices of high orders by lower order Mersenne matrices is proposed. Williamson method is described by example of one modular level matrices approximation by matrices with a small number of levels. Practical relevance. The efficiency of developing direction for the band-pass filters creation is justified. Algorithms for Mersenne matrices design by Scarpis method are used in developing software of the research program complex. Mersenne filters are based on the suboptimal by

  15. The strategy of spectral shifts and the sets of correct methods for calculating eigenvalues of general tridiagonal matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Emel'yanenko, G.A.; Sek, I.E.

    1988-01-01

    Many correctable unknown methods for eigenvalue calculation of general tridiagonal matrices with real elements; criteria of singular tridiagonal matrices; necessary and sufficient conditions of tridiagonal matrix degeneracy; process with boundary conditions according to calculation processes of general upper and lower tridiagonal matrix minors are obtained. 6 refs

  16. Intrinsic character of Stokes matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gagnon, Jean-François; Rousseau, Christiane

    2017-02-01

    Two germs of linear analytic differential systems x k + 1Y‧ = A (x) Y with a non-resonant irregular singularity are analytically equivalent if and only if they have the same eigenvalues and equivalent collections of Stokes matrices. The Stokes matrices are the transition matrices between sectors on which the system is analytically equivalent to its formal normal form. Each sector contains exactly one separating ray for each pair of eigenvalues. A rotation in S allows supposing that R+ lies in the intersection of two sectors. Reordering of the coordinates of Y allows ordering the real parts of the eigenvalues, thus yielding triangular Stokes matrices. However, the choice of the rotation in x is not canonical. In this paper we establish how the collection of Stokes matrices depends on this rotation, and hence on a chosen order of the projection of the eigenvalues on a line through the origin.

  17. Hierarchical matrices algorithms and analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Hackbusch, Wolfgang

    2015-01-01

    This self-contained monograph presents matrix algorithms and their analysis. The new technique enables not only the solution of linear systems but also the approximation of matrix functions, e.g., the matrix exponential. Other applications include the solution of matrix equations, e.g., the Lyapunov or Riccati equation. The required mathematical background can be found in the appendix. The numerical treatment of fully populated large-scale matrices is usually rather costly. However, the technique of hierarchical matrices makes it possible to store matrices and to perform matrix operations approximately with almost linear cost and a controllable degree of approximation error. For important classes of matrices, the computational cost increases only logarithmically with the approximation error. The operations provided include the matrix inversion and LU decomposition. Since large-scale linear algebra problems are standard in scientific computing, the subject of hierarchical matrices is of interest to scientists ...

  18. On the construction of quantum field theories with factorizing S-matrices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lechner, G.

    2006-05-24

    The subject of this thesis is a novel construction method for interacting relativistic quantum field theories on two-dimensional Minkowski space. Employing the algebraic framework of quantum field theory, it is shown under which conditions an algebra of observables localized in a wedge-shaped region of spacetime can be used to construct model theories. A crucial input in this context is the modular nuclearity condition for wedge algebras, which implies the existence of local observables. As an application of the new method, a rigorous construction of a large family of models with factorizing S-matrices is obtained. In an inverse scattering approach, a given factorizing scattering operator is used to define certain semi-localized Wightman fields associated to it. With the help of these fields, a wedge algebra can be defined, which determines the local observable content of a well-defined quantum field theory. In this approach, the modular nuclearity condition translates to certain analyticity and boundedness conditions on the formfactors of wedge-local observables. These conditions are shown to hold for a large class of underlying S-matrices, including the scattering operators of the Sinh-Gordon model and the scaling Ising model as special examples. The so constructed models are investigated with respect to their scattering properties. They are shown to solve the inverse scattering problem for the underlying S-matrices, and a proof of asymptotic completeness for these models is given. (orig.)

  19. On the treatment of ill-conditioned cases in the Monte Carlo library least-squares approach for inverse radiation analyzers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meric, Ilker; Johansen, Geir A.; Holstad, Marie B.; Mattingly, John; Gardner, Robin P.

    2012-05-01

    Prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) has been and still is one of the major methods of choice for the elemental analysis of various bulk samples. This is mostly due to the fact that PGNAA offers a rapid, non-destructive and on-line means of sample interrogation. The quantitative analysis of the prompt gamma-ray data could, on the other hand, be performed either through the single peak analysis or the so-called Monte Carlo library least-squares (MCLLS) approach, of which the latter has been shown to be more sensitive and more accurate than the former. The MCLLS approach is based on the assumption that the total prompt gamma-ray spectrum of any sample is a linear combination of the contributions from the individual constituents or libraries. This assumption leads to, through the minimization of the chi-square value, a set of linear equations which has to be solved to obtain the library multipliers, a process that involves the inversion of the covariance matrix. The least-squares solution may be extremely uncertain due to the ill-conditioning of the covariance matrix. The covariance matrix will become ill-conditioned whenever, in the subsequent calculations, two or more libraries are highly correlated. The ill-conditioning will also be unavoidable whenever the sample contains trace amounts of certain elements or elements with significantly low thermal neutron capture cross-sections. In this work, a new iterative approach, which can handle the ill-conditioning of the covariance matrix, is proposed and applied to a hydrocarbon multiphase flow problem in which the parameters of interest are the separate amounts of the oil, gas, water and salt phases. The results of the proposed method are also compared with the results obtained through the implementation of a well-known regularization method, the truncated singular value decomposition. Final calculations indicate that the proposed approach would be able to treat ill-conditioned cases appropriately.

  20. On the treatment of ill-conditioned cases in the Monte Carlo library least-squares approach for inverse radiation analyzers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meric, Ilker; Johansen, Geir A; Holstad, Marie B; Mattingly, John; Gardner, Robin P

    2012-01-01

    Prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) has been and still is one of the major methods of choice for the elemental analysis of various bulk samples. This is mostly due to the fact that PGNAA offers a rapid, non-destructive and on-line means of sample interrogation. The quantitative analysis of the prompt gamma-ray data could, on the other hand, be performed either through the single peak analysis or the so-called Monte Carlo library least-squares (MCLLS) approach, of which the latter has been shown to be more sensitive and more accurate than the former. The MCLLS approach is based on the assumption that the total prompt gamma-ray spectrum of any sample is a linear combination of the contributions from the individual constituents or libraries. This assumption leads to, through the minimization of the chi-square value, a set of linear equations which has to be solved to obtain the library multipliers, a process that involves the inversion of the covariance matrix. The least-squares solution may be extremely uncertain due to the ill-conditioning of the covariance matrix. The covariance matrix will become ill-conditioned whenever, in the subsequent calculations, two or more libraries are highly correlated. The ill-conditioning will also be unavoidable whenever the sample contains trace amounts of certain elements or elements with significantly low thermal neutron capture cross-sections. In this work, a new iterative approach, which can handle the ill-conditioning of the covariance matrix, is proposed and applied to a hydrocarbon multiphase flow problem in which the parameters of interest are the separate amounts of the oil, gas, water and salt phases. The results of the proposed method are also compared with the results obtained through the implementation of a well-known regularization method, the truncated singular value decomposition. Final calculations indicate that the proposed approach would be able to treat ill-conditioned cases appropriately. (paper)

  1. Classical r-matrices for the generalised Chern–Simons formulation of 3d gravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osei, Prince K.; Schroers, Bernd J.

    2018-04-01

    We study the conditions for classical r-matrices to be compatible with the generalised Chern–Simons action for 3d gravity. Compatibility means solving the classical Yang–Baxter equations with a prescribed symmetric part for each of the real Lie algebras and bilinear pairings arising in the generalised Chern–Simons action. We give a new construction of r-matrices via a generalised complexification and derive a non-linear set of matrix equations determining the most general compatible r-matrix. We exhibit new families of solutions and show that they contain some known r-matrices for special parameter values.

  2. The performance of the Congruence Among Distance Matrices (CADM) test in phylogenetic analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background CADM is a statistical test used to estimate the level of Congruence Among Distance Matrices. It has been shown in previous studies to have a correct rate of type I error and good power when applied to dissimilarity matrices and to ultrametric distance matrices. Contrary to most other tests of incongruence used in phylogenetic analysis, the null hypothesis of the CADM test assumes complete incongruence of the phylogenetic trees instead of congruence. In this study, we performed computer simulations to assess the type I error rate and power of the test. It was applied to additive distance matrices representing phylogenies and to genetic distance matrices obtained from nucleotide sequences of different lengths that were simulated on randomly generated trees of varying sizes, and under different evolutionary conditions. Results Our results showed that the test has an accurate type I error rate and good power. As expected, power increased with the number of objects (i.e., taxa), the number of partially or completely congruent matrices and the level of congruence among distance matrices. Conclusions Based on our results, we suggest that CADM is an excellent candidate to test for congruence and, when present, to estimate its level in phylogenomic studies where numerous genes are analysed simultaneously. PMID:21388552

  3. The performance of the Congruence Among Distance Matrices (CADM test in phylogenetic analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lapointe François-Joseph

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background CADM is a statistical test used to estimate the level of Congruence Among Distance Matrices. It has been shown in previous studies to have a correct rate of type I error and good power when applied to dissimilarity matrices and to ultrametric distance matrices. Contrary to most other tests of incongruence used in phylogenetic analysis, the null hypothesis of the CADM test assumes complete incongruence of the phylogenetic trees instead of congruence. In this study, we performed computer simulations to assess the type I error rate and power of the test. It was applied to additive distance matrices representing phylogenies and to genetic distance matrices obtained from nucleotide sequences of different lengths that were simulated on randomly generated trees of varying sizes, and under different evolutionary conditions. Results Our results showed that the test has an accurate type I error rate and good power. As expected, power increased with the number of objects (i.e., taxa, the number of partially or completely congruent matrices and the level of congruence among distance matrices. Conclusions Based on our results, we suggest that CADM is an excellent candidate to test for congruence and, when present, to estimate its level in phylogenomic studies where numerous genes are analysed simultaneously.

  4. A basis independent formulation of the connection between quark mass matrices, CP violation and experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jarlskog, C.; Stockholm Univ.; Bergen Univ.

    1985-01-01

    In the standard electroweak model, with three families, a one-to-one correspondence between certain determinants involving quark mass matrices (m and m' for charge 2/3 and -1/3 quarks respectively) and the presence/absence of CP violation is given. In an arbitrary basis for mass matrices, the quantity Im det[mm + , m'm' + ] appropriately normalized is introduced as a measure of CP violation. By this measure, CP is not maximally violated in any transition in Nature. Finally, constraints on quark mass matrices are derived from experiment. Any model of mass matrices, with the ambition to explain Nature, must satisfy these conditions. (orig.)

  5. Acute Care Use for Ambulatory Care-Sensitive Conditions in High-Cost Users of Medical Care with Mental Illness and Addictions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hensel, Jennifer M; Taylor, Valerie H; Fung, Kinwah; Yang, Rebecca; Vigod, Simone N

    2018-01-01

    The role of mental illness and addiction in acute care use for chronic medical conditions that are sensitive to ambulatory care management requires focussed attention. This study examines how mental illness or addiction affects risk for repeat hospitalization and/or emergency department use for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) among high-cost users of medical care. A retrospective, population-based cohort study using data from Ontario, Canada. Among the top 10% of medical care users ranked by cost, we determined rates of any and repeat care use (hospitalizations and emergency department [ED] visits) between April 1, 2011, and March 31, 2012, for 14 consensus established ACSCs and compared them between those with and without diagnosed mental illness or addiction during the 2 years prior. Risk ratios were adjusted (aRR) for age, sex, residence, and income quintile. Among 314,936 high-cost users, 35.9% had a mental illness or addiction. Compared to those without, individuals with mental illness or addiction were more likely to have an ED visit or hospitalization for any ACSC (22.8% vs. 19.6%; aRR, 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20-1.23). They were also more likely to have repeat ED visits or hospitalizations for the same ACSC (6.2% vs. 4.4% of those without; aRR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.44-1.53). These associations were stronger in stratifications by mental illness diagnostic subgroup, particularly for those with a major mental illness. The presence of mental illness and addiction among high-cost users of medical services may represent an unmet need for quality ambulatory and primary care.

  6. Rationalizing and advancing the 3-MPBA SERS sandwich assay for rapid detection of bacteria in environmental and food matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearson, Brooke; Mills, Alexander; Tucker, Madeline; Gao, Siyue; McLandsborough, Lynne; He, Lili

    2018-06-01

    Bacterial foodborne illness continues to be a pressing issue in our food supply. Rapid detection methods are needed for perishable foods due to their short shelf lives and significant contribution to foodborne illness. Previously, a sensitive and reliable surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sandwich assay based on 3-mercaptophenylboronic acid (3-MBPA) as a capturer and indicator molecule was developed for rapid bacteria detection. In this study, we explored the advantages and constraints of this assay over the conventional aerobic plate count (APC) method and further developed methods for detection in real environmental and food matrices. The SERS sandwich assay was able to detect environmental bacteria in pond water and on spinach leaves at higher levels than the APC method. In addition, the SERS assay appeared to have higher sensitivity to quantify bacteria in the stationary phase. On the other hand, the APC method was more sensitive to cell viability. Finally, a method to detect bacteria in a challenging high-sugar juice matrix was developed to enhance bacteria capture. This study advanced the SERS technique for real applications in environment and food matrices. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Associative Yang-Baxter equation for quantum (semi-)dynamical R-matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sechin, Ivan; Zotov, Andrei

    2016-01-01

    In this paper we propose versions of the associative Yang-Baxter equation and higher order R-matrix identities which can be applied to quantum dynamical R-matrices. As is known quantum non-dynamical R-matrices of Baxter-Belavin type satisfy this equation. Together with unitarity condition and skew-symmetry it provides the quantum Yang-Baxter equation and a set of identities useful for different applications in integrable systems. The dynamical R-matrices satisfy the Gervais-Neveu-Felder (or dynamical Yang-Baxter) equation. Relation between the dynamical and non-dynamical cases is described by the IRF (interaction-round-a-face)-Vertex transformation. An alternative approach to quantum (semi-)dynamical R-matrices and related quantum algebras was suggested by Arutyunov, Chekhov, and Frolov (ACF) in their study of the quantum Ruijsenaars-Schneider model. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, we prove that the ACF elliptic R-matrix satisfies the associative Yang-Baxter equation with shifted spectral parameters. Second, we directly prove a simple relation of the IRF-Vertex type between the Baxter-Belavin and the ACF elliptic R-matrices predicted previously by Avan and Rollet. It provides the higher order R-matrix identities and an explanation of the obtained equations through those for non-dynamical R-matrices. As a by-product we also get an interpretation of the intertwining transformation as matrix extension of scalar theta function likewise R-matrix is interpreted as matrix extension of the Kronecker function. Relations to the Gervais-Neveu-Felder equation and identities for the Felder’s elliptic R-matrix are also discussed.

  8. Peer-Led Self-Management of General Medical Conditions for Patients With Serious Mental Illnesses: A Randomized Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Druss, Benjamin G; Singh, Manasvini; von Esenwein, Silke A; Glick, Gretl E; Tapscott, Stephanie; Tucker, Sherry Jenkins; Lally, Cathy A; Sterling, Evelina W

    2018-02-01

    Individuals with serious mental illnesses have high rates of general medical comorbidity and challenges in managing these conditions. A growing workforce of certified peer specialists is available to help these individuals more effectively manage their health and health care. However, few studies have examined the effectiveness of peer-led programs for self-management of general medical conditions for this population. This randomized study enrolled 400 participants with a serious mental illness and one or more chronic general medical conditions across three community mental health clinics. Participants were randomly assigned to the Health and Recovery Peer (HARP) program, a self-management program for general medical conditions led by certified peer specialists (N=198), or to usual care (N=202). Assessments were conducted at baseline and three and six months. At six months, participants in the intervention group demonstrated a significant differential improvement in the primary study outcome, health-related quality of life. Specifically, compared with the usual care group, intervention participants had greater improvement in the Short-Form Health Survey physical component summary (an increase of 2.7 versus 1.4 points, p=.046) and mental component summary (4.6 versus 2.5 points, p=.039). Significantly greater six-month improvements in mental health recovery were seen for the intervention group (p=.02), but no other between-group differences in secondary outcome measures were significant. The HARP program was associated with improved physical health- and mental health-related quality of life among individuals with serious mental illness and comorbid general medical conditions, suggesting the potential benefits of more widespread dissemination of peer-led disease self-management in this population.

  9. Study of I11-conditioning of Linac stereotactic irradiation subspaces using singular values decomposition analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Platoni, K.; Lefkopoulos, D.; Grandjean, P.; Schlienger, M.

    1999-01-01

    A Linac sterotactic irradiation space is characterized by different angular separations of beams because of the geometry of the stereotactic irradiation. The regions of the stereotactic space characterized by low angular separations are one of the causes of ill-conditioning of the stereotactic irradiation inverse problem. The singular value decomposition (SVD) is a powerful mathematical analysis that permits the measurement of the ill-conditioning of the stereotactic irradiation problem. This study examines the ill-conditioning of the stereotactic irradiation space, provoked by the different angular separations of beams, using the SVD analysis. We subdivided the maximum irradiation space (MIS: (AA) AP x (AA) RL =180 x 180 ) into irradiation subspaces (ISSs), each characterized by its own angular separation. We studied the influence of ISSs on the SVD analysis and the evolution of the reconstruction quality of well defined three-dimensional dose matrices in each configuration. The more the ISS is characterized by low angular separation the more the condition number and the reconstruction inaccuracy are increased. Based on the above results we created two reduced irradiation spaces (RIS: (AA) AP x (AA) RL =180 x 140 and (AA) AP x (AA) RL =180 x 120 ) and compared the reconstruction quality of the RISs with respect to the MIS. The more an irradiation space is free of low angular separations the more the irradiation space contains useful singular components. (orig.)

  10. Social integration, socioeconomic conditions and type of ill health preceding disability pension in young women: a Swedish population-based study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gustafsson, Klas; Aronsson, Gunnar; Marklund, Staffan; Wikman, Anders; Hagman, Maud; Floderus, Birgitta

    2014-02-01

    Disability pension has increased in recent decades and is seen as a public health and socioeconomic problem in Western Europe. In the Nordic countries, the increase has been particularly steep among young women. The aim was to analyze the influence of low social integration, socioeconomic risk conditions and different measures of self-reported ill health on the risk of receiving disability pension in young women. The study comprised all Swedish women born in 1960 to 1979, who had been interviewed in any of the annual Swedish Surveys of Living Conditions (1990-2002). The assumed predictors were related to disability pension by Cox proportional hazard regression. The mean number of years of follow-up for the 10,936 women was 7 years (SD 3.8), and the study base was restricted to the ages 16 to 43 years of age. An increased risk of receiving a disability pension was found among lone women, those who had sparse contacts with others, job-seeking women, homemakers, as well as women with low education, and poor private financial situations. A tenfold increase in the risk of receiving a disability pension was found among women reporting a long-standing illness and poor self-rated health, compared to women without a long-standing illness and good self-rated health. Psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms/unspecified illness were the strongest predictors of disability pension, particularly before 30 years of age. The study suggests that weak social relations and weak connections to working life contribute to increase the risk of disability pension in young women, also after control for socioeconomic conditions and self-reported ill health. Self-rated health was the strongest predictor, followed by long-standing illness and not having a job (job seekers and homemakers).

  11. Frequency filtering decompositions for unsymmetric matrices and matrices with strongly varying coefficients

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wagner, C.

    1996-12-31

    In 1992, Wittum introduced the frequency filtering decompositions (FFD), which yield a fast method for the iterative solution of large systems of linear equations. Based on this method, the tangential frequency filtering decompositions (TFFD) have been developed. The TFFD allow the robust and efficient treatment of matrices with strongly varying coefficients. The existence and the convergence of the TFFD can be shown for symmetric and positive definite matrices. For a large class of matrices, it is possible to prove that the convergence rate of the TFFD and of the FFD is independent of the number of unknowns. For both methods, schemes for the construction of frequency filtering decompositions for unsymmetric matrices have been developed. Since, in contrast to Wittums`s FFD, the TFFD needs only one test vector, an adaptive test vector can be used. The TFFD with respect to the adaptive test vector can be combined with other iterative methods, e.g. multi-grid methods, in order to improve the robustness of these methods. The frequency filtering decompositions have been successfully applied to the problem of the decontamination of a heterogeneous porous medium by flushing.

  12. Introduction to matrices and vectors

    CERN Document Server

    Schwartz, Jacob T

    2001-01-01

    In this concise undergraduate text, the first three chapters present the basics of matrices - in later chapters the author shows how to use vectors and matrices to solve systems of linear equations. 1961 edition.

  13. Preparation and characterization of chitosan-heparin composite matrices for blood contacting tissue engineering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He Qing; Gong Kai; Gong Yandao; Zhang Xiufang; Ao Qiang; Zhang Lihai; Hu Min

    2010-01-01

    Chitosan has been widely used for biomaterial scaffolds in tissue engineering because of its good mechanical properties and cytocompatibility. However, the poor blood compatibility of chitosan has greatly limited its biomedical utilization, especially for blood contacting tissue engineering. In this study, we exploited a polymer blending procedure to heparinize the chitosan material under simple and mild conditions to improve its antithrombogenic property. By an optimized procedure, a macroscopically homogeneous chitosan-heparin (Chi-Hep) blended suspension was obtained, with which Chi-Hep composite films and porous scaffolds were fabricated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and sulfur elemental analysis confirmed the successful immobilization of heparin in the composite matrices (i.e. films and porous scaffolds). Toluidine blue staining indicated that heparin was distributed homogeneously in the composite matrices. Only a small amount of heparin was released from the matrices during incubation in normal saline for 10 days. The composite matrices showed improved blood compatibility, as well as good mechanical properties and endothelial cell compatibility. These results suggest that the Chi-Hep composite matrices are promising candidates for blood contacting tissue engineering.

  14. Pathological rate matrices: from primates to pathogens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Knight Rob

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Continuous-time Markov models allow flexible, parametrically succinct descriptions of sequence divergence. Non-reversible forms of these models are more biologically realistic but are challenging to develop. The instantaneous rate matrices defined for these models are typically transformed into substitution probability matrices using a matrix exponentiation algorithm that employs eigendecomposition, but this algorithm has characteristic vulnerabilities that lead to significant errors when a rate matrix possesses certain 'pathological' properties. Here we tested whether pathological rate matrices exist in nature, and consider the suitability of different algorithms to their computation. Results We used concatenated protein coding gene alignments from microbial genomes, primate genomes and independent intron alignments from primate genomes. The Taylor series expansion and eigendecomposition matrix exponentiation algorithms were compared to the less widely employed, but more robust, Padé with scaling and squaring algorithm for nucleotide, dinucleotide, codon and trinucleotide rate matrices. Pathological dinucleotide and trinucleotide matrices were evident in the microbial data set, affecting the eigendecomposition and Taylor algorithms respectively. Even using a conservative estimate of matrix error (occurrence of an invalid probability, both Taylor and eigendecomposition algorithms exhibited substantial error rates: ~100% of all exonic trinucleotide matrices were pathological to the Taylor algorithm while ~10% of codon positions 1 and 2 dinucleotide matrices and intronic trinucleotide matrices, and ~30% of codon matrices were pathological to eigendecomposition. The majority of Taylor algorithm errors derived from occurrence of multiple unobserved states. A small number of negative probabilities were detected from the Pad�� algorithm on trinucleotide matrices that were attributable to machine precision. Although the Pad

  15. Spectra of sparse random matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuehn, Reimer

    2008-01-01

    We compute the spectral density for ensembles of sparse symmetric random matrices using replica. Our formulation of the replica-symmetric ansatz shares the symmetries of that suggested in a seminal paper by Rodgers and Bray (symmetry with respect to permutation of replica and rotation symmetry in the space of replica), but uses a different representation in terms of superpositions of Gaussians. It gives rise to a pair of integral equations which can be solved by a stochastic population-dynamics algorithm. Remarkably our representation allows us to identify pure-point contributions to the spectral density related to the existence of normalizable eigenstates. Our approach is not restricted to matrices defined on graphs with Poissonian degree distribution. Matrices defined on regular random graphs or on scale-free graphs, are easily handled. We also look at matrices with row constraints such as discrete graph Laplacians. Our approach naturally allows us to unfold the total density of states into contributions coming from vertices of different local coordinations and an example of such an unfolding is presented. Our results are well corroborated by numerical diagonalization studies of large finite random matrices

  16. Soft landing of size selected clusters in rare gas matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lau, J.T; Wurth, W.; Ehrke, H-U.; Achleitner, A.

    2003-01-01

    Soft landing of mass selected clusters in rare gas matrices is a technique used to preserve mass selection in cluster deposition. To prevent fragmentation upon deposition, the substrate is covered with rare gas matrices to dissipate the cluster kinetic energy upon impact. Theoretical and experimental studies demonstrate the power of this technique. Besides STM, optical absorption, excitation, and fluorescence experiments, x-ray absorption at core levels can be used as a tool to study soft landing conditions, as will be shown here. X-ray absorption spectroscopy is also well suited to follow diffusion and agglomeration of clusters on surfaces via energy shifts in core level absorption

  17. Subjective Health Complaints in Individuals with Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis: Associations with the Severity of the Skin Condition and Illness Perceptions - A Cross-Sectional Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nordbø, Emma Charlott Andersson; Aamodt, Geir; Ihlebæk, Camilla Martha

    2017-06-01

    High comorbidity has been reported among persons with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), but the occurrence of subjective health complaints (SHCs) in these patient groups is poorly understood. The study aimed to describe the prevalence of SHCs among individuals with psoriasis and PsA in Norway, and investigate whether the severity of their skin condition and their illness perceptions were associated with the number and severity of health complaints. Participants were recruited through the Psoriasis and Eczema Association of Norway (PEF) (n = 942). The participants answered a self-administered questionnaire covering subjective health complaints, the severity of their skin condition, and their illness perceptions measured with the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ-R). The prevalence and severity of SHCs were high. Participants with PsA reported more complaints and higher severity of complaints compared with participants with psoriasis. In both groups, the severity of the skin condition was associated with the number and severity of SHCs. Cognitive illness perceptions (consequences) and emotional illness perceptions (emotional affect) were associated with SHCs in participants with psoriasis, whereas only cognitive illness perceptions (consequences and identity) were associated with SHCs in participants with PsA. The high prevalence and severity of SHCs among individuals with psoriasis and PsA were associated with the severity of the skin condition and illness perceptions. Somatic and cognitive sensitizations are proposed as possible mechanisms. The findings suggest that holistic approaches are essential when managing these patient groups in health care institutions and clinical practice.

  18. Chemiluminescence in cryogenic matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lotnik, S. V.; Kazakov, Valeri P.

    1989-04-01

    The literature data on chemiluminescence (CL) in cryogenic matrices have been classified and correlated for the first time. The role of studies on phosphorescence and CL at low temperatures in the development of cryochemistry is shown. The features of low-temperature CL in matrices of nitrogen and inert gases (fine structure of spectra, matrix effects) and the data on the mobility and reactivity of atoms and radicals at very low temperatures are examined. The trends in the development of studies on CL in cryogenic matrices, such as the search for systems involving polyatomic molecules and extending the forms of CL reactions, are followed. The reactions of active nitrogen with hydrocarbons that are accompanied by light emission and CL in the oxidation of carbenes at T >= 77 K are examined. The bibliography includes 112 references.

  19. Stability of 26 Sedative Hypnotics in Six Toxicological Matrices at Different Storage Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mata, Dani C

    2016-10-01

    Forensic laboratories are challenged with backlogs that produce turnaround times that vary from days to months. Therefore, drug stability is important for interpretation in both antemortem (blood and urine) and postmortem (blood, brain, liver, stomach contents) cases. In this study, 23 benzodiazepines (2-hydroxyethylflurazepam, 7-aminoclonazepam, 7-aminoflunitrazepam, α-hydroxyalprazolam, α-hydroxytriazolam, alprazolam, bromazepam, chlordiazepoxide, clonazepam, demoxepam, desalkylflurazepam, diazepam, estazolam, flunitrazepam, flurazepam, lorazepam, midazolam, nitrazepam, nordiazepam, oxazepam, phenazepam, temazepam and triazolam) and three sedative hypnotics (zaleplon, zopiclone and zolpidem) were spiked into the six matrices at two different concentrations for each drug. The samples were stored in either a refrigerator (4°C) or freezer (-20°C) and analyzed in triplicate at various time intervals over an 8-month period using an SWGTOX validated method. The concentrations decreased over time regardless of the initial spiked concentration, and the storage conditions had little effect on the decrease of most drugs. Conversion from drug to metabolite was difficult to determine since all 26 drugs were present in each sample. Zopiclone and phenazepam were the least stable drugs; zopiclone was the only drug that completely disappeared in any matrix (both antemortem and postmortem blood). Urine was the most stable matrix with only phenazepam, 7-aminoclonazepam, 7-aminoflunitrazepam, 2-hydroxyethylflurazepam, and zopiclone decreasing >20% over the 8 months in either storage condition. Postmortem blood, the least stable matrix, had only two drugs, zolpidem and bromazepam, decreasing <20% in the 8-month time period. Further experiments on stability of these drugs should be undertaken to remove the freeze-thaw cycle effect and more thoroughly examining drug-metabolite conversion. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For

  20. Skew-adjacency matrices of graphs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cavers, M.; Cioaba, S.M.; Fallat, S.; Gregory, D.A.; Haemers, W.H.; Kirkland, S.J.; McDonald, J.J.; Tsatsomeros, M.

    2012-01-01

    The spectra of the skew-adjacency matrices of a graph are considered as a possible way to distinguish adjacency cospectral graphs. This leads to the following topics: graphs whose skew-adjacency matrices are all cospectral; relations between the matchings polynomial of a graph and the characteristic

  1. The invariant theory of matrices

    CERN Document Server

    Concini, Corrado De

    2017-01-01

    This book gives a unified, complete, and self-contained exposition of the main algebraic theorems of invariant theory for matrices in a characteristic free approach. More precisely, it contains the description of polynomial functions in several variables on the set of m\\times m matrices with coefficients in an infinite field or even the ring of integers, invariant under simultaneous conjugation. Following Hermann Weyl's classical approach, the ring of invariants is described by formulating and proving the first fundamental theorem that describes a set of generators in the ring of invariants, and the second fundamental theorem that describes relations between these generators. The authors study both the case of matrices over a field of characteristic 0 and the case of matrices over a field of positive characteristic. While the case of characteristic 0 can be treated following a classical approach, the case of positive characteristic (developed by Donkin and Zubkov) is much harder. A presentation of this case...

  2. Exact Inverse Matrices of Fermat and Mersenne Circulant Matrix

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanpeng Zheng

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The well known circulant matrices are applied to solve networked systems. In this paper, circulant and left circulant matrices with the Fermat and Mersenne numbers are considered. The nonsingularity of these special matrices is discussed. Meanwhile, the exact determinants and inverse matrices of these special matrices are presented.

  3. Enhancing Understanding of Transformation Matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dick, Jonathan; Childrey, Maria

    2012-01-01

    With the Common Core State Standards' emphasis on transformations, teachers need a variety of approaches to increase student understanding. Teaching matrix transformations by focusing on row vectors gives students tools to create matrices to perform transformations. This empowerment opens many doors: Students are able to create the matrices for…

  4. The relationship between physical ill-health and mental ill-health in adults with intellectual disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dunham, A; Kinnear, D; Allan, L; Smiley, E; Cooper, S-A

    2018-05-01

    People with intellectual disabilities face a much greater burden and earlier onset of physical and mental ill-health than the general adult population. Physical-mental comorbidity has been shown to result in poorer outcomes in the general population, but little is known about this relationship in adults with intellectual disabilities. To identify whether physical ill-health is associated with mental ill-health in adults with intellectual disabilities and whether the extent of physical multi-morbidity can predict the likelihood of mental ill-health. To identify any associations between types of physical ill-health and mental ill-health. A total of 1023 adults with intellectual disabilities underwent comprehensive health assessments. Binary logistic regressions were undertaken to establish any association between the independent variables: total number of physical health conditions, physical conditions by International Classification of Disease-10 chapter and specific physical health conditions; and the dependent variables: problem behaviours, mental disorders of any type. All regressions were adjusted for age, gender, level of intellectual disabilities, living arrangements, neighbourhood deprivation and Down syndrome. The extent of physical multi-morbidity was not associated with mental ill-health in adults with intellectual disabilities as only 0.8% of the sample had no physical conditions. Endocrine disease increased the risk of problem behaviours [odds ratio (OR): 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.47], respiratory disease reduced the risk of problem behaviours (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.54-0.99) and mental ill-health of any type (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.58-0.92), and musculoskeletal disease reduced the risk of mental ill-health of any type (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.73-0.98). Ischaemic heart disease increased the risk of problem behaviours approximately threefold (OR: 3.29, 95% CI: 1.02-10.60). The extent of physical multi-morbidity in the population with intellectual

  5. The effect of subliminal evaluative conditioning of cognitive self-schema and illness schema on pain tolerance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meerman, Esther E; Brosschot, Jos F; van der Togt, Stefanie A M; Verkuil, Bart

    2013-12-01

    Cognitive models explaining medically unexplained complaints propose that activating illness-related memory causes increased complaints such as pain. However, our previous studies showed conflicting support for this theory. Illness-related memory is more likely to influence reporting of complaints when its activation is enmeshed with that of self-related memory. We, therefore, investigated whether inducing this association would cause a stronger decrease in pain tolerance. In addition, we examined whether SFA acted as a moderator of this effect. We used subliminal evaluative conditioning (SEC) to induce an association between activated self-related and illness-related memory. Seventy-six participants were randomly assigned to four combinations of two priming factors: (1) the self-referent word "I" versus the nonself-referent "X" to manipulate activated self-related memory and (2) health complaint (HC) words versus neutral words to manipulate activated illness-related memory. Pain tolerance was assessed using a cold pressor task (CPT). Participants primed with the self-referent "I" and HC words did not demonstrate the expected lower pain tolerance. However, SFA acted as a moderator of the main effect of the self-prime: priming with "I" resulted in increased pain tolerance in participants with low SFA. The current study did not support the hypothesis that associations between activated self-related memory and illness-related memory cause increased reporting of complaints. Instead, activating self-related memory increased pain tolerance in participants with low SFA. This seems to indicate that the self-prime might cause an increase in SFA and suggests possible new ways to promote adaptive coping with pain.

  6. Group inverses of M-matrices and their applications

    CERN Document Server

    Kirkland, Stephen J

    2013-01-01

    Group inverses for singular M-matrices are useful tools not only in matrix analysis, but also in the analysis of stochastic processes, graph theory, electrical networks, and demographic models. Group Inverses of M-Matrices and Their Applications highlights the importance and utility of the group inverses of M-matrices in several application areas. After introducing sample problems associated with Leslie matrices and stochastic matrices, the authors develop the basic algebraic and spectral properties of the group inverse of a general matrix. They then derive formulas for derivatives of matrix f

  7. Central sensitivity syndromes: a new paradigm and group nosology for fibromyalgia and overlapping conditions, and the related issue of disease versus illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yunus, Muhammad B

    2008-06-01

    To discuss the current terminologies used for fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and related overlapping conditions, to examine if central sensitivity syndromes (CSS) is the appropriate nosology for these disorders, and to explore the issue of disease versus illness. A literature search was performed through PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect using a number of keywords, eg, functional somatic syndromes, somatoform disorders, medically unexplained symptoms, organic and nonorganic, and diseases and illness. Relevant articles were then reviewed and representative ones cited. Terminologies currently used for CSS conditions predominantly represent a psychosocial construct and are inappropriate. On the other hand, CSS seems to be the logical nosology based on a biopsychosocial model. Such terms as "medically unexplained symptoms," "somatization," "somatization disorder," and "functional somatic syndromes" in the context of CSS should be abandoned. Given current scientific knowledge, the concept of disease-illness dualism has no rational basis and impedes proper patient-physician communication, resulting in poor patient care. The concept of CSS is likely to promote research, education, and proper patient management. CSS seems to be a useful paradigm and an appropriate terminology for FMS and related conditions. The disease-illness, as well as organic/non-organic dichotomy, should be rejected.

  8. Condition Number Regularized Covariance Estimation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Won, Joong-Ho; Lim, Johan; Kim, Seung-Jean; Rajaratnam, Bala

    2013-06-01

    Estimation of high-dimensional covariance matrices is known to be a difficult problem, has many applications, and is of current interest to the larger statistics community. In many applications including so-called the "large p small n " setting, the estimate of the covariance matrix is required to be not only invertible, but also well-conditioned. Although many regularization schemes attempt to do this, none of them address the ill-conditioning problem directly. In this paper, we propose a maximum likelihood approach, with the direct goal of obtaining a well-conditioned estimator. No sparsity assumption on either the covariance matrix or its inverse are are imposed, thus making our procedure more widely applicable. We demonstrate that the proposed regularization scheme is computationally efficient, yields a type of Steinian shrinkage estimator, and has a natural Bayesian interpretation. We investigate the theoretical properties of the regularized covariance estimator comprehensively, including its regularization path, and proceed to develop an approach that adaptively determines the level of regularization that is required. Finally, we demonstrate the performance of the regularized estimator in decision-theoretic comparisons and in the financial portfolio optimization setting. The proposed approach has desirable properties, and can serve as a competitive procedure, especially when the sample size is small and when a well-conditioned estimator is required.

  9. Raven's matrices and working memory: a dual-task approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, K Venkata; Baddeley, Alan

    2013-01-01

    Raven's Matrices Test was developed as a "pure" measure of Spearman's concept of general intelligence, g. Subsequent research has attempted to specify the processes underpinning performance, some relating it to the concept of working memory and proposing a crucial role for the central executive, with the nature of other components currently unclear. Up to this point, virtually all work has been based on correlational analysis of number of correct solutions, sometimes related to possible strategies. We explore the application to this problem of the concurrent task methodology used widely in developing the concept of multicomponent working memory. Participants attempted to solve problems from the matrices under baseline conditions, or accompanied by backward counting or verbal repetition tasks, assumed to disrupt the central executive and phonological loop components of working memory, respectively. As in other uses of this method, number of items correct showed little effect, while solution time measures gave very clear evidence of an important role for the central executive, but no evidence for phonological loop involvement. We conclude that this and related concurrent task techniques hold considerable promise for the analysis of Raven's matrices and potentially for other established psychometric tests.

  10. Inference for High-dimensional Differential Correlation Matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, T Tony; Zhang, Anru

    2016-01-01

    Motivated by differential co-expression analysis in genomics, we consider in this paper estimation and testing of high-dimensional differential correlation matrices. An adaptive thresholding procedure is introduced and theoretical guarantees are given. Minimax rate of convergence is established and the proposed estimator is shown to be adaptively rate-optimal over collections of paired correlation matrices with approximately sparse differences. Simulation results show that the procedure significantly outperforms two other natural methods that are based on separate estimation of the individual correlation matrices. The procedure is also illustrated through an analysis of a breast cancer dataset, which provides evidence at the gene co-expression level that several genes, of which a subset has been previously verified, are associated with the breast cancer. Hypothesis testing on the differential correlation matrices is also considered. A test, which is particularly well suited for testing against sparse alternatives, is introduced. In addition, other related problems, including estimation of a single sparse correlation matrix, estimation of the differential covariance matrices, and estimation of the differential cross-correlation matrices, are also discussed.

  11. Phenomenological mass matrices with a democratic warp

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kleppe, A.

    2018-01-01

    Taking into account all available data on the mass sector, we obtain unitary rotation matrices that diagonalize the quark matrices by using a specific parametrization of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa mixing matrix. In this way, we find mass matrices for the up- and down-quark sectors of a specific, symmetric form, with traces of a democratic texture.

  12. Investigation of plutonium-239 conditioning in monazite and brabantite matrices: Synthesis and characterization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glorieux, B.; Jorion, F.; Montel, J.M.; Matecki, M.; Deschanels, X.; Coutures, JP.

    2004-01-01

    In response to the 1991 French radioactive waste management act, a research program was set up between the CNRS, the CEA and French universities to propose effective minor actinide disposal matrices capable of loading 10 wt% of actinide oxides and ensuring a hundred-fold better leaching performance than 'R7T7' glass. The lanthanide ortho-phosphates LaPO 4 could constitute an excellent matrix for this purpose. In this type of structure, the (PO 4 ) 3- negative entity is compensated by trivalent cations such as La, Ce, Gd, Pu, Am (monazite) or equal fractions of divalent and tetravalent cations such as Ca 2+ Th 4+ , Ca 2+ U 4+ , Ca 2+ Np 4+ (brabantite). Previous leach tests and geological discoveries have shown that these materials are highly resistant to leaching and conserve their crystalline state even in aqueous media. These points led us to investigate the incorporation of 10 wt% PuO 2 in monazite and brabantite materials and to study the effects of self-irradiation on their structural states. Prior to plutonium conditioning tests, experiments were performed in the laboratory using cerium and thorium oxides according to the following reactions: (1-3x)LaPO 4 + 2xCe 4+ O 2 + xLa(PO 3 ) 3 → La 1-2x Ce 2x 3+ PO 4 + x/2O 2 ; (1-3x)LaPO 4 + xTh 4+ O 2 + xCaO + xLa(PO 3 ) 3 → La 1-2x Ca x Th x 4+ PO 4 . Cerium oxide was used to study the reduction of a tetravalent cation to a trivalent state in a phosphate structure and to prepare for Pu 3+ conditioning. Thorium was used to study the conditioning of tetravalent cations such as Pu 4+ . The parameters and sintering reaction of the final product were optimized. In a radioactive laboratory, PuO 2 was then substituted for CeO 2 and ThO 2 in the first and second reactions mentioned above, respectively. The synthesis and sintering procedures were unchanged. X-ray diffraction analysis of the powder before and after sintering showed promising results that are discussed. (authors)

  13. Diagonalization of the mass matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rhee, S.S.

    1984-01-01

    It is possible to make 20 types of 3x3 mass matrices which are hermitian. We have obtained unitary matrices which could diagonalize each mass matrix. Since the three elements of mass matrix can be expressed in terms of the three eigenvalues, msub(i), we can also express the unitary matrix in terms of msub(i). (Author)

  14. Determination of experimental conditions for the analysis of rare-earth elements by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Application to oxalates and potassium sulphate matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bayon Fuentes, A.; Bermudez Polonio, J.

    1969-01-01

    A previous theoretical and experimental study is carried out in order to analyze the rare earths elements by X-ray florescence spectrometry. All possible spectral interferences are considered. The working conditions for each element were selected, taking into account the peak/background ratio values for the following parameters: tungsten, molybdenum and chromium targets, current and voltage, analyzing crystals, and scintillation and flow proportional counters. Calibration curves were plotted showing the concentration of rare earths elements in oxalates and potassium sulphate matrices, and the theoretical detection limits for each element: are calculated. (Author) 8 refs

  15. The construction of factorized S-matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chudnovsky, D.V.

    1981-01-01

    We study the relationships between factorized S-matrices given as representations of the Zamolodchikov algebra and exactly solvable models constructed using the Baxter method. Several new examples of symmetric and non-symmetric factorized S-matrices are proposed. (orig.)

  16. An implicit measure of associations with mental illness versus physical illness: response latency decomposition and stimuli differential functioning in relation to IAT order of associative conditions and accuracy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mannarini, Stefania; Boffo, Marilisa

    2014-01-01

    The present study aimed at the definition of a latent measurement dimension underlying an implicit measure of automatic associations between the concept of mental illness and the psychosocial and biogenetic causal explanatory attributes. To this end, an Implicit Association Test (IAT) assessing the association between the Mental Illness and Physical Illness target categories to the Psychological and Biologic attribute categories, representative of the causal explanation domains, was developed. The IAT presented 22 stimuli (words and pictures) to be categorized into the four categories. After 360 university students completed the IAT, a Many-Facet Rasch Measurement (MFRM) modelling approach was applied. The model specified a person latency parameter and a stimulus latency parameter. Two additional parameters were introduced to denote the order of presentation of the task associative conditions and the general response accuracy. Beyond the overall definition of the latent measurement dimension, the MFRM was also applied to disentangle the effect of the task block order and the general response accuracy on the stimuli response latency. Further, the MFRM allowed detecting any differential functioning of each stimulus in relation to both block ordering and accuracy. The results evidenced: a) the existence of a latency measurement dimension underlying the Mental Illness versus Physical Illness - Implicit Association Test; b) significant effects of block order and accuracy on the overall latency; c) a differential functioning of specific stimuli. The results of the present study can contribute to a better understanding of the functioning of an implicit measure of semantic associations with mental illness and give a first blueprint for the examination of relevant issues in the development of an IAT.

  17. Sports drug testing using complementary matrices: Advantages and limitations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thevis, Mario; Geyer, Hans; Tretzel, Laura; Schänzer, Wilhelm

    2016-10-25

    Today, routine doping controls largely rely on testing whole blood, serum, and urine samples. These matrices allow comprehensively covering inorganic as well as low and high molecular mass organic analytes relevant to doping controls and are collecting and transferring from sampling sites to accredited anti-doping laboratories under standardized conditions. Various aspects including time and cost-effectiveness as well as intrusiveness and invasiveness of the sampling procedure but also analyte stability and breadth of the contained information have been motivation to consider and assess values potentially provided and added to modern sports drug testing programs by alternative matrices. Such alternatives could be dried blood spots (DBS), dried plasma spots (DPS), oral fluid (OF), exhaled breath (EB), and hair. In this review, recent developments and test methods concerning these alternative matrices and expected or proven contributions as well as limitations of these specimens in the context of the international anti-doping fight are presented and discussed, guided by current regulations for prohibited substances and methods of doping as established by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Focusing on literature published between 2011 and 2015, examples for doping control analytical assays concerning non-approved substances, anabolic agents, peptide hormones/growth factors/related substances and mimetics, β 2 -agonists, hormone and metabolic modulators, diuretics and masking agents, stimulants, narcotics, cannabinoids, glucocorticoids, and beta-blockers were selected to outline the advantages and limitations of the aforementioned alternative matrices as compared to conventional doping control samples (i.e. urine and blood/serum). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. A Brief Historical Introduction to Matrices and Their Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Debnath, L.

    2014-01-01

    This paper deals with the ancient origin of matrices, and the system of linear equations. Included are algebraic properties of matrices, determinants, linear transformations, and Cramer's Rule for solving the system of algebraic equations. Special attention is given to some special matrices, including matrices in graph theory and electrical…

  19. Hypercyclic Abelian Semigroups of Matrices on Cn

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ayadi, Adlene; Marzougui, Habib

    2010-07-01

    We give a complete characterization of existence of dense orbit for any abelian semigroup of matrices on C n . For finitely generated semigroups, this characterization is explicit and is used to determine the minimal number of matrices in normal form over C which forms a hypercyclic abelian semigroup on C n . In particular, we show that no abelian semigroup generated by n matrices on C n can be hypercyclic. (author)

  20. Generalized Perron--Frobenius Theorem for Nonsquare Matrices

    OpenAIRE

    Avin, Chen; Borokhovich, Michael; Haddad, Yoram; Kantor, Erez; Lotker, Zvi; Parter, Merav; Peleg, David

    2013-01-01

    The celebrated Perron--Frobenius (PF) theorem is stated for irreducible nonnegative square matrices, and provides a simple characterization of their eigenvectors and eigenvalues. The importance of this theorem stems from the fact that eigenvalue problems on such matrices arise in many fields of science and engineering, including dynamical systems theory, economics, statistics and optimization. However, many real-life scenarios give rise to nonsquare matrices. A natural question is whether the...

  1. Formal matrices

    CERN Document Server

    Krylov, Piotr

    2017-01-01

    This monograph is a comprehensive account of formal matrices, examining homological properties of modules over formal matrix rings and summarising the interplay between Morita contexts and K theory. While various special types of formal matrix rings have been studied for a long time from several points of view and appear in various textbooks, for instance to examine equivalences of module categories and to illustrate rings with one-sided non-symmetric properties, this particular class of rings has, so far, not been treated systematically. Exploring formal matrix rings of order 2 and introducing the notion of the determinant of a formal matrix over a commutative ring, this monograph further covers the Grothendieck and Whitehead groups of rings. Graduate students and researchers interested in ring theory, module theory and operator algebras will find this book particularly valuable. Containing numerous examples, Formal Matrices is a largely self-contained and accessible introduction to the topic, assuming a sol...

  2. ESTIMATION OF FUNCTIONALS OF SPARSE COVARIANCE MATRICES.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Jianqing; Rigollet, Philippe; Wang, Weichen

    High-dimensional statistical tests often ignore correlations to gain simplicity and stability leading to null distributions that depend on functionals of correlation matrices such as their Frobenius norm and other ℓ r norms. Motivated by the computation of critical values of such tests, we investigate the difficulty of estimation the functionals of sparse correlation matrices. Specifically, we show that simple plug-in procedures based on thresholded estimators of correlation matrices are sparsity-adaptive and minimax optimal over a large class of correlation matrices. Akin to previous results on functional estimation, the minimax rates exhibit an elbow phenomenon. Our results are further illustrated in simulated data as well as an empirical study of data arising in financial econometrics.

  3. Non-dense domain operator matrices and Cauchy problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lalaoui Rhali, S.

    2002-12-01

    In this work, we study Cauchy problems with non-dense domain operator matrices. By assuming that the entries of an unbounded operator matrix are Hille-Yosida operators, we give a necessary and sufficient condition ensuring that the part of this operator matrix generates a semigroup in the closure of its domain. This allows us to prove the well-posedness of the corresponding Cauchy problem. Our results are applied to delay and neutral differential equations. (author)

  4. THE ALGORITHM AND PROGRAM OF M-MATRICES SEARCH AND STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. N. Balonin

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The algorithm and software for search and study of orthogonal bases matrices – minimax matrices (M-matrix are considered. The algorithm scheme is shown, comments on calculation blocks are given, and interface of the MMatrix software system developed with participation of the authors is explained. The results of the universal algorithm work are presented as Hadamard matrices, Belevitch matrices (C-matrices, conference matrices and matrices of even and odd orders complementary and closely related to those ones by their properties, in particular, the matrix of the 22-th order for which there is no C-matrix. Examples of portraits for alternative matrices of the 255-th and the 257-th orders are given corresponding to the sequences of Mersenne and Fermat numbers. A new way to get Hadamard matrices is explained, different from the previously known procedures based on iterative processes and calculations of Lagrange symbols, with theoretical and practical meaning.

  5. The modified Gauss diagonalization of polynomial matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saeed, K.

    1982-10-01

    The Gauss algorithm for diagonalization of constant matrices is modified for application to polynomial matrices. Due to this modification the diagonal elements become pure polynomials rather than rational functions. (author)

  6. Quantum Hilbert matrices and orthogonal polynomials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Jørgen Ellegaard; Berg, Christian

    2009-01-01

    Using the notion of quantum integers associated with a complex number q≠0 , we define the quantum Hilbert matrix and various extensions. They are Hankel matrices corresponding to certain little q -Jacobi polynomials when |q|<1 , and for the special value they are closely related to Hankel matrice...

  7. Discrete canonical transforms that are Hadamard matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Healy, John J; Wolf, Kurt Bernardo

    2011-01-01

    The group Sp(2,R) of symplectic linear canonical transformations has an integral kernel which has quadratic and linear phases, and which is realized by the geometric paraxial optical model. The discrete counterpart of this model is a finite Hamiltonian system that acts on N-point signals through N x N matrices whose elements also have a constant absolute value, although they do not form a representation of that group. Those matrices that are also unitary are Hadamard matrices. We investigate the manifolds of these N x N matrices under the Sp(2,R) equivalence imposed by the model, and find them to be on two-sided cosets. By means of an algorithm we determine representatives that lead to collections of mutually unbiased bases.

  8. A fluorescent colorimetric pH sensor and the influences of matrices on sensing performances

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Yanqing; Fuller, Emily; Klug, Summer; Lee, Fred; Su, Fengyu; Zhang, Liqiang; Chao, Shih-hui; Meldrum, Deirdre R.

    2013-01-01

    A fluorescent colorimetric pH sensor was developed by a polymerization of a monomeric fluorescein based green emitter (SM1) with a monomeric 2-dicyanomethylene-3-cyano-4,5,5-trimethyl-2,5-dihydrofuran derived red emitter (SM2) in poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-co-polyacrylamide (PHEMA-co-PAM) matrices. Polymerized SM1 (PSM1) in the polymer matrices showed bright emissions at basic conditions and weak emissions at acidic conditions. Polymerized SM2 (PSM2) in the polymer matrices exhibited a vastly different response when compared to PSM1. The emissions of PSM2 are stronger under acidic conditions than those under basic conditions. When SM1 and SM2 were polymerized in the same polymer matrix, a dual emission sensor acting as a ratiometric pH sensor (PSM1,2) was successfully developed. Because the PSM1 and PSM2 exhibited different pH responses and separated emission windows, the changes in the emission colors were clearly observed in their dual color sensor of PSM1,2, which changed emission colors dramatically from green at pH 7 to red at pH 4, which was detected visually and/or by using a color camera under an excitation of 488 nm. In addition to the development of the dual color ratiometric pH sensor, we also studied the effects of different matrix compositions, crosslinkers, and charges on the reporting capabilities of the sensors (sensitivity and pKa). PMID:24078772

  9. A fluorescent colorimetric pH sensor and the influences of matrices on sensing performances.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Yanqing; Fuller, Emily; Klug, Summer; Lee, Fred; Su, Fengyu; Zhang, Liqiang; Chao, Shih-Hui; Meldrum, Deirdre R

    2013-10-01

    A fluorescent colorimetric pH sensor was developed by a polymerization of a monomeric fluorescein based green emitter ( SM1 ) with a monomeric 2-dicyanomethylene-3-cyano-4,5,5-trimethyl-2,5-dihydrofuran derived red emitter ( SM2 ) in poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)- co -polyacrylamide (PHEMA-co-PAM) matrices. Polymerized SM1 ( PSM1 ) in the polymer matrices showed bright emissions at basic conditions and weak emissions at acidic conditions. Polymerized SM2 ( PSM2 ) in the polymer matrices exhibited a vastly different response when compared to PSM1 . The emissions of PSM2 are stronger under acidic conditions than those under basic conditions. When SM1 and SM2 were polymerized in the same polymer matrix, a dual emission sensor acting as a ratiometric pH sensor ( PSM1,2 ) was successfully developed. Because the PSM1 and PSM2 exhibited different pH responses and separated emission windows, the changes in the emission colors were clearly observed in their dual color sensor of PSM1,2 , which changed emission colors dramatically from green at pH 7 to red at pH 4, which was detected visually and/or by using a color camera under an excitation of 488 nm. In addition to the development of the dual color ratiometric pH sensor, we also studied the effects of different matrix compositions, crosslinkers, and charges on the reporting capabilities of the sensors (sensitivity and p K a ).

  10. Abel-grassmann's groupoids of modulo matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Javaid, Q.; Awan, M.D.; Naqvi, S.H.A.

    2016-01-01

    The binary operation of usual addition is associative in all matrices over R. However, a binary operation of addition in matrices over Z/sub n/ of a nonassociative structures of AG-groupoids and AG-groups are defined and investigated here. It is shown that both these structures exist for every integer n >≥ 3. Various properties of these structures are explored like: (i) Every AG-groupoid of matrices over Z/sub n/ is transitively commutative AG-groupoid and is a cancellative AG-groupoid if n is prime. (ii) Every AG-groupoid of matrices over Z/sub n/ of Type-II is a T/sup 3/-AG-groupoid. (iii) An AG-groupoid of matrices over Z/sub n/ ; G /sub nAG/(t,u), is an AG-band, if t+u=1(mod n). (author)

  11. Chitosan-Based Matrices Prepared by Gamma Irradiation for Tissue Regeneration: Structural Properties vs. Preparation Method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casimiro, Maria Helena; Lancastre, Joana J H; Rodrigues, Alexandra P; Gomes, Susana R; Rodrigues, Gabriela; Ferreira, Luís M

    2017-02-01

    In the last decade, new generations of biopolymer-based materials have attracted attention, aiming its application as scaffolds for tissue engineering. These engineered three-dimensional scaffolds are designed to improve or replace damaged, missing, or otherwise compromised tissues or organs. Despite the number of promising methods that can be used to generate 3D cell-instructive matrices, the innovative nature of the present work relies on the application of ionizing radiation technology to form and modify surfaces and matrices with advantage over more conventional technologies (room temperature reaction, absence of harmful initiators or solvents, high penetration through the bulk materials, etc.), and the possibility of preparation and sterilization in one single step. The current chapter summarizes the work done by the authors in the gamma radiation processing of biocompatible and biodegradable chitosan-based matrices for skin regeneration. Particular attention is given to the correlation between the different preparation conditions and the final polymeric matrices' properties. We therefore expect to demonstrate that instructive matrices produced and improved by radiation technology bring to the field of skin regenerative medicine a supplemental advantage over more conservative techniques.

  12. Predicting Covariance Matrices with Financial Conditions Indexes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A. Opschoor (Anne); D.J.C. van Dijk (Dick); M. van der Wel (Michel)

    2013-01-01

    textabstractWe model the impact of financial conditions on asset market volatility and correlation. We propose extensions of (factor-)GARCH models for volatility and DCC models for correlation that allow for including indexes that measure financial conditions. In our empirical application we

  13. Understanding Mental Illness Stigma Toward Persons With Multiple Stigmatized Conditions: Implications of Intersectionality Theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oexle, Nathalie; Corrigan, Patrick W

    2018-05-01

    People with mental illness are often members of multiple stigmatized social groups. Therefore, experienced disadvantage might not be determined solely by mental illness stigma. Nevertheless, most available research does not consider the effects and implications of membership in multiple stigmatized social groups among people with mental illness. Reflecting on intersectionality theory, the authors discuss two intersectional effects determining disadvantage among people with mental illness who are members of multiple stigmatized social groups, namely double disadvantage and prominence. To be effective, interventions to reduce disadvantage experienced by people with mental illness need to be flexible and targeted rather than universal in order to address the implications of intersectionality. Whereas education-based approaches usually assume homogeneity and use universal strategies, contact-based interventions consider diversity among people with mental illness.

  14. Electrospun composite matrices of poly(ε-caprolactone)-montmorillonite made using tenside free Pickering emulsions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samanta, Archana; Takkar, Sonam; Kulshreshtha, Ritu; Nandan, Bhanu; Srivastava, Rajiv K.

    2016-01-01

    The production of composite electrospun matrices of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) using an emulsifier-free emulsion, made with minimal organic solvent, as precursor is reported. Pickering emulsions of PCL were prepared using modified montmorillonite (MMT) clay as the stabilizer. Hydrophobic tallow group of the modified MMT clay resulted in analogous interaction of clay with oil and aqueous phase and its adsorption at the interface to provide stability to the resultant emulsion. Composite fibrous matrices of PCL and MMT were produced using electrospinning under controlled conditions. The fiber fineness was found to alter with PCL concentration and volume fraction of the aqueous and oil phases. A higher tensile strength and modulus was obtained with inclusion of MMT in PCL electrospun matrix in comparison to a matrix made using neat PCL. The presence of clay in the fibrous matrix did not change the cell proliferation efficiency in comparison to neat PCL matrix. Composite fibrous matrices of PCL/MMT bearing enhanced tensile properties may find applications in areas other than tissue engineering for example food packaging and filtration. - Highlights: • Tenside free, clay stabilized Pickering emulsion of PCL is made with minimal organic solvent. • Organic–inorganic composite fibrous matrices were produced via emulsion electrospinning. • Fiber fineness was efficiently controlled by variation in emulsion formulation. • Fibrous matrices of high tensile strength and modulus were obtained in comparison to neat PCL matrix. • PCL/clay matrices showed effective cell proliferation as a neat PCL matrix.

  15. Electrospun composite matrices of poly(ε-caprolactone)-montmorillonite made using tenside free Pickering emulsions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Samanta, Archana [Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016 (India); Takkar, Sonam; Kulshreshtha, Ritu [Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016 (India); Nandan, Bhanu [Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016 (India); Srivastava, Rajiv K., E-mail: rajiv@textile.iitd.ac.in [Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016 (India)

    2016-12-01

    The production of composite electrospun matrices of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) using an emulsifier-free emulsion, made with minimal organic solvent, as precursor is reported. Pickering emulsions of PCL were prepared using modified montmorillonite (MMT) clay as the stabilizer. Hydrophobic tallow group of the modified MMT clay resulted in analogous interaction of clay with oil and aqueous phase and its adsorption at the interface to provide stability to the resultant emulsion. Composite fibrous matrices of PCL and MMT were produced using electrospinning under controlled conditions. The fiber fineness was found to alter with PCL concentration and volume fraction of the aqueous and oil phases. A higher tensile strength and modulus was obtained with inclusion of MMT in PCL electrospun matrix in comparison to a matrix made using neat PCL. The presence of clay in the fibrous matrix did not change the cell proliferation efficiency in comparison to neat PCL matrix. Composite fibrous matrices of PCL/MMT bearing enhanced tensile properties may find applications in areas other than tissue engineering for example food packaging and filtration. - Highlights: • Tenside free, clay stabilized Pickering emulsion of PCL is made with minimal organic solvent. • Organic–inorganic composite fibrous matrices were produced via emulsion electrospinning. • Fiber fineness was efficiently controlled by variation in emulsion formulation. • Fibrous matrices of high tensile strength and modulus were obtained in comparison to neat PCL matrix. • PCL/clay matrices showed effective cell proliferation as a neat PCL matrix.

  16. Free probability and random matrices

    CERN Document Server

    Mingo, James A

    2017-01-01

    This volume opens the world of free probability to a wide variety of readers. From its roots in the theory of operator algebras, free probability has intertwined with non-crossing partitions, random matrices, applications in wireless communications, representation theory of large groups, quantum groups, the invariant subspace problem, large deviations, subfactors, and beyond. This book puts a special emphasis on the relation of free probability to random matrices, but also touches upon the operator algebraic, combinatorial, and analytic aspects of the theory. The book serves as a combination textbook/research monograph, with self-contained chapters, exercises scattered throughout the text, and coverage of important ongoing progress of the theory. It will appeal to graduate students and all mathematicians interested in random matrices and free probability from the point of view of operator algebras, combinatorics, analytic functions, or applications in engineering and statistical physics.

  17. Quantum matrices in two dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ewen, H.; Ogievetsky, O.; Wess, J.

    1991-01-01

    Quantum matrices in two-dimensions, admitting left and right quantum spaces, are classified: they fall into two families, the 2-parametric family GL p,q (2) and a 1-parametric family GL α J (2). Phenomena previously found for GL p,q (2) hold in this general situation: (a) powers of quantum matrices are again quantum and (b) entries of the logarithm of a two-dimensional quantum matrix form a Lie algebra. (orig.)

  18. Condition Number Regularized Covariance Estimation*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Won, Joong-Ho; Lim, Johan; Kim, Seung-Jean; Rajaratnam, Bala

    2012-01-01

    Estimation of high-dimensional covariance matrices is known to be a difficult problem, has many applications, and is of current interest to the larger statistics community. In many applications including so-called the “large p small n” setting, the estimate of the covariance matrix is required to be not only invertible, but also well-conditioned. Although many regularization schemes attempt to do this, none of them address the ill-conditioning problem directly. In this paper, we propose a maximum likelihood approach, with the direct goal of obtaining a well-conditioned estimator. No sparsity assumption on either the covariance matrix or its inverse are are imposed, thus making our procedure more widely applicable. We demonstrate that the proposed regularization scheme is computationally efficient, yields a type of Steinian shrinkage estimator, and has a natural Bayesian interpretation. We investigate the theoretical properties of the regularized covariance estimator comprehensively, including its regularization path, and proceed to develop an approach that adaptively determines the level of regularization that is required. Finally, we demonstrate the performance of the regularized estimator in decision-theoretic comparisons and in the financial portfolio optimization setting. The proposed approach has desirable properties, and can serve as a competitive procedure, especially when the sample size is small and when a well-conditioned estimator is required. PMID:23730197

  19. A Perron-Frobenius Theorem for Positive Quasipolynomial Matrices Associated with Homogeneous Difference Equations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bui The Anh

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available We extend the classical Perron-Frobenius theorem for positive quasipolynomial matrices associated with homogeneous difference equations. Finally, the result obtained is applied to derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the stability of positive system.

  20. Living with Mentally Ill Parent

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kadriye Buldukoglu

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The present review seeks to identify and analyze qualitative studies that examined experiences of children whose parents have a mental illness. This study reported that children whose parents have a mental illness had some common experiences. These experiences may have negative effects on children’s coping skills, resilience to tough living conditions and ability to maintain their mental health. In spite of these negative conditions, some of these children have much more self-confidence, resilience and independence because of inner development and early maturation. Some effective intervention programs are needed to promote information to children and other family members about mental illness, coping behaviors. Availability of such psychiatric services and nation-wide programs with professionals to deal with these problems should be organized properly to increase quality of life of these children. Furthermore, qualitative researches that explore the experiences of children whose parents with mental illness should also be conducted in our country.

  1. Investigation of plutonium-239 conditioning in monazite and brabantite matrices: Synthesis and characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Glorieux, B.; Jorion, F.; Montel, J.M.; Matecki, M.; Deschanels, X.; Coutures, JP

    2004-07-01

    In response to the 1991 French radioactive waste management act, a research program was set up between the CNRS, the CEA and French universities to propose effective minor actinide disposal matrices capable of loading 10 wt% of actinide oxides and ensuring a hundred-fold better leaching performance than 'R7T7' glass. The lanthanide ortho-phosphates LaPO{sub 4} could constitute an excellent matrix for this purpose. In this type of structure, the (PO{sub 4}){sup 3-} negative entity is compensated by trivalent cations such as La, Ce, Gd, Pu, Am (monazite) or equal fractions of divalent and tetravalent cations such as Ca{sup 2+}Th{sup 4+}, Ca{sup 2+}U{sup 4+}, Ca{sup 2+}Np{sup 4+} (brabantite). Previous leach tests and geological discoveries have shown that these materials are highly resistant to leaching and conserve their crystalline state even in aqueous media. These points led us to investigate the incorporation of 10 wt% PuO{sub 2} in monazite and brabantite materials and to study the effects of self-irradiation on their structural states. Prior to plutonium conditioning tests, experiments were performed in the laboratory using cerium and thorium oxides according to the following reactions: (1-3x)LaPO{sub 4} + 2xCe{sup 4+}O{sub 2} + xLa(PO{sub 3}){sub 3} {yields} La{sub 1-2x}Ce{sub 2x}{sup 3+}PO{sub 4} + x/2O{sub 2}; (1-3x)LaPO{sub 4} + xTh{sup 4+}O{sub 2} + xCaO + xLa(PO{sub 3}){sub 3} {yields} La{sub 1-2x}Ca{sub x}Th{sub x}{sup 4+}PO{sub 4}. Cerium oxide was used to study the reduction of a tetravalent cation to a trivalent state in a phosphate structure and to prepare for Pu{sup 3+} conditioning. Thorium was used to study the conditioning of tetravalent cations such as Pu{sup 4+}. The parameters and sintering reaction of the final product were optimized. In a radioactive laboratory, PuO{sub 2} was then substituted for CeO{sub 2} and ThO{sub 2} in the first and second reactions mentioned above, respectively. The synthesis and sintering procedures were

  2. Synchronous correlation matrices and Connes’ embedding conjecture

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dykema, Kenneth J., E-mail: kdykema@math.tamu.edu [Department of Mathematics, Texas A& M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3368 (United States); Paulsen, Vern, E-mail: vern@math.uh.edu [Department of Mathematics, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204 (United States)

    2016-01-15

    In the work of Paulsen et al. [J. Funct. Anal. (in press); preprint arXiv:1407.6918], the concept of synchronous quantum correlation matrices was introduced and these were shown to correspond to traces on certain C*-algebras. In particular, synchronous correlation matrices arose in their study of various versions of quantum chromatic numbers of graphs and other quantum versions of graph theoretic parameters. In this paper, we develop these ideas further, focusing on the relations between synchronous correlation matrices and microstates. We prove that Connes’ embedding conjecture is equivalent to the equality of two families of synchronous quantum correlation matrices. We prove that if Connes’ embedding conjecture has a positive answer, then the tracial rank and projective rank are equal for every graph. We then apply these results to more general non-local games.

  3. Stress in adolescents with a chronically ill parent: inspiration from Rolland's Family Systems-Illness model

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sieh, D.S.; Dikkers, A.L.C.; Visser-Meily, J.M.A.; Meijer, A.M.

    2012-01-01

    This article was inspired by Rolland’s Family Systems-Illness (FSI) model, aiming to predict adolescent stress as a function of parental illness type. Ninety-nine parents with a chronic medical condition, 82 partners, and 158 adolescent children (51 % girls; mean age = 15.1 years) participated in

  4. Realm of Matrices

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    IAS Admin

    harmonic analysis and complex analysis, in ... gebra describes not only the study of linear transforma- tions and .... special case of the Jordan canonical form of matrices. ..... Richard Bronson, Schaum's Outline Series Theory And Problems Of.

  5. Thinking positively about chronic illness: An exploration of optimism, illness perceptions and well-being in patients with Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hurt, Catherine S; Burn, David J; Hindle, John; Samuel, Mike; Wilson, Ken; Brown, Richard G

    2014-05-01

    Holding positive beliefs about illness and having an optimistic outlook have been associated with increased well-being across a range of health conditions. However, research has indicated that being very optimistic may not actually be beneficial, and holding a realistic attitude is more adaptive in some forms of chronic illness, for example, Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to explore the nature of relationships between illness perceptions, optimism and well-being: specifically, whether a linear or non-linear relationship best described the data. Additionally, the proposed moderating effect of optimism on the relationship between illness perceptions and well-being was tested. A total of 109 participants with idiopathic PD completed questionnaire measures of illness perception, optimism, mood and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Multiple regression analyses were used to explore relationships between illness perceptions, optimism, mood and HRQoL. The potential curvilinear effects of illness perceptions and optimism were modelled using squared variables and linear and quadratic curve estimation. Holding positive illness perceptions predicted better well-being. Some evidence for a non-linear relationship between optimism and mood was found. Optimism had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between specific illness perceptions and outcome. Optimism appears to provide protection against some negative perceptions of illness and was associated with better mood and HRQoL. The findings indicate that specific illness perceptions may be beneficial targets for therapy. Therapeutic interventions should focus on enhancing positive perceptions of PD but potentially more importantly general optimistic attitude to maximize well-being. What is already known on this subject? Positive illness perceptions and high optimism are associated with better well-being in a range of conditions, both chronic and acute. Preliminary studies suggest that in chronic

  6. Virial expansion for almost diagonal random matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yevtushenko, Oleg; Kravtsov, Vladimir E.

    2003-08-01

    Energy level statistics of Hermitian random matrices hat H with Gaussian independent random entries Higeqj is studied for a generic ensemble of almost diagonal random matrices with langle|Hii|2rangle ~ 1 and langle|Hi\

  7. Using sparse LU factorisation to precondition GMRES for a family of similarly structured matrices arising from process modelling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brooking, C. [Univ. of Bath (United Kingdom)

    1996-12-31

    Process engineering software is used to simulate the operation of large chemical plants. Such simulations are used for a variety of tasks, including operator training. For the software to be of practical use for this, dynamic simulations need to run in real-time. The models that the simulation is based upon are written in terms of Differential Algebraic Equations (DAE`s). In the numerical time-integration of systems of DAE`s using an implicit method such as backward Euler, the solution of nonlinear systems is required at each integration point. When solved using Newton`s method, this leads to the repeated solution of nonsymmetric sparse linear systems. These systems range in size from 500 to 20,000 variables. A typical integration may require around 3000 timesteps, and if 4 Newton iterates were needed on each time step, then this means approximately 12,000 linear systems must be solved. The matrices produced by the simulations have a similar sparsity pattern throughout the integration. They are also severely ill-conditioned, and have widely-scattered spectra.

  8. The illness/non-illness model: hypnotherapy for physically ill patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Navon, Shaul

    2014-07-01

    This article proposes a focused, novel sub-set of the cognitive behavioral therapy approach to hypnotherapy for physically ill patients, based upon the illness/non-illness psychotherapeutic model for physically ill patients. The model is based on three logical rules used in differentiating illness from non-illness: duality, contradiction, and complementarity. The article discusses the use of hypnotic interventions to help physically ill and/or disabled patients distinguish between illness and non-illness in their psychotherapeutic themes and attitudes. Two case studies illustrate that patients in this special population group can be taught to learn the language of change and to use this language to overcome difficult situations. The model suggests a new clinical mode of treatment in which individuals who are physically ill and/or disabled are helped in coping with actual motifs and thoughts related to non-illness or non-disability.

  9. Chequered surfaces and complex matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morris, T.R.; Southampton Univ.

    1991-01-01

    We investigate a large-N matrix model involving general complex matrices. It can be reinterpreted as a model of two hermitian matrices with specific couplings, and as a model of positive definite hermitian matrices. Large-N perturbation theory generates dynamical triangulations in which the triangles can be chequered (i.e. coloured so that neighbours are opposite colours). On a sphere there is a simple relation between such triangulations and those generated by the single hermitian matrix model. For the torus (and a quartic potential) we solve the counting problem for the number of triangulations that cannot be quechered. The critical physics of chequered triangulations is the same as that of the hermitian matrix model. We show this explicitly by solving non-perturbatively pure two-dimensional ''chequered'' gravity. The interpretative framework given here applies to a number of other generalisations of the hermitian matrix model. (orig.)

  10. Review Over a 3-Year Period of European Union Proficiency Tests for Detection of Staphylococcal Enterotoxins in Food Matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nia, Yacine; Mutel, Isabelle; Assere, Adrien; Lombard, Bertrand; Auvray, Frederic; Hennekinne, Jacques-Antoine

    2016-04-13

    Staphylococcal food poisoning outbreaks are a major cause of foodborne illnesses in Europe and their notifications have been mandatory since 2005. Even though the European regulation on microbiological criteria for food defines a criterion on staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) only in cheese and dairy products, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) data reported that various types of food matrices are involved in staphylococcal food poisoning outbreaks. The European Screening Method (ESM) of European Union Reference Laboratory for Coagulase Positive Staphylococci (EURL CPS) was validated in 2011 for SE detection in food matrices and is currently the official method used for screening purposes in Europe. In this context, EURLCPS is annually organizing Inter-Laboratory Proficiency Testing Trials (ILPT) to evaluate the competency of the European countries' National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) to analyse SE content in food matrices. A total of 31 NRLs representing 93% of European countries participated in these ILPTs. Eight food matrices were used for ILPT over the period 2013-2015, including cheese, freeze-dried cheese, tuna, mackerel, roasted chicken, ready-to-eat food, milk, and pastry. Food samples were spiked with four SE types (i.e., SEA, SEC, SED, and SEE) at various concentrations. Homogeneity and stability studies showed that ILPT samples were both homogeneous and stable. The analysis of results obtained by participants for a total of 155 blank and 620 contaminated samples allowed for evaluation of trueness (>98%) and specificity (100%) of ESM. Further to the validation study of ESM carried out in 2011, these three ILPTs allowed for the assessment of the proficiency of the NRL network and the performance of ESM on a large variety of food matrices and samples. The ILPT design presented here will be helpful for the organization of ILPT on SE detection by NRLs or other expert laboratories.

  11. Review Over a 3-Year Period of European Union Proficiency Tests for Detection of Staphylococcal Enterotoxins in Food Matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yacine Nia

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Staphylococcal food poisoning outbreaks are a major cause of foodborne illnesses in Europe and their notifications have been mandatory since 2005. Even though the European regulation on microbiological criteria for food defines a criterion on staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE only in cheese and dairy products, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA data reported that various types of food matrices are involved in staphylococcal food poisoning outbreaks. The European Screening Method (ESM of European Union Reference Laboratory for Coagulase Positive Staphylococci (EURL CPS was validated in 2011 for SE detection in food matrices and is currently the official method used for screening purposes in Europe. In this context, EURLCPS is annually organizing Inter-Laboratory Proficiency Testing Trials (ILPT to evaluate the competency of the European countries’ National Reference Laboratories (NRLs to analyse SE content in food matrices. A total of 31 NRLs representing 93% of European countries participated in these ILPTs. Eight food matrices were used for ILPT over the period 2013–2015, including cheese, freeze-dried cheese, tuna, mackerel, roasted chicken, ready-to-eat food, milk, and pastry. Food samples were spiked with four SE types (i.e., SEA, SEC, SED, and SEE at various concentrations. Homogeneity and stability studies showed that ILPT samples were both homogeneous and stable. The analysis of results obtained by participants for a total of 155 blank and 620 contaminated samples allowed for evaluation of trueness (>98% and specificity (100% of ESM. Further to the validation study of ESM carried out in 2011, these three ILPTs allowed for the assessment of the proficiency of the NRL network and the performance of ESM on a large variety of food matrices and samples. The ILPT design presented here will be helpful for the organization of ILPT on SE detection by NRLs or other expert laboratories.

  12. Modelling the Long Term Leaching Behaviour of 137CS from Different Stabilized Waste Matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Kamash, A.M.

    2013-01-01

    Leaching characteristics of ''1''3''7Cs from immobilized waste matrices in different cement-based grouts have been assessed to investigate the influence of the additives on the leaching behavior of the solid waste matrices. The International Atomic Energy's Agency (IAEA) standard leach method has been employed to study the leach pattern of 137 Cs radionuclide from the immobilized waste form. The examination of the leaching data revealed that clay additives reduces the leach rate for the studied radionuclide. The controlling leaching mechanism has been studied and the transport parameters were calculated for all studied waste matrices. Simplified analytical models have been derived to predict the Cumulative Leach Fraction (CLF) of radionuclides over the studied experimental period. These simplified research models could be used as a screening tool to assess the performance of the waste matrix under repository conditions. (author)

  13. Xenogenic extracellular matrices as potential biomaterials for interposition grafting in urological surgery.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Davis, N F

    2012-01-31

    PURPOSE: The field of tissue engineering focuses on developing strategies for reconstructing injured, diseased, and congenitally absent tissues and organs. During the last decade urologists have benefited from remodeling and regenerative properties of bioscaffolds derived from xenogenic extracellular matrices. We comprehensively reviewed the current literature on structural and functional characteristics of xenogenic extracellular matrix grafting since it was first described in urological surgery. We also reviewed the clinical limitations, and assessed the potential for safe and effective urological application of extracellular matrix grafting in place of autogenous tissue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed literature searches for English language publications using the PubMed(R) and MEDLINE(R) databases. Keywords included "xenogenic," "extracellular matrix" and "genitourinary tract applications." A total of 112 articles were scrutinized, of which 50 were suitable for review based on clinical relevance and importance of content. RESULTS: Since the mid 1990s xenogenic extracellular matrices have been used to successfully treat a number of pathological conditions that affect the upper and lower genitourinary tract. They are typically prepared from porcine organs such as small intestine and bladder. These organs are harvested and subjected to decellularization and sterilization techniques before surgical implantation. Bioinductive growth factors that are retained during the preparation process induce constructive tissue remodeling as the extracellular matrix is simultaneously degraded and excreted. However, recent documented concerns over durability, decreased mechanical strength and residual porcine DNA after preparation techniques have temporarily hampered the potential of extracellular matrices as a reliable replacement for genitourinary tract structures. CONCLUSIONS: Extracellular matrices are a useful alternative for successfully treating a number of urological

  14. Intrinsic Density Matrices of the Nuclear Shell Model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deveikis, A.; Kamuntavichius, G.

    1996-01-01

    A new method for calculation of shell model intrinsic density matrices, defined as two-particle density matrices integrated over the centre-of-mass position vector of two last particles and complemented with isospin variables, has been developed. The intrinsic density matrices obtained are completely antisymmetric, translation-invariant, and do not employ a group-theoretical classification of antisymmetric states. They are used for exact realistic density matrix expansion within the framework of the reduced Hamiltonian method. The procedures based on precise arithmetic for calculation of the intrinsic density matrices that involve no numerical diagonalization or orthogonalization have been developed and implemented in the computer code. (author). 11 refs., 2 tabs

  15. Determination of Matric Suction and Saturation Degree for Unsaturated Soils, Comparative Study - Numerical Method versus Analytical Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiorean, Vasile-Florin

    2017-10-01

    Matric suction is a soil parameter which influences the behaviour of unsaturated soils in both terms of shear strength and permeability. It is a necessary aspect to know the variation of matric suction in unsaturated soil zone for solving geotechnical issues like unsaturated soil slopes stability or bearing capacity for unsaturated foundation ground. Mathematical expression of the dependency between soil moisture content and it’s matric suction (soil water characteristic curve) has a powerful character of nonlinearity. This paper presents two methods to determine the variation of matric suction along the depth included between groundwater level and soil level. First method is an analytical approach to emphasize one direction steady state unsaturated infiltration phenomenon that occurs between the groundwater level and the soil level. There were simulated three different situations in terms of border conditions: precipitations (inflow conditions on ground surface), evaporation (outflow conditions on ground surface), and perfect equilibrium (no flow on ground surface). Numerical method is finite element method used for steady state, two-dimensional, unsaturated infiltration calculus. Regarding boundary conditions there were simulated identical situations as in analytical approach. For both methods, was adopted the equation proposed by van Genuchten-Mualen (1980) for mathematical expression of soil water characteristic curve. Also for the unsaturated soil permeability prediction model was adopted the equation proposed by van Genuchten-Mualen. The fitting parameters of these models were adopted according to RETC 6.02 software in function of soil type. The analyses were performed in both methods for three major soil types: clay, silt and sand. For each soil type were concluded analyses for three situations in terms of border conditions applied on soil surface: inflow, outflow, and no flow. The obtained results are presented in order to highlight the differences

  16. Beamforming using subspace estimation from a diagonally averaged sample covariance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quijano, Jorge E; Zurk, Lisa M

    2017-08-01

    The potential benefit of a large-aperture sonar array for high resolution target localization is often challenged by the lack of sufficient data required for adaptive beamforming. This paper introduces a Toeplitz-constrained estimator of the clairvoyant signal covariance matrix corresponding to multiple far-field targets embedded in background isotropic noise. The estimator is obtained by averaging along subdiagonals of the sample covariance matrix, followed by covariance extrapolation using the method of maximum entropy. The sample covariance is computed from limited data snapshots, a situation commonly encountered with large-aperture arrays in environments characterized by short periods of local stationarity. Eigenvectors computed from the Toeplitz-constrained covariance are used to construct signal-subspace projector matrices, which are shown to reduce background noise and improve detection of closely spaced targets when applied to subspace beamforming. Monte Carlo simulations corresponding to increasing array aperture suggest convergence of the proposed projector to the clairvoyant signal projector, thereby outperforming the classic projector obtained from the sample eigenvectors. Beamforming performance of the proposed method is analyzed using simulated data, as well as experimental data from the Shallow Water Array Performance experiment.

  17. Studies on the Conditioning Methods of Spent Tri-butyl Phosphate/Kerosene and its Degradation Product in Different Matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Dessouky, M.I.; El-sourougy, M.R.; Abed El-Aziz, M.M.; Aly, H.F.

    1999-01-01

    The destruction of spent TBP/Kerosene (odourless Kerosene (OK)) with potassium permanganate have been investigated. Comparative studies on the immobilization of spent TBP/Kerosene and its degradation product into different matrices have been carried out. The matrices used include, ordinary Portland cement, silica fume, treated fly ash, epoxy resin and cement mixed with epoxy resin.The different factors affecting solidified waste forms such as, compressive strength, water resistance, thermal stability, chemical resistance, radiological stability and leachability have been investigated. It was found that, epoxy resin and cement mixed with 5,10,20, and 50% of epoxy resin enhance the compressive strength of the solidified waste forms with spent TBP/OK more than that obtained from degradation products. The leaching rates of 152 and 154 Eu and 181 Hf from waste forms containing TBP/OK was found lower than that with degradation product

  18. PRIMITIVE MATRICES AND GENERATORS OF PSEUDO RANDOM SEQUENCES OF GALOIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Beletsky

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available In theory and practice of information cryptographic protection one of the key problems is the forming a binary pseudo-random sequences (PRS with a maximum length with acceptable statistical characteristics. PRS generators are usually implemented by linear shift register (LSR of maximum period with linear feedback [1]. In this paper we extend the concept of LSR, assuming that each of its rank (memory cell can be in one of the following condition. Let’s call such registers “generalized linear shift register.” The research goal is to develop algorithms for constructing Galois and Fibonacci generalized matrix of n-order over the field , which uniquely determined both the structure of corresponding generalized of n-order LSR maximal period, and formed on their basis Galois PRS generators of maximum length. Thus the article presents the questions of formation the primitive generalized Fibonacci and Galois arbitrary order matrix over the prime field . The synthesis of matrices is based on the use of irreducible polynomials of degree and primitive elements of the extended field generated by polynomial. The constructing methods of Galois and Fibonacci conjugated primitive matrices are suggested. The using possibilities of such matrices in solving the problem of constructing generalized generators of Galois pseudo-random sequences are discussed.

  19. Class differences in the social consequences of illness?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindholm, C; Burström, B; Diderichsen, F

    2002-01-01

    with eight years interval 1979-89 and 1986-97. Sociodemographic characteristics, self reported longstanding illness, employment situation and financial conditions were measured at baseline. Social consequences (economic inactivity, unemployment, financial difficulties) of limiting longstanding illness were......STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate adverse social consequences of limiting longstanding illness and the modifying effect of socioeconomic position on these consequences. DESIGN: Cohort study on the panel within the annual Swedish Survey of Living Conditions where participants were interviewed twice...

  20. Random matrices and random difference equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uppuluri, V.R.R.

    1975-01-01

    Mathematical models leading to products of random matrices and random difference equations are discussed. A one-compartment model with random behavior is introduced, and it is shown how the average concentration in the discrete time model converges to the exponential function. This is of relevance to understanding how radioactivity gets trapped in bone structure in blood--bone systems. The ideas are then generalized to two-compartment models and mammillary systems, where products of random matrices appear in a natural way. The appearance of products of random matrices in applications in demography and control theory is considered. Then random sequences motivated from the following problems are studied: constant pulsing and random decay models, random pulsing and constant decay models, and random pulsing and random decay models

  1. Quantum Entanglement and Reduced Density Matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purwanto, Agus; Sukamto, Heru; Yuwana, Lila

    2018-05-01

    We investigate entanglement and separability criteria of multipartite (n-partite) state by examining ranks of its reduced density matrices. Firstly, we construct the general formula to determine the criterion. A rank of origin density matrix always equals one, meanwhile ranks of reduced matrices have various ranks. Next, separability and entanglement criterion of multipartite is determined by calculating ranks of reduced density matrices. In this article we diversify multipartite state criteria into completely entangled state, completely separable state, and compound state, i.e. sub-entangled state and sub-entangledseparable state. Furthermore, we also shorten the calculation proposed by the previous research to determine separability of multipartite state and expand the methods to be able to differ multipartite state based on criteria above.

  2. Malware analysis using visualized image matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, KyoungSoo; Kang, BooJoong; Im, Eul Gyu

    2014-01-01

    This paper proposes a novel malware visual analysis method that contains not only a visualization method to convert binary files into images, but also a similarity calculation method between these images. The proposed method generates RGB-colored pixels on image matrices using the opcode sequences extracted from malware samples and calculates the similarities for the image matrices. Particularly, our proposed methods are available for packed malware samples by applying them to the execution traces extracted through dynamic analysis. When the images are generated, we can reduce the overheads by extracting the opcode sequences only from the blocks that include the instructions related to staple behaviors such as functions and application programming interface (API) calls. In addition, we propose a technique that generates a representative image for each malware family in order to reduce the number of comparisons for the classification of unknown samples and the colored pixel information in the image matrices is used to calculate the similarities between the images. Our experimental results show that the image matrices of malware can effectively be used to classify malware families both statically and dynamically with accuracy of 0.9896 and 0.9732, respectively.

  3. Malware Analysis Using Visualized Image Matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    KyoungSoo Han

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a novel malware visual analysis method that contains not only a visualization method to convert binary files into images, but also a similarity calculation method between these images. The proposed method generates RGB-colored pixels on image matrices using the opcode sequences extracted from malware samples and calculates the similarities for the image matrices. Particularly, our proposed methods are available for packed malware samples by applying them to the execution traces extracted through dynamic analysis. When the images are generated, we can reduce the overheads by extracting the opcode sequences only from the blocks that include the instructions related to staple behaviors such as functions and application programming interface (API calls. In addition, we propose a technique that generates a representative image for each malware family in order to reduce the number of comparisons for the classification of unknown samples and the colored pixel information in the image matrices is used to calculate the similarities between the images. Our experimental results show that the image matrices of malware can effectively be used to classify malware families both statically and dynamically with accuracy of 0.9896 and 0.9732, respectively.

  4. S-matrices and integrability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bombardelli, Diego

    2016-01-01

    In these notes we review the S-matrix theory in (1+1)-dimensional integrable models, focusing mainly on the relativistic case. Once the main definitions and physical properties are introduced, we discuss the factorization of scattering processes due to integrability. We then focus on the analytic properties of the two-particle scattering amplitude and illustrate the derivation of the S-matrices for all the possible bound states using the so-called bootstrap principle. General algebraic structures underlying the S-matrix theory and its relation with the form factors axioms are briefly mentioned. Finally, we discuss the S-matrices of sine-Gordon and SU (2), SU (3) chiral Gross–Neveu models. (topical review)

  5. Matrices Aléatoires Tri-diagonales et Par Blocs.

    OpenAIRE

    MEKKI, Slimane

    2014-01-01

    Dans ce mémoire l'étude porte sur la densité de matrice aléatoire, les densités des valeurs propres d'une matrice pour les trois ensembles G.O.E, G.U.E, G.S.E. Après nous avons explicité les formules des densités de valeurs propres des matrices tri-diagonales dans les cas HERMITE et LAGUERRE Des simulations sur les constantes de normalisations pour les densités des matrices aléatoires ou des valeurs propres sont présentées.

  6. Laminin active peptide/agarose matrices as multifunctional biomaterials for tissue engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamada, Yuji; Hozumi, Kentaro; Aso, Akihiro; Hotta, Atsushi; Toma, Kazunori; Katagiri, Fumihiko; Kikkawa, Yamato; Nomizu, Motoyoshi

    2012-06-01

    Cell adhesive peptides derived from extracellular matrix components are potential candidates to afford bio-adhesiveness to cell culture scaffolds for tissue engineering. Previously, we covalently conjugated bioactive laminin peptides to polysaccharides, such as chitosan and alginate, and demonstrated their advantages as biomaterials. Here, we prepared functional polysaccharide matrices by mixing laminin active peptides and agarose gel. Several laminin peptide/agarose matrices showed cell attachment activity. In particular, peptide AG73 (RKRLQVQLSIRT)/agarose matrices promoted strong cell attachment and the cell behavior depended on the stiffness of agarose matrices. Fibroblasts formed spheroid structures on the soft AG73/agarose matrices while the cells formed a monolayer with elongated morphologies on the stiff matrices. On the stiff AG73/agarose matrices, neuronal cells extended neuritic processes and endothelial cells formed capillary-like networks. In addition, salivary gland cells formed acini-like structures on the soft matrices. These results suggest that the peptide/agarose matrices are useful for both two- and three-dimensional cell culture systems as a multifunctional biomaterial for tissue engineering. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Two pathographies: a study in illness and literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawkins, A

    1984-08-01

    This study compares two autobiographical descriptions of illness--the seventeenth-century John Donne's Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions and the twentieth-century Cornelius and Kathryn Ryan's A Private Battle. I begin by identifying the basic structure in both narratives as parallel to that of the case history, and then show how each individual's experience is shaped by the conditions of illness appropriate to their respective cultures. Lastly, I discuss the way in which both authors understand and represent sickness, as well as their respective therapies, in terms of a particular metaphoric construct: for Donne, it is the analogy between illness of the body and illness of the soul; for Ryan it is the analogy between illness and war. The stance of each towards his illness is conditioned by this metaphoric model: Donne's is one of acceptance, of conforming to the will of God; Ryan's is one of resistance, of fighting heroically until the very end. Thus these metaphors are functional as well as aesthetic: they serve as figural modalities whereby the patient/author hopes to transcend his illness.

  8. NDMA formation kinetics from three pharmaceuticals in four water matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Ruqiao; Andrews, Susan A

    2011-11-01

    N, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is an emerging disinfection by-product (DBP) that has been widely detected in many drinking water systems and commonly associated with the chloramine disinfection process. Some amine-based pharmaceuticals have been demonstrated to form NDMA during chloramination, but studies regarding the reaction kinetics are largely lacking. This study investigates the NDMA formation kinetics from ranitidine, chlorphenamine, and doxylamine under practical chloramine disinfection conditions. The formation profile was monitored in both lab-grade water and real water matrices, and a statistical model is proposed to describe and predict the NDMA formation from selected pharmaceuticals in various water matrices. The results indicate the significant impact of water matrix components and reaction time on the NDMA formation from selected pharmaceuticals, and provide fresh insights on the estimation of ultimate NDMA formation potential from pharmaceutical precursors. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Chronic conditions, fluid states: chronicity and the anthropology of illness

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Manderson, Lenore; Smith-Morris, Carolyn

    2010-01-01

    .... Breaking new ground in medical anthropology by challenging the chronic/acute divide in illness and disease, the editors, along with a group of rising scholars and some of the most influential minds...

  10. Accelerating Matrix-Vector Multiplication on Hierarchical Matrices Using Graphical Processing Units

    KAUST Repository

    Boukaram, W.

    2015-03-25

    Large dense matrices arise from the discretization of many physical phenomena in computational sciences. In statistics very large dense covariance matrices are used for describing random fields and processes. One can, for instance, describe distribution of dust particles in the atmosphere, concentration of mineral resources in the earth\\'s crust or uncertain permeability coefficient in reservoir modeling. When the problem size grows, storing and computing with the full dense matrix becomes prohibitively expensive both in terms of computational complexity and physical memory requirements. Fortunately, these matrices can often be approximated by a class of data sparse matrices called hierarchical matrices (H-matrices) where various sub-blocks of the matrix are approximated by low rank matrices. These matrices can be stored in memory that grows linearly with the problem size. In addition, arithmetic operations on these H-matrices, such as matrix-vector multiplication, can be completed in almost linear time. Originally the H-matrix technique was developed for the approximation of stiffness matrices coming from partial differential and integral equations. Parallelizing these arithmetic operations on the GPU has been the focus of this work and we will present work done on the matrix vector operation on the GPU using the KSPARSE library.

  11. Illness narratives of people who are homeless

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cecilia Håkanson

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Multiple illnesses are common in all homeless populations. While most previous studies have focused on experiences of mental illness, there is a scarcity of studies about experiences of bodily illness among people who are homeless. This study aimed to explore illness narratives of people who are homeless, and how homelessness as a social context shapes the experience of multiple and/or advancing somatic conditions. The design was a qualitative single-case study, using interpretive description. Data were generated through interviews, with nine participants who were homeless rough sleepers in Stockholm, Sweden, recruited while receiving care in a support home for homeless people with complex care needs. The findings revealed experiences of illness embedded in narratives about falling ill, being ill, and the future. The particularity of these illness narratives and the way that they are shaped by homelessness give rise to several observations: the necessity of a capable body for survival; chaos and profound solitude in illness and self-care management; ambiguous feelings about receiving care, transitioning from independence, and “freedom” in the streets to dependency and being institutionalized; and finally, the absence of hope and desire for recovery or a better future. The narratives are discussed from the perspective of Frank's four types of illness stories (restitution, chaos, quest, and testimony. The findings stress that to provide appropriate care and support to people who are homeless and have multiple and/or advancing somatic conditions, health care professionals need to be informed both about the individual's biography and about the circumstances under which illness and self-care takes place in the streets.

  12. The Antitriangular Factorization of Saddle Point Matrices

    KAUST Repository

    Pestana, J.

    2014-01-01

    Mastronardi and Van Dooren [SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl., 34 (2013), pp. 173-196] recently introduced the block antitriangular ("Batman") decomposition for symmetric indefinite matrices. Here we show the simplification of this factorization for saddle point matrices and demonstrate how it represents the common nullspace method. We show that rank-1 updates to the saddle point matrix can be easily incorporated into the factorization and give bounds on the eigenvalues of matrices important in saddle point theory. We show the relation of this factorization to constraint preconditioning and how it transforms but preserves the structure of block diagonal and block triangular preconditioners. © 2014 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

  13. Graphs and matrices

    CERN Document Server

    Bapat, Ravindra B

    2014-01-01

    This new edition illustrates the power of linear algebra in the study of graphs. The emphasis on matrix techniques is greater than in other texts on algebraic graph theory. Important matrices associated with graphs (for example, incidence, adjacency and Laplacian matrices) are treated in detail. Presenting a useful overview of selected topics in algebraic graph theory, early chapters of the text focus on regular graphs, algebraic connectivity, the distance matrix of a tree, and its generalized version for arbitrary graphs, known as the resistance matrix. Coverage of later topics include Laplacian eigenvalues of threshold graphs, the positive definite completion problem and matrix games based on a graph. Such an extensive coverage of the subject area provides a welcome prompt for further exploration. The inclusion of exercises enables practical learning throughout the book. In the new edition, a new chapter is added on the line graph of a tree, while some results in Chapter 6 on Perron-Frobenius theory are reo...

  14. Bayesian Nonparametric Clustering for Positive Definite Matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cherian, Anoop; Morellas, Vassilios; Papanikolopoulos, Nikolaos

    2016-05-01

    Symmetric Positive Definite (SPD) matrices emerge as data descriptors in several applications of computer vision such as object tracking, texture recognition, and diffusion tensor imaging. Clustering these data matrices forms an integral part of these applications, for which soft-clustering algorithms (K-Means, expectation maximization, etc.) are generally used. As is well-known, these algorithms need the number of clusters to be specified, which is difficult when the dataset scales. To address this issue, we resort to the classical nonparametric Bayesian framework by modeling the data as a mixture model using the Dirichlet process (DP) prior. Since these matrices do not conform to the Euclidean geometry, rather belongs to a curved Riemannian manifold,existing DP models cannot be directly applied. Thus, in this paper, we propose a novel DP mixture model framework for SPD matrices. Using the log-determinant divergence as the underlying dissimilarity measure to compare these matrices, and further using the connection between this measure and the Wishart distribution, we derive a novel DPM model based on the Wishart-Inverse-Wishart conjugate pair. We apply this model to several applications in computer vision. Our experiments demonstrate that our model is scalable to the dataset size and at the same time achieves superior accuracy compared to several state-of-the-art parametric and nonparametric clustering algorithms.

  15. On spectral distribution of high dimensional covariation matrices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heinrich, Claudio; Podolskij, Mark

    In this paper we present the asymptotic theory for spectral distributions of high dimensional covariation matrices of Brownian diffusions. More specifically, we consider N-dimensional Itô integrals with time varying matrix-valued integrands. We observe n equidistant high frequency data points...... of the underlying Brownian diffusion and we assume that N/n -> c in (0,oo). We show that under a certain mixed spectral moment condition the spectral distribution of the empirical covariation matrix converges in distribution almost surely. Our proof relies on method of moments and applications of graph theory....

  16. Associations between illness duration and health-related quality of life in specified mental and physical chronic health conditions: results from a population-based survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Busija, Lucy; Tan, Jeretine; Sanders, Kerrie M

    2017-10-01

    We compared health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in incident (≤1 year since diagnosis), mid-term (>1-5 years since diagnosis), and long-term (>5 years since diagnosis) cases of mental and physical chronic illness with the general population and assessed the modifying effects of age and gender on the association between HRQOL and illness duration. Data from the 2007 Australian National Health and Mental Wellbeing Survey were used. HRQOL was captured by the Assessment of Quality of Life Scale 4D. Multivariable linear regression analyses compared HRQOL of individuals with different duration of illnesses with those who did not have the condition of interest. The 8841 survey respondents were aged 16-85 years (median 43 years, 50.3% female). For the overall sample, worse HRQOL was associated with incident (P = 0.049) and mid-term (P = 0.036) stroke and long-term depression (P illness is most apparent in stroke and mental illness and differs between age groups.

  17. On Skew Circulant Type Matrices Involving Any Continuous Fibonacci Numbers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhaolin Jiang

    2014-01-01

    inverse matrices of them by constructing the transformation matrices. Furthermore, the maximum column sum matrix norm, the spectral norm, the Euclidean (or Frobenius norm, and the maximum row sum matrix norm and bounds for the spread of these matrices are given, respectively.

  18. The 'golden' matrices and a new kind of cryptography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stakhov, A.P.

    2007-01-01

    We consider a new class of square matrices called the 'golden' matrices. They are a generalization of the classical Fibonacci Q-matrix for continuous domain. The 'golden' matrices can be used for creation of a new kind of cryptography called the 'golden' cryptography. The method is very fast and simple for technical realization and can be used for cryptographic protection of digital signals (telecommunication and measurement systems)

  19. Advanced incomplete factorization algorithms for Stiltijes matrices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Il`in, V.P. [Siberian Division RAS, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation)

    1996-12-31

    The modern numerical methods for solving the linear algebraic systems Au = f with high order sparse matrices A, which arise in grid approximations of multidimensional boundary value problems, are based mainly on accelerated iterative processes with easily invertible preconditioning matrices presented in the form of approximate (incomplete) factorization of the original matrix A. We consider some recent algorithmic approaches, theoretical foundations, experimental data and open questions for incomplete factorization of Stiltijes matrices which are {open_quotes}the best{close_quotes} ones in the sense that they have the most advanced results. Special attention is given to solving the elliptic differential equations with strongly variable coefficients, singular perturbated diffusion-convection and parabolic equations.

  20. Nodal head method with matric operation in analysis of mine ventilation networks. Matrics kaiho wo mochiita setten ho ni yoru tsuki mo kaiseki

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sasaki, K.; Miyakoshi, H. (Akita Univ., Akita (Japan). Mining College); Kinoshita, H.; Onozuka, T. (Hanaoka Mining Co. Ltd., Akita (Japan))

    1990-09-25

    In this report, the method of analyzing mine ventilation networks is explained in which the direct matric operation method is applied to the solution of the linear equation system introduced from the fundamental equation of the nodal head method. In other words, the fundamental equation was expressed by genelarized equation composition by using connecting functions between nodes and the algorism of a computer program was clarified. And the calculation method necessary for other ventilation netwrks analysis was shown in a concrete form. For solving the linear equation system, the matric operation method based on the modified Choleski's method was used in order to speed up the calculation and stabilize the convergence process of the solution. As examples, calculation was made on the ventilation networks of total numbers of the nodes of 8, 14, 51 and 141. From these ventilation network analyses, using a linear equation system concerning the nodal pressure correction, it was found that in the system with convergence acceleration coefficient of 1.4, the number of sequential repeating frequency of approximation Mc which was required for convergence was in the order of Mc {approx equal} 13 (cycle) for the condition that the fan pressure was constant and the convergence condition was {vert bar} AQi {vert bar}{sub max} {lt} 0.1m {sup 3}/min. 14 refs., 12 figs., 3 tabs.

  1. Microfibrous Matrices: Optimization of Synthesis Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amogh N. Karwa

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This study focuses on the process of optimization for carbon nanofiber synthesis at the exterior and the interior of 3-dimensional sintered nickel microfibrous networks. Synthesis of carbon nanofibers (CNF by catalytic decomposition of acetylene (ethyne was conducted at atmospheric pressure and short reaction times (10 min. Two factors evaluated during the study were (a CNF quality (observed by SEM and Raman spectroscopy and (b rate of reaction (gravimetrically measured carbon yield. Independent optimization variables included redox faceting pretreatment of nickel, synthesis temperature, and gas composition. Faceting resulted in an 8-fold increase in the carbon yield compared to an untreated substrate. Synthesis with varying levels of hydrogen maximized the carbon yield (9.31 mg C/cm2 catalyst. The quality of CNF was enhanced via a reduction in amorphous carbon that resulted from the addition of 20% ammonia. Optimized growth conditions that led to high rates of CNF deposition preferentially deposited this carbon at the exterior layer of the nickel microfibrous networks (570°C, 78% H2, 20% NH3, 2% C2H2, faceted Ni.. CNF growth within the 3-dimensional nickel networks was accomplished at the conditions selected to lower the gravimetric reaction rate (470°C, 10% H2, 88% N2, 2% C2H2, nonfaceted Ni.

  2. On the Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors of Block Triangular Preconditioned Block Matrices

    KAUST Repository

    Pestana, Jennifer

    2014-01-01

    Block lower triangular matrices and block upper triangular matrices are popular preconditioners for 2×2 block matrices. In this note we show that a block lower triangular preconditioner gives the same spectrum as a block upper triangular preconditioner and that the eigenvectors of the two preconditioned matrices are related. © 2014 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

  3. Arikan and Alamouti matrices based on fast block-wise inverse Jacket transform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Moon Ho; Khan, Md Hashem Ali; Kim, Kyeong Jin

    2013-12-01

    Recently, Lee and Hou (IEEE Signal Process Lett 13: 461-464, 2006) proposed one-dimensional and two-dimensional fast algorithms for block-wise inverse Jacket transforms (BIJTs). Their BIJTs are not real inverse Jacket transforms from mathematical point of view because their inverses do not satisfy the usual condition, i.e., the multiplication of a matrix with its inverse matrix is not equal to the identity matrix. Therefore, we mathematically propose a fast block-wise inverse Jacket transform of orders N = 2 k , 3 k , 5 k , and 6 k , where k is a positive integer. Based on the Kronecker product of the successive lower order Jacket matrices and the basis matrix, the fast algorithms for realizing these transforms are obtained. Due to the simple inverse and fast algorithms of Arikan polar binary and Alamouti multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) non-binary matrices, which are obtained from BIJTs, they can be applied in areas such as 3GPP physical layer for ultra mobile broadband permutation matrices design, first-order q-ary Reed-Muller code design, diagonal channel design, diagonal subchannel decompose for interference alignment, and 4G MIMO long-term evolution Alamouti precoding design.

  4. On Investigating GMRES Convergence using Unitary Matrices

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Duintjer Tebbens, Jurjen; Meurant, G.; Sadok, H.; Strakoš, Z.

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 450, 1 June (2014), s. 83-107 ISSN 0024-3795 Grant - others:GA AV ČR(CZ) M100301201; GA MŠk(CZ) LL1202 Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : GMRES convergence * unitary matrices * unitary spectra * normal matrices * Krylov residual subspace * Schur parameters Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.939, year: 2014

  5. "G.P.S Matrices" programme: A method to improve the mastery level of social science students in matrices operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ken Voon

    2013-04-01

    The purpose of this action research was to increase the mastery level of Form Five Social Science students in Tawau II National Secondary School in the operations of addition, subtraction and multiplication of matrices in Mathematics. A total of 30 students were involved. Preliminary findings through the analysis of pre-test results and questionnaire had identified the main problem faced in which the students felt confused with the application of principles of the operations of matrices when performing these operations. Therefore, an action research was conducted using an intervention programme called "G.P.S Matrices" to overcome the problem. This programme was divided into three phases. 'Gift of Matrices' phase aimed at forming matrix teaching aids. The second and third phases were 'Positioning the Elements of Matrices' and 'Strenghtening the Concept of Matrices'. These two phases were aimed at increasing the level of understanding and memory of the students towards the principles of matrix operations. Besides, this third phase was also aimed at creating an interesting learning environment. A comparison between the results of pre-test and post-test had shown a remarkable improvement in students' performances after implementing the programme. In addition, the analysis of interview findings also indicated a positive feedback on the changes in students' attitude, particularly in the aspect of students' understanding level. Moreover, the level of students' memory also increased following the use of the concrete matrix teaching aids created in phase one. Besides, teachers felt encouraging when conducive learning environment was created through students' presentation activity held in third phase. Furthermore, students were voluntarily involved in these student-centred activities. In conclusion, this research findings showed an increase in the mastery level of students in these three matrix operations and thus the objective of the research had been achieved.

  6. Estimating correlation and covariance matrices by weighting of market similarity

    OpenAIRE

    Michael C. M\\"unnix; Rudi Sch\\"afer; Oliver Grothe

    2010-01-01

    We discuss a weighted estimation of correlation and covariance matrices from historical financial data. To this end, we introduce a weighting scheme that accounts for similarity of previous market conditions to the present one. The resulting estimators are less biased and show lower variance than either unweighted or exponentially weighted estimators. The weighting scheme is based on a similarity measure which compares the current correlation structure of the market to the structures at past ...

  7. Acute Illness Among Surfers After Exposure to Seawater in Dry- and Wet-Weather Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Benjamin F; Schiff, Kenneth C; Ercumen, Ayse; Benjamin-Chung, Jade; Steele, Joshua A; Griffith, John F; Steinberg, Steven J; Smith, Paul; McGee, Charles D; Wilson, Richard; Nelsen, Chad; Weisberg, Stephen B; Colford, John M

    2017-10-01

    Rainstorms increase levels of fecal indicator bacteria in urban coastal waters, but it is unknown whether exposure to seawater after rainstorms increases rates of acute illness. Our objective was to provide the first estimates of rates of acute illness after seawater exposure during both dry- and wet-weather periods and to determine the relationship between levels of indicator bacteria and illness among surfers, a population with a high potential for exposure after rain. We enrolled 654 surfers in San Diego, California, and followed them longitudinally during the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 winters (33,377 days of observation, 10,081 surf sessions). We measured daily surf activities and illness symptoms (gastrointestinal illness, sinus infections, ear infections, infected wounds). Compared with no exposure, exposure to seawater during dry weather increased incidence rates of all outcomes (e.g., for earache or infection, adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.86, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.27, 2.71; for infected wounds, IRR = 3.04, 95% CI: 1.54, 5.98); exposure during wet weather further increased rates (e.g., for earache or infection, IRR = 3.28, 95% CI: 1.95, 5.51; for infected wounds, IRR = 4.96, 95% CI: 2.18, 11.29). Fecal indicator bacteria measured in seawater (Enterococcus species, fecal coliforms, total coliforms) were strongly associated with incident illness only during wet weather. Urban coastal seawater exposure increases the incidence rates of many acute illnesses among surfers, with higher incidence rates after rainstorms. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

  8. Treating symptoms or assisting human development: Can different environmental conditions affect personal development for patients with severe mental illness? A qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauveng, Arnhild; Tveiten, Sidsel; Ekeland, Tor-Johan; Torleif, Ruud

    2016-01-01

    Recent research suggests that a basic anomaly in self-experience may be a core factor in patients with severe mental illnesses. Given the importance of sense of self, the traditional treatment of symptoms might not be the most effective for these groups of patients. This qualitative study examines how differences in social environmental conditions, organized as education or treatment, might affect personal development in patients with severe mental illness. A qualitative hermeneutical design was used. Data were collected through qualitative interviews. Informants included 14 patients in psychiatric treatment and 15 students at schools for adults with mental illness. Most informants were interviewed on two occasions, 6-8 months apart, totaling 47 interviews. All participants had been diagnosed with severe mental illness with pronounced impact on daily functioning (most often psychoses or personality disorders) for a minimum of 2 years. Findings and interpretations showed that the students experienced a supportive environment focused mostly on education. They described personal and enduring development in areas such as capacity for relationships, regulation of symptoms, subjective well-being, and integration in society. The patients experienced an environment focused more on treatment of their illness and less on personal development and interests. They described little development, much loneliness, a poor quality of life, an objectifying attitude of themselves and others, and hopelessness. Even if more research is needed, findings indicate that for this group of patients, problems may be closely related to identity development. Therefore, instead of solemnly focusing on specific symptoms, it might be more effective to support patients' personal and social development by offering intensive and lasting social environmental conditions. This includes stable and mutual relationships, intrinsically motivated activities, and an environment that supports personal choices

  9. CONVERGENCE OF POWERS OF CONTROLLABLE INTUITIONISTIC FUZZY MATRICES

    OpenAIRE

    Riyaz Ahmad Padder; P. Murugadas

    2016-01-01

    Convergences of powers of controllable intuitionistic fuzzy matrices have been stud¬ied. It is shown that they oscillate with period equal to 2, in general. Some equalities and sequences of inequalities about powers of controllable intuitionistic fuzzy matrices have been obtained.

  10. On conjugate gradient type methods and polynomial preconditioners for a class of complex non-Hermitian matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freund, Roland

    1988-01-01

    Conjugate gradient type methods are considered for the solution of large linear systems Ax = b with complex coefficient matrices of the type A = T + i(sigma)I where T is Hermitian and sigma, a real scalar. Three different conjugate gradient type approaches with iterates defined by a minimal residual property, a Galerkin type condition, and an Euclidian error minimization, respectively, are investigated. In particular, numerically stable implementations based on the ideas behind Paige and Saunder's SYMMLQ and MINRES for real symmetric matrices are proposed. Error bounds for all three methods are derived. It is shown how the special shift structure of A can be preserved by using polynomial preconditioning. Results on the optimal choice of the polynomial preconditioner are given. Also, some numerical experiments for matrices arising from finite difference approximations to the complex Helmholtz equation are reported.

  11. Loop diagrams without γ matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKeon, D.G.C.; Rebhan, A.

    1993-01-01

    By using a quantum-mechanical path integral to compute matrix elements of the form left-angle x|exp(-iHt)|y right-angle, radiative corrections in quantum-field theory can be evaluated without encountering loop-momentum integrals. In this paper we demonstrate how Dirac γ matrices that occur in the proper-time ''Hamiltonian'' H lead to the introduction of a quantum-mechanical path integral corresponding to a superparticle analogous to one proposed recently by Fradkin and Gitman. Direct evaluation of this path integral circumvents many of the usual algebraic manipulations of γ matrices in the computation of quantum-field-theoretical Green's functions involving fermions

  12. Classification en référence à une matrice stochastique

    OpenAIRE

    Verdun , Stéphane; Cariou , Véronique; Qannari , El Mostafa

    2009-01-01

    International audience; Etant donné un tableau de données X portant sur un ensemble de n objets, et une matrice stochastique S qui peut être assimilée à une matrice de transition d'une chaîne de Markov, nous proposons une méthode de partitionnement consistant à appliquer la matrice S sur X de manière itérative jusqu'à convergence. Les classes formant la partition sont déterminées à partir des états stationnaires de la matrice stochastique. Cette matrice stochastique peut être issue d'une matr...

  13. Capture Matrices Handbook

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-04-01

    materials, the affinity ligand would need identification , as well as chemistries that graft the affinity ligand onto the surface of magnetic...ACTIVE CAPTURE MATRICES FOR THE DETECTION/ IDENTIFICATION OF PHARMACEUTICALS...6 As shown in Figure 2.3-1a, the spectra exhibit similar baselines and the spectral peaks lineup . Under these circumstances, the spectral

  14. Binary Positive Semidefinite Matrices and Associated Integer Polytopes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Letchford, Adam N.; Sørensen, Michael Malmros

    2012-01-01

    We consider the positive semidefinite (psd) matrices with binary entries, along with the corresponding integer polytopes. We begin by establishing some basic properties of these matrices and polytopes. Then, we show that several families of integer polytopes in the literature-the cut, boolean qua...

  15. What is a mental illness? Public views and their effects on attitudes and disclosure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rüsch, Nicolas; Evans-Lacko, Sara; Thornicroft, Graham

    2012-07-01

    'Mental illness' is a common label. However, the general public may or may not consider various conditions, ranging from major psychiatric disorders to stress, as mental illnesses. It is unclear how such public views affect attitudes towards people with mental illness and reactions to one's own potential mental illness, e.g. in terms of help-seeking or disclosure. In representative English population surveys the classification of six conditions (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, drug addiction, stress, grief) as a mental illness was assessed as well as attitudes towards, and contact with, people with mental illness, intentions to disclose a mental illness and to seek treatment. A factor analysis of how strongly respondents perceived the six conditions as a mental illness yielded two factors: (i) major psychiatric disorders and (ii) stress- and behaviour-related conditions including drug addiction. In regression analyses, higher scores on the first, but not the second, factor predicted less perceived responsibility of people with mental illness for their actions, and more support for a neurobiological illness model and help-seeking. Classifying stress-related/behaviour-related conditions as mental illnesses, as well as not referring to major psychiatric disorders as mental illnesses, was associated with more negative attitudes and increased social distance, but also with stronger intentions to disclose a mental illness to an employer. Negative attitudes and social distance were also related to ethnic minority status and lower social grade. Referring to major psychiatric disorders as mental illnesses may reflect higher mental health literacy, better attitudes towards people with mental illness and help-seeking. A broader concept of mental illness could, although increasing negative attitudes, facilitate disclosure in the workplace. Public views on what is a mental illness may have context-dependent effects and should be taken into account in anti

  16. Chain of matrices, loop equations and topological recursion

    CERN Document Server

    Orantin, Nicolas

    2009-01-01

    Random matrices are used in fields as different as the study of multi-orthogonal polynomials or the enumeration of discrete surfaces. Both of them are based on the study of a matrix integral. However, this term can be confusing since the definition of a matrix integral in these two applications is not the same. These two definitions, perturbative and non-perturbative, are discussed in this chapter as well as their relation. The so-called loop equations satisfied by integrals over random matrices coupled in chain is discussed as well as their recursive solution in the perturbative case when the matrices are Hermitean.

  17. Illness causal beliefs in Turkish immigrants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Klimidis Steven

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background People hold a wide variety of beliefs concerning the causes of illness. Such beliefs vary across cultures and, among immigrants, may be influenced by many factors, including level of acculturation, gender, level of education, and experience of illness and treatment. This study examines illness causal beliefs in Turkish-immigrants in Australia. Methods Causal beliefs about somatic and mental illness were examined in a sample of 444 members of the Turkish population of Melbourne. The socio-demographic characteristics of the sample were broadly similar to those of the Melbourne Turkish community. Five issues were examined: the structure of causal beliefs; the relative frequency of natural, supernatural and metaphysical beliefs; ascription of somatic, mental, or both somatic and mental conditions to the various causes; the correlations of belief types with socio-demographic, modernizing and acculturation variables; and the relationship between causal beliefs and current illness. Results Principal components analysis revealed two broad factors, accounting for 58 percent of the variation in scores on illness belief scales, distinctly interpretable as natural and supernatural beliefs. Second, beliefs in natural causes were more frequent than beliefs in supernatural causes. Third, some causal beliefs were commonly linked to both somatic and mental conditions while others were regarded as more specific to either somatic or mental disorders. Last, there was a range of correlations between endorsement of belief types and factors defining heterogeneity within the community, including with demographic factors, indicators of modernizing and acculturative processes, and the current presence of illness. Conclusion Results supported the classification of causal beliefs proposed by Murdock, Wilson & Frederick, with a division into natural and supernatural causes. While belief in natural causes is more common, belief in supernatural causes

  18. Illness causal beliefs in Turkish immigrants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minas, Harry; Klimidis, Steven; Tuncer, Can

    2007-07-24

    People hold a wide variety of beliefs concerning the causes of illness. Such beliefs vary across cultures and, among immigrants, may be influenced by many factors, including level of acculturation, gender, level of education, and experience of illness and treatment. This study examines illness causal beliefs in Turkish-immigrants in Australia. Causal beliefs about somatic and mental illness were examined in a sample of 444 members of the Turkish population of Melbourne. The socio-demographic characteristics of the sample were broadly similar to those of the Melbourne Turkish community. Five issues were examined: the structure of causal beliefs; the relative frequency of natural, supernatural and metaphysical beliefs; ascription of somatic, mental, or both somatic and mental conditions to the various causes; the correlations of belief types with socio-demographic, modernizing and acculturation variables; and the relationship between causal beliefs and current illness. Principal components analysis revealed two broad factors, accounting for 58 percent of the variation in scores on illness belief scales, distinctly interpretable as natural and supernatural beliefs. Second, beliefs in natural causes were more frequent than beliefs in supernatural causes. Third, some causal beliefs were commonly linked to both somatic and mental conditions while others were regarded as more specific to either somatic or mental disorders. Last, there was a range of correlations between endorsement of belief types and factors defining heterogeneity within the community, including with demographic factors, indicators of modernizing and acculturative processes, and the current presence of illness. Results supported the classification of causal beliefs proposed by Murdock, Wilson & Frederick, with a division into natural and supernatural causes. While belief in natural causes is more common, belief in supernatural causes persists despite modernizing and acculturative influences. Different

  19. Approaches to self-management in chronic illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novak, Marta; Costantini, Lucia; Schneider, Sabrina; Beanlands, Heather

    2013-01-01

    Management of a chronic medical condition is a complex process and requires coordinated action between healthcare providers and patients. This process is further complicated by the fact that an increasing number of patients suffer from multiple chronic conditions. Self-management involves active participation of the patients in the everyday care of the symptoms of their illness(es) and medical treatments, as well as maintaining general health and prevention of progression of medical conditions. Managing the psychosocial consequences of illness is also an important component of self-management. Data have demonstrated that enhancing self-management improves quality of life, coping, symptom management, disability, and reduces healthcare expenditures and service utilization. To foster self-management, potential barriers to implementation as well as facilitators and supports for this approach must be acknowledged. In this article, we review various aspects of self-management in chronic illness, focusing on chronic kidney disease. Better understanding of these concepts will facilitate patient-provider collaboration, improve patient care with increased patient and staff satisfaction, and may ultimately result in better clinical outcomes and enhanced quality of life for both the patients and their families. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Theoretical Properties for Neural Networks with Weight Matrices of Low Displacement Rank

    OpenAIRE

    Zhao, Liang; Liao, Siyu; Wang, Yanzhi; Li, Zhe; Tang, Jian; Pan, Victor; Yuan, Bo

    2017-01-01

    Recently low displacement rank (LDR) matrices, or so-called structured matrices, have been proposed to compress large-scale neural networks. Empirical results have shown that neural networks with weight matrices of LDR matrices, referred as LDR neural networks, can achieve significant reduction in space and computational complexity while retaining high accuracy. We formally study LDR matrices in deep learning. First, we prove the universal approximation property of LDR neural networks with a ...

  1. Multimodal approach to characterization of hydrophilic matrices manufactured by wet and dry granulation or direct compression methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulinowski, Piotr; Woyna-Orlewicz, Krzysztof; Obrał, Jadwiga; Rappen, Gerd-Martin; Haznar-Garbacz, Dorota; Węglarz, Władysław P; Jachowicz, Renata; Wyszogrodzka, Gabriela; Klaja, Jolanta; Dorożyński, Przemysław P

    2016-02-29

    The purpose of the research was to investigate the effect of the manufacturing process of the controlled release hydrophilic matrix tablets on their hydration behavior, internal structure and drug release. Direct compression (DC) quetiapine hemifumarate matrices and matrices made of powders obtained by dry granulation (DG) and high shear wet granulation (HS) were prepared. They had the same quantitative composition and they were evaluated using X-ray microtomography, magnetic resonance imaging and biorelevant stress test dissolution. Principal results concerned matrices after 2 h of hydration: (i) layered structure of the DC and DG hydrated tablets with magnetic resonance image intensity decreasing towards the center of the matrix was observed, while in HS matrices layer of lower intensity appeared in the middle of hydrated part; (ii) the DC and DG tablets retained their core and consequently exhibited higher resistance to the physiological stresses during simulation of small intestinal passage than HS formulation. Comparing to DC, HS granulation changed properties of the matrix in terms of hydration pattern and resistance to stress in biorelevant dissolution apparatus. Dry granulation did not change these properties-similar hydration pattern and dissolution in biorelevant conditions were observed for DC and DG matrices. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. 2010 Pantex Plant Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2011-06-29

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  3. 2007 Hanford Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety, and Security

    2009-07-16

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  4. 2006 Pantex Plant Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2008-05-19

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  5. 2006 Hanford Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2008-05-14

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  6. 2010 Hanford Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2011-10-05

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  7. 2007 Pantex Plant Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2008-07-31

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  8. Living well: an intervention to improve self-management of medical illness for individuals with serious mental illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldberg, Richard W; Dickerson, Faith; Lucksted, Alicia; Brown, Clayton H; Weber, Elyssa; Tenhula, Wendy N; Kreyenbuhl, Julie; Dixon, Lisa B

    2013-01-01

    Individuals with serious mental illness have elevated rates of comorbid chronic general medical conditions and may benefit from interventions designed to support illness self-management. This study examined the effectiveness of a modified version of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program called Living Well for individuals with serious mental illness. A total of 63 mental health consumers with serious mental illness and at least one concurrent chronic general medical condition were randomly assigned to receive the 13-session peer-cofacilitated Living Well intervention or usual care. Participants were evaluated on attitudinal, behavioral, and functional outcomes at baseline, at the end of the intervention, and at a two-month follow-up. Living Well participants showed significant postintervention improvements across a range of attitudinal (self-efficacy and patient activation), behavioral (illness self-management techniques), and functional (physical and emotional well-being and general health functioning) outcomes. Although attenuation of effect was observed for most outcomes at two months postintervention, evidence was found of continued improvement in general self-management behaviors (use of action planning, brainstorming, and problem-solving). Continued advantage was found for the Living Well group in other areas, such as health-related locus of control and reports of healthy eating and physical activity. Receipt of Living Well was associated with a notable decrease in use of the emergency room for medical care, although the between-group difference was not statistically significant. Living Well shows promise in helping mental health consumers more effectively manage chronic general medical conditions and experience improved functioning and well-being.

  9. The Modern Origin of Matrices and Their Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Debnath, L.

    2014-01-01

    This paper deals with the modern development of matrices, linear transformations, quadratic forms and their applications to geometry and mechanics, eigenvalues, eigenvectors and characteristic equations with applications. Included are the representations of real and complex numbers, and quaternions by matrices, and isomorphism in order to show…

  10. Psychosocial conditions on and off the job and psychological ill health: depressive symptoms, impaired psychological wellbeing, heavy consumption of alcohol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michélsen, H; Bildt, C

    2003-07-01

    Psychiatric epidemiology has revealed a number of associations between gender, socioeconomic status, and psychiatric disorders. To examine psychosocial conditions on and off the job in relation to psychological ill health. Longitudinal design with 24 year follow up of employed persons (190 women, 177 men). Interview and questionnaire data on work and leisure conditions were collected in 1969 and 1993. Risk analyses were performed in relation to three outcomes in 1993: depression within the preceding 12 months, impaired psychological wellbeing, and heavy alcohol use. Thirteen per cent of the women and 11% of the men showed symptoms of depression, 21% and 22% had impaired psychological wellbeing, and 7% and 15% respectively were heavy alcohol users. Dissatisfaction with the quality (women) or quantity (men) of social contacts 24 years earlier was a significant risk factor for depression. Dissatisfaction with the quality of social contacts was also associated with impaired psychological wellbeing (among women), and dissatisfaction with leisure time activities was associated with heavy alcohol use (among men). Frequent overtime work 24 years earlier was associated with heavy alcohol use among women. Cross sectional analyses also showed associations between psychological ill health and some work related factors (mentally demanding work and lack of job pride). Perceived inadequacies in social contacts, and practical obstacles to social relationships are viewed as risk factors for depression. In this longitudinal study, work related factors, including mental demands and time pressure, do not appear sufficiently associated with psychological ill health.

  11. Flux Jacobian Matrices For Equilibrium Real Gases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vinokur, Marcel

    1990-01-01

    Improved formulation includes generalized Roe average and extension to three dimensions. Flux Jacobian matrices derived for use in numerical solutions of conservation-law differential equations of inviscid flows of ideal gases extended to real gases. Real-gas formulation of these matrices retains simplifying assumptions of thermodynamic and chemical equilibrium, but adds effects of vibrational excitation, dissociation, and ionization of gas molecules via general equation of state.

  12. Data depth and rank-based tests for covariance and spectral density matrices

    KAUST Repository

    Chau, Joris

    2017-06-26

    In multivariate time series analysis, objects of primary interest to study cross-dependences in the time series are the autocovariance or spectral density matrices. Non-degenerate covariance and spectral density matrices are necessarily Hermitian and positive definite, and our primary goal is to develop new methods to analyze samples of such matrices. The main contribution of this paper is the generalization of the concept of statistical data depth for collections of covariance or spectral density matrices by exploiting the geometric properties of the space of Hermitian positive definite matrices as a Riemannian manifold. This allows one to naturally characterize most central or outlying matrices, but also provides a practical framework for rank-based hypothesis testing in the context of samples of covariance or spectral density matrices. First, the desired properties of a data depth function acting on the space of Hermitian positive definite matrices are presented. Second, we propose two computationally efficient pointwise and integrated data depth functions that satisfy each of these requirements. Several applications of the developed methodology are illustrated by the analysis of collections of spectral matrices in multivariate brain signal time series datasets.

  13. Data depth and rank-based tests for covariance and spectral density matrices

    KAUST Repository

    Chau, Joris; Ombao, Hernando; Sachs, Rainer von

    2017-01-01

    In multivariate time series analysis, objects of primary interest to study cross-dependences in the time series are the autocovariance or spectral density matrices. Non-degenerate covariance and spectral density matrices are necessarily Hermitian and positive definite, and our primary goal is to develop new methods to analyze samples of such matrices. The main contribution of this paper is the generalization of the concept of statistical data depth for collections of covariance or spectral density matrices by exploiting the geometric properties of the space of Hermitian positive definite matrices as a Riemannian manifold. This allows one to naturally characterize most central or outlying matrices, but also provides a practical framework for rank-based hypothesis testing in the context of samples of covariance or spectral density matrices. First, the desired properties of a data depth function acting on the space of Hermitian positive definite matrices are presented. Second, we propose two computationally efficient pointwise and integrated data depth functions that satisfy each of these requirements. Several applications of the developed methodology are illustrated by the analysis of collections of spectral matrices in multivariate brain signal time series datasets.

  14. Ill-posedness in modeling mixed sediment river morphodynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chavarrías, Víctor; Stecca, Guglielmo; Blom, Astrid

    2018-04-01

    In this paper we analyze the Hirano active layer model used in mixed sediment river morphodynamics concerning its ill-posedness. Ill-posedness causes the solution to be unstable to short-wave perturbations. This implies that the solution presents spurious oscillations, the amplitude of which depends on the domain discretization. Ill-posedness not only produces physically unrealistic results but may also cause failure of numerical simulations. By considering a two-fraction sediment mixture we obtain analytical expressions for the mathematical characterization of the model. Using these we show that the ill-posed domain is larger than what was found in previous analyses, not only comprising cases of bed degradation into a substrate finer than the active layer but also in aggradational cases. Furthermore, by analyzing a three-fraction model we observe ill-posedness under conditions of bed degradation into a coarse substrate. We observe that oscillations in the numerical solution of ill-posed simulations grow until the model becomes well-posed, as the spurious mixing of the active layer sediment and substrate sediment acts as a regularization mechanism. Finally we conduct an eigenstructure analysis of a simplified vertically continuous model for mixed sediment for which we show that ill-posedness occurs in a wider range of conditions than the active layer model.

  15. Almost commuting self-adjoint matrices: The real and self-dual cases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loring, Terry A.; Sørensen, Adam P. W.

    2016-08-01

    We show that a pair of almost commuting self-adjoint, symmetric matrices is close to a pair of commuting self-adjoint, symmetric matrices (in a uniform way). Moreover, we prove that the same holds with self-dual in place of symmetric and also for paths of self-adjoint matrices. Since a symmetric, self-adjoint matrix is real, we get a real version of Huaxin Lin’s famous theorem on almost commuting matrices. Similarly, the self-dual case gives a version for matrices over the quaternions. To prove these results, we develop a theory of semiprojectivity for real C*-algebras and also examine various definitions of low-rank for real C*-algebras.

  16. Study of remobilization polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in contaminated matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belkessam, L.; Vessigaud, S.; Laboudigue, A.; Vessigaud, S.; Perrin-Ganier, C.; Schiavon, M.; Denys, S.

    2005-01-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) originate from many pyrolysis processes. They are widespread environmental pollutants because some of them present toxic and genotoxic properties. In coal pyrolysis sites such as former manufactured gas plants and coke production plants, coal tar is a major source of PAHs. The management of such sites requires better understanding of the mechanisms that control release of PAHs to the biosphere. Determining total PAH concentrations is not sufficient since it does not inform about the pollutants availability to environmental processes. The fate and transport of PAHs in soil are governed by sorption and microbial processes which are well documented. Globally, enhancing retention of the compounds by a solid matrix reduces the risk of pollutant dispersion, but decreases their accessibility to microbial microflora. Conversely, the remobilization of organics from contaminated solid matrices represents a potential hazard since these pollutants can reach groundwater resources. However the available data are often obtained from laboratory experiments in which many field parameters can not be taken into account (long term, temperature, co-pollution, ageing phenomenon, heterogenous distribution of pollution). The present work focuses on the influence assessment and understanding of some of these parameters on PAHs remobilization from heavily polluted matrices in near-field conditions (industrial contaminated matrices, high contact time, ..). Results concerning effects of temperature and physical state of pollution (dispersed among the soil or condensed in small clusters or in coal tar) are presented. (authors)

  17. Statistical model for the mechanical behavior of the tissue engineering non-woven fibrous matrices under large deformation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rizvi, Mohd Suhail; Pal, Anupam

    2014-09-01

    The fibrous matrices are widely used as scaffolds for the regeneration of load-bearing tissues due to their structural and mechanical similarities with the fibrous components of the extracellular matrix. These scaffolds not only provide the appropriate microenvironment for the residing cells but also act as medium for the transmission of the mechanical stimuli, essential for the tissue regeneration, from macroscopic scale of the scaffolds to the microscopic scale of cells. The requirement of the mechanical loading for the tissue regeneration requires the fibrous scaffolds to be able to sustain the complex three-dimensional mechanical loading conditions. In order to gain insight into the mechanical behavior of the fibrous matrices under large amount of elongation as well as shear, a statistical model has been formulated to study the macroscopic mechanical behavior of the electrospun fibrous matrix and the transmission of the mechanical stimuli from scaffolds to the cells via the constituting fibers. The study establishes the load-deformation relationships for the fibrous matrices for different structural parameters. It also quantifies the changes in the fiber arrangement and tension generated in the fibers with the deformation of the matrix. The model reveals that the tension generated in the fibers on matrix deformation is not homogeneous and hence the cells located in different regions of the fibrous scaffold might experience different mechanical stimuli. The mechanical response of fibrous matrices was also found to be dependent on the aspect ratio of the matrix. Therefore, the model establishes a structure-mechanics interdependence of the fibrous matrices under large deformation, which can be utilized in identifying the appropriate structure and external mechanical loading conditions for the regeneration of load-bearing tissues. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Forecasting Covariance Matrices: A Mixed Frequency Approach

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Halbleib, Roxana; Voev, Valeri

    This paper proposes a new method for forecasting covariance matrices of financial returns. The model mixes volatility forecasts from a dynamic model of daily realized volatilities estimated with high-frequency data with correlation forecasts based on daily data. This new approach allows for flexi......This paper proposes a new method for forecasting covariance matrices of financial returns. The model mixes volatility forecasts from a dynamic model of daily realized volatilities estimated with high-frequency data with correlation forecasts based on daily data. This new approach allows...... for flexible dependence patterns for volatilities and correlations, and can be applied to covariance matrices of large dimensions. The separate modeling of volatility and correlation forecasts considerably reduces the estimation and measurement error implied by the joint estimation and modeling of covariance...

  19. Propositional matrices as alternative representation of truth values ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The paper considered the subject of representation of truth values in symbolic logic. An alternative representation was given based on the rows and columns properties of matrices, with the operations involving the logical connectives subjected to the laws of algebra of propositions. Matrices of various propositions detailing ...

  20. Healthcare disparities in critical illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soto, Graciela J; Martin, Greg S; Gong, Michelle Ng

    2013-12-01

    To summarize the current literature on racial and gender disparities in critical care and the mechanisms underlying these disparities in the course of acute critical illness. MEDLINE search on the published literature addressing racial, ethnic, or gender disparities in acute critical illness, such as sepsis, acute lung injury, pneumonia, venous thromboembolism, and cardiac arrest. Clinical studies that evaluated general critically ill patient populations in the United States as well as specific critical care conditions were reviewed with a focus on studies evaluating factors and contributors to health disparities. Study findings are presented according to their association with the prevalence, clinical presentation, management, and outcomes in acute critical illness. This review presents potential contributors for racial and gender disparities related to genetic susceptibility, comorbidities, preventive health services, socioeconomic factors, cultural differences, and access to care. The data are organized along the course of acute critical illness. The literature to date shows that disparities in critical care are most likely multifactorial involving individual, community, and hospital-level factors at several points in the continuum of acute critical illness. The data presented identify potential targets as interventions to reduce disparities in critical care and future avenues for research.

  1. Three-dimensional neural differentiation of embryonic stem cells with ACM induction in microfibrous matrices in bioreactors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ning; Ouyang, Anli; Li, Yan; Yang, Shang-Tian

    2013-01-01

    The clinical use of pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-derived neural cells requires an efficient differentiation process for mass production in a bioreactor. Toward this goal, neural differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in three-dimensional (3D) polyethylene terephthalate microfibrous matrices was investigated in this study. To streamline the process and provide a platform for process integration, the neural differentiation of ESCs was induced with astrocyte-conditioned medium without the formation of embryoid bodies, starting from undifferentiated ESC aggregates expanded in a suspension bioreactor. The 3D neural differentiation was able to generate a complex neural network in the matrices. When compared to 2D differentiation, 3D differentiation in microfibrous matrices resulted in a higher percentage of nestin-positive cells (68% vs. 54%) and upregulated gene expressions of nestin, Nurr1, and tyrosine hydroxylase. High purity of neural differentiation in 3D microfibrous matrix was also demonstrated in a spinner bioreactor with 74% nestin + cells. This study demonstrated the feasibility of a scalable process based on 3D differentiation in microfibrous matrices for the production of ESC-derived neural cells. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  2. Viscous hydrophilic injection matrices for serial crystallography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriela Kovácsová

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Serial (femtosecond crystallography at synchrotron and X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL sources distributes the absorbed radiation dose over all crystals used for data collection and therefore allows measurement of radiation damage prone systems, including the use of microcrystals for room-temperature measurements. Serial crystallography relies on fast and efficient exchange of crystals upon X-ray exposure, which can be achieved using a variety of methods, including various injection techniques. The latter vary significantly in their flow rates – gas dynamic virtual nozzle based injectors provide very thin fast-flowing jets, whereas high-viscosity extrusion injectors produce much thicker streams with flow rates two to three orders of magnitude lower. High-viscosity extrusion results in much lower sample consumption, as its sample delivery speed is commensurate both with typical XFEL repetition rates and with data acquisition rates at synchrotron sources. An obvious viscous injection medium is lipidic cubic phase (LCP as it is used for in meso membrane protein crystallization. However, LCP has limited compatibility with many crystallization conditions. While a few other viscous media have been described in the literature, there is an ongoing need to identify additional injection media for crystal embedding. Critical attributes are reliable injection properties and a broad chemical compatibility to accommodate samples as heterogeneous and sensitive as protein crystals. Here, the use of two novel hydrogels as viscous injection matrices is described, namely sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and the thermo-reversible block polymer Pluronic F-127. Both are compatible with various crystallization conditions and yield acceptable X-ray background. The stability and velocity of the extruded stream were also analysed and the dependence of the stream velocity on the flow rate was measured. In contrast with previously characterized injection media, both new

  3. Classical summability theory

    CERN Document Server

    Natarajan, P N

    2017-01-01

    This book presents results about certain summability methods, such as the Abel method, the Norlund method, the Weighted mean method, the Euler method and the Natarajan method, which have not appeared in many standard books. It proves a few results on the Cauchy multiplication of certain summable series and some product theorems. It also proves a number of Steinhaus type theorems. In addition, it introduces a new definition of convergence of a double sequence and double series and proves the Silverman-Toeplitz theorem for four-dimensional infinite matrices, as well as Schur's and Steinhaus theorems for four-dimensional infinite matrices. The Norlund method, the Weighted mean method and the Natarajan method for double sequences are also discussed in the context of the new definition. Divided into six chapters, the book supplements the material already discussed in G.H.Hardy's Divergent Series. It appeals to young researchers and experienced mathematicians who wish to explore new areas in Summability Theory.

  4. Wishart and anti-Wishart random matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Janik, Romuald A; Nowak, Maciej A

    2003-01-01

    We provide a compact exact representation for the distribution of the matrix elements of the Wishart-type random matrices A † A, for any finite number of rows and columns of A, without any large N approximations. In particular, we treat the case when the Wishart-type random matrix contains redundant, non-random information, which is a new result. This representation is of interest for a procedure for reconstructing the redundant information hidden in Wishart matrices, with potential applications to numerous models based on biological, social and artificial intelligence networks

  5. The Fight against Stigma toward Mental Illness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olcay Cam

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available In many health conditions, stigma is receiving increasing attention. Public stigmatization toward mental illness can affect particularly the patients and family memberships to help seeking behavior and treatment. These stigmatized persons in the society are deprived of rights and benefits. In this paper, reasons and consequences of stigma associated with mental illness are reviewed and combat against mental illnesses originated stigma are discussed. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2010; 9(1.000: 71-78

  6. Information geometry of density matrices and state estimation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brody, Dorje C

    2011-01-01

    Given a pure state vector |x) and a density matrix ρ-hat, the function p(x|ρ-hat)= defines a probability density on the space of pure states parameterised by density matrices. The associated Fisher-Rao information measure is used to define a unitary invariant Riemannian metric on the space of density matrices. An alternative derivation of the metric, based on square-root density matrices and trace norms, is provided. This is applied to the problem of quantum-state estimation. In the simplest case of unitary parameter estimation, new higher-order corrections to the uncertainty relations, applicable to general mixed states, are derived. (fast track communication)

  7. Supercritical fluid extraction behaviour of polymer matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sujatha, K.; Kumar, R.; Sivaraman, N.; Srinivasan, T.G.; Vasudeva Rao, P.R.

    2007-01-01

    Organic compounds present in polymeric matrices such as neoprene, surgical gloves and PVC were co-extracted during the removal of uranium using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) technique. Hence SFE studies of these matrices were carried out to establish the extracted species using HPLC, IR and mass spectrometry techniques. The initial study indicated that uranium present in the extract could be purified from the co-extracted organic species. (author)

  8. 2009 Pantex Plant Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2010-12-15

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  9. Scaling Sparse Matrices for Optimization Algorithms

    OpenAIRE

    Gajulapalli Ravindra S; Lasdon Leon S

    2006-01-01

    To iteratively solve large scale optimization problems in various contexts like planning, operations, design etc., we need to generate descent directions that are based on linear system solutions. Irrespective of the optimization algorithm or the solution method employed for the linear systems, ill conditioning introduced by problem characteristics or the algorithm or both need to be addressed. In [GL01] we used an intuitive heuristic approach in scaling linear systems that improved performan...

  10. Fabrication of Aligned Carbon Nanotube/Polycaprolactone/Gelatin Nanofibrous Matrices for Schwann Cell Immobilization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shiao-Wen Tsai

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we utilized a mandrel rotating collector consisting of two parallel, electrically conductive pieces of tape to fabricate aligned electrospun polycaprolactone/gelatin (PG and carbon nanotube/polycaprolactone/gelatin (PGC nanofibrous matrices. Furthermore, we examined the biological performance of the PGC nanofibrous and film matrices using an in vitro culture of RT4-D6P2T rat Schwann cells. Using cell adhesion tests, we found that carbon nanotube inhibited Schwann cell attachment on PGC nanofibrous and film matrices. However, the proliferation rates of Schwann cells were higher when they were immobilized on PGC nanofibrous matrices compared to PGC film matrices. Using western blot analysis, we found that NRG1 and P0 protein expression levels were higher for cells immobilized on PGC nanofibrous matrices compared to PG nanofibrous matrices. However, the carbon nanotube inhibited NRG1 and P0 protein expression in cells immobilized on PGC film matrices. Moreover, the NRG1 and P0 protein expression levels were higher for cells immobilized on PGC nanofibrous matrices compared to PGC film matrices. We found that the matrix topography and composition influenced Schwann cell behavior.

  11. Computing with linear equations and matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Churchhouse, R.F.

    1983-01-01

    Systems of linear equations and matrices arise in many disciplines. The equations may accurately represent conditions satisfied by a system or, more likely, provide an approximation to a more complex system of non-linear or differential equations. The system may involve a few or many thousand unknowns and each individual equation may involve few or many of them. Over the past 50 years a vast literature on methods for solving systems of linear equations and the associated problems of finding the inverse or eigenvalues of a matrix has been produced. These lectures cover those methods which have been found to be most useful for dealing with such types of problem. References are given where appropriate and attention is drawn to the possibility of improved methods for use on vector and parallel processors. (orig.)

  12. EFFECT OF GALACTO-OLIGOSACCHARIDES:MALTODEXTRIN MATRICES ON THE RECOVERY OF LACTOBACILLUS PLANTARUM AFTER SPRAY-DRYING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalia eSosa

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available In this work maltodextrins were added to commercial GOS in a 1:1 ratio and their thermophysical characteristics were analyzed. GOS:MD solutions were then used as matrices during spray-drying of L. plantarum CIDCA 83114. The obtained powders were equilibrated at different relative humidities (RH and stored at 5 and 20ºC for 12 weeks, or at 30ºC for 6 weeks.The Tgs of GOS:MD matrices were about 20-30oC higher than those of GOS at RH within 11 and 52%. A linear relation between the spin-spin relaxation time (T2 and T-Tg parameter was observed for GOS:MD matrices equilibrated at 11, 22, 33 and 44% RH at 5, 20 and 30ºC.Spray-drying of L. plantarum CIDCA 83114 in GOS:MD matrices allowed the recovery of 93% microorganisms. In contrast, only 64% microorganisms were recovered when no MD were included in the dehydration medium. Survival of L. plantarum CIDCA 83114 during storage showed the best performance for bacteria stored at 5oC. In a further step, the slopes of the linear regressions provided information about the rate of microbial inactivation for each storage condition (k values. This information can be useful to calculate the shelf-life of spray-dried starters stored at different temperatures and RH. Using GOS:MD matrices as a dehydration medium enhanced the recovery of L. plantarum CIDCA 83114 after spray-drying. This strategy allowed for the first time the spray-drying stabilization of a potentially probiotic strain in the presence of GOS.

  13. Nano-Fiber Reinforced Enhancements in Composite Polymer Matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chamis, Christos C.

    2009-01-01

    Nano-fibers are used to reinforce polymer matrices to enhance the matrix dependent properties that are subsequently used in conventional structural composites. A quasi isotropic configuration is used in arranging like nano-fibers through the thickness to ascertain equiaxial enhanced matrix behavior. The nano-fiber volume ratios are used to obtain the enhanced matrix strength properties for 0.01,0.03, and 0.05 nano-fiber volume rates. These enhanced nano-fiber matrices are used with conventional fiber volume ratios of 0.3 and 0.5 to obtain the composite properties. Results show that nano-fiber enhanced matrices of higher than 0.3 nano-fiber volume ratio are degrading the composite properties.

  14. Meet and Join Matrices in the Poset of Exponential Divisors

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    ... exponential divisor ( G C E D ) and the least common exponential multiple ( L C E M ) do not always exist. In this paper we embed this poset in a lattice. As an application we study the G C E D and L C E M matrices, analogues of G C D and L C M matrices, which are both special cases of meet and join matrices on lattices.

  15. 2007 Idaho National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-05-04

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  16. 2006 Brookhaven National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2008-03-06

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  17. 2007 Brookhaven National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2008-07-31

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  18. 2010 Idaho National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2011-09-26

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  19. 2006 Kansas City Plant Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2008-06-13

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  20. 2010 Savannah River Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2011-09-12

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  1. 2006 Savannah River Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2008-08-20

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  2. 2010 Sandia National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2011-10-26

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  3. 2006 Nevada Test Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2008-04-24

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  4. 2010 Kansas City Plant Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2011-06-20

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  5. 2010 Brookhaven National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2011-08-16

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  6. Minimax Rate-optimal Estimation of High-dimensional Covariance Matrices with Incomplete Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, T Tony; Zhang, Anru

    2016-09-01

    Missing data occur frequently in a wide range of applications. In this paper, we consider estimation of high-dimensional covariance matrices in the presence of missing observations under a general missing completely at random model in the sense that the missingness is not dependent on the values of the data. Based on incomplete data, estimators for bandable and sparse covariance matrices are proposed and their theoretical and numerical properties are investigated. Minimax rates of convergence are established under the spectral norm loss and the proposed estimators are shown to be rate-optimal under mild regularity conditions. Simulation studies demonstrate that the estimators perform well numerically. The methods are also illustrated through an application to data from four ovarian cancer studies. The key technical tools developed in this paper are of independent interest and potentially useful for a range of related problems in high-dimensional statistical inference with missing data.

  7. Minimax Rate-optimal Estimation of High-dimensional Covariance Matrices with Incomplete Data*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, T. Tony; Zhang, Anru

    2016-01-01

    Missing data occur frequently in a wide range of applications. In this paper, we consider estimation of high-dimensional covariance matrices in the presence of missing observations under a general missing completely at random model in the sense that the missingness is not dependent on the values of the data. Based on incomplete data, estimators for bandable and sparse covariance matrices are proposed and their theoretical and numerical properties are investigated. Minimax rates of convergence are established under the spectral norm loss and the proposed estimators are shown to be rate-optimal under mild regularity conditions. Simulation studies demonstrate that the estimators perform well numerically. The methods are also illustrated through an application to data from four ovarian cancer studies. The key technical tools developed in this paper are of independent interest and potentially useful for a range of related problems in high-dimensional statistical inference with missing data. PMID:27777471

  8. Beyond negative thinking: illness cognitions and demographics as ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Despite ample research evidence suggesting a strong link between illness cognitions and patients\\' psychological health, research in this direction in Nigeria is rather scanty, especially in a chronic condition like HIV/AIDS. This study explored the relationship between illness cognitions (helplessness, acceptance and ...

  9. Joint Estimation of Multiple Precision Matrices with Common Structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Wonyul; Liu, Yufeng

    Estimation of inverse covariance matrices, known as precision matrices, is important in various areas of statistical analysis. In this article, we consider estimation of multiple precision matrices sharing some common structures. In this setting, estimating each precision matrix separately can be suboptimal as it ignores potential common structures. This article proposes a new approach to parameterize each precision matrix as a sum of common and unique components and estimate multiple precision matrices in a constrained l 1 minimization framework. We establish both estimation and selection consistency of the proposed estimator in the high dimensional setting. The proposed estimator achieves a faster convergence rate for the common structure in certain cases. Our numerical examples demonstrate that our new estimator can perform better than several existing methods in terms of the entropy loss and Frobenius loss. An application to a glioblastoma cancer data set reveals some interesting gene networks across multiple cancer subtypes.

  10. Reliability and Validity of a Newly Developed Measure of Citizenship Among Persons with Mental Illnesses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Connell, Maria J; Clayton, Ashley; Rowe, Michael

    2017-04-01

    Following development of a 46-item of measure citizenship, a framework for supporting the full membership in society of persons with mental illness, this study tested the measure's reliability and validity. 110 persons from a mental health center completed a questionnaire packet containing the citizenship measure and other measures to assess internal consistency and validity of the citizenship instrument. Correlation matrices were examined for associations between the citizenship instrument and other measures. Stepwise regression examines demographic factors, sense of community, and social capital as predictors of citizenship, recovery, and well-being. Analyses revealed that the measure is psychometrically sound. The measure captures subjective information about the degree to which individuals experience rights, sense of belonging, and other factors associated with community membership that have been previously difficult to assess. The measure establishes a platform for interventions to support the full participation in society of persons with mental illnesses.

  11. How medical technologies shape the experience of illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hofmann, Bjørn; Svenaeus, Fredrik

    2018-02-03

    In this article we explore how diagnostic and therapeutic technologies shape the lived experiences of illness for patients. By analysing a wide range of examples, we identify six ways that technology can (trans)form the experience of illness (and health). First, technology may create awareness of disease by revealing asymptomatic signs or markers (imaging techniques, blood tests). Second, the technology can reveal risk factors for developing diseases (e.g., high blood pressure or genetic tests that reveal risks of falling ill in the future). Third, the technology can affect and change an already present illness experience (e.g., the way blood sugar measurement affects the perceived symptoms of diabetes). Fourth, therapeutic technologies may redefine our experiences of a certain condition as diseased rather than unfortunate (e.g. assisted reproductive technologies or symptom based diagnoses in psychiatry). Fifth, technology influences illness experiences through altering social-cultural norms and values regarding various diagnoses. Sixth, technology influences and changes our experiences of being healthy in contrast and relation to being diseased and ill. This typology of how technology forms illness and related conditions calls for reflection regarding the phenomenology of technology and health. How are medical technologies and their outcomes perceived and understood by patients? The phenomenological way of approaching illness as a lived, bodily being-in-the-world is an important approach for better understanding and evaluating the effects that medical technologies may have on our health, not only in defining, diagnosing, or treating diseases, but also in making us feel more vulnerable and less healthy in different regards.

  12. On the norms of r-circulant matrices with generalized Fibonacci numbers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amara Chandoul

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we obtain a generalization of [6, 8]. Firstly, we consider the so-called r-circulant matrices with generalized Fibonacci numbers and then found lower and upper bounds for the Euclidean and spectral norms of these matrices. Afterwards, we present some bounds for the spectral norms of Hadamard and Kronecker product of these matrices.

  13. Illness perception in eating disorders and psychosocial adaptation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quiles Marcos, Yolanda; Terol Cantero, Ma Carmen; Romero Escobar, Cristina; Pagán Acosta, Gonzalo

    2007-09-01

    The current study is based on the framework of the Self-Regulatory Model of Illness (SRM). The aim of this work was to examine perception of illness in eating disorder (ED) patients and investigate whether illness perception is related to psychosocial adaptation in these patients. A total of 98 female ED patients completed the specific eating disorders Spanish version of the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) and a range of adjustment variables including the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD). ED patients reported a moderate number of physical symptoms, and perceived their illness as controllable, treatable, highly distressing, as a chronic condition and with serious consequences. Emotional representation was the most significant dimension related to emotional adjustment. Illness identity and cure dimensions were the most significant dimensions associated with psychosocial adaptation. This study shows that patients' illness perceptions are related to illness adaptation. Illness identity was associated with emotional and psychosocial adjustment, and having faith that treatment may control the illness was related to positive benefits for ED. These results suggest that a psychological intervention, which addresses patients' illness representations, may assist in their adjustment to ED. 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association

  14. Hypersymmetric functions and Pochhammers of 2×2 nonautonomous matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. F. Antippa

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available We introduce the hypersymmetric functions of 2×2 nonautonomous matrices and show that they are related, by simple expressions, to the Pochhammers (factorial polynomials of these matrices. The hypersymmetric functions are generalizations of the associated elementary symmetric functions, and for a specific class of 2×2 matrices, having a high degree of symmetry, they reduce to these latter functions. This class of matrices includes rotations, Lorentz boosts, and discrete time generators for the harmonic oscillators. The hypersymmetric functions are defined over four sets of independent indeterminates using a triplet of interrelated binary partitions. We work out the algebra of this triplet of partitions and then make use of the results in order to simplify the expressions for the hypersymmetric functions for a special class of matrices. In addition to their obvious applications in matrix theory, in coupled difference equations, and in the theory of symmetric functions, the results obtained here also have useful applications in problems involving successive rotations, successive Lorentz transformations, discrete harmonic oscillators, and linear two-state systems.

  15. Electrospun composite matrices of poly(ε-caprolactone)-montmorillonite made using tenside free Pickering emulsions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samanta, Archana; Takkar, Sonam; Kulshreshtha, Ritu; Nandan, Bhanu; Srivastava, Rajiv K

    2016-12-01

    The production of composite electrospun matrices of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) using an emulsifier-free emulsion, made with minimal organic solvent, as precursor is reported. Pickering emulsions of PCL were prepared using modified montmorillonite (MMT) clay as the stabilizer. Hydrophobic tallow group of the modified MMT clay resulted in analogous interaction of clay with oil and aqueous phase and its adsorption at the interface to provide stability to the resultant emulsion. Composite fibrous matrices of PCL and MMT were produced using electrospinning under controlled conditions. The fiber fineness was found to alter with PCL concentration and volume fraction of the aqueous and oil phases. A higher tensile strength and modulus was obtained with inclusion of MMT in PCL electrospun matrix in comparison to a matrix made using neat PCL. The presence of clay in the fibrous matrix did not change the cell proliferation efficiency in comparison to neat PCL matrix. Composite fibrous matrices of PCL/MMT bearing enhanced tensile properties may find applications in areas other than tissue engineering for example food packaging and filtration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. An algorithmic characterization of P-matricity

    OpenAIRE

    Ben Gharbia , Ibtihel; Gilbert , Jean Charles

    2013-01-01

    International audience; It is shown that a matrix M is a P-matrix if and only if, whatever is the vector q, the Newton-min algorithm does not cycle between two points when it is used to solve the linear complementarity problem 0 ≤ x ⊥ (Mx+q) ≥ 0.; Nous montrons dans cet article qu'une matrice M est une P-matrice si, et seulement si, quel que soit le vecteur q, l'algorithme de Newton-min ne fait pas de cycle de deux points lorsqu'il est utilisé pour résoudre le problème de compl\\émentarité lin...

  17. Cutting state identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berger, B.S.; Minis, I.; Rokni, M.

    1997-01-01

    Cutting states associated with the orthogonal cutting of stiff cylinders are identified through an analysis of the singular values of a Toeplitz matrix of third order cumulants of acceleration measurements. The ratio of the two pairs of largest singular values is shown to differentiate between light cutting, medium cutting, pre-chatter and chatter states. Sequences of cutting experiments were performed in which either depth of cut or turning frequency was varied. Two sequences of experiments with variable turning frequency and five with variable depth of cut, 42 cutting experiments in all, provided a database for the calculation of third order cumulants. Ratios of singular values of cumulant matrices find application in the analysis of control of orthogonal cutting

  18. Preliminary Results from Simulations of Temperature Fluctuations in Stirling Engine Regenerator Matrices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Stig Kildegård; Carlsen, Henrik; Thomsen, Per Grove

    2003-01-01

    The objective of this study has been to create a model for studying effects of temperature fluctuations in regenerator matrices on Stirling engine performance. A one-dimensional model with axial discretisation of engine components has been formulated using a fixed Eulerian grid. The model contains...... that adjusts solutions so that they satisfy the necessary cyclic boundary conditions as well as integral conditions for cyclic heat transfer for walls in the engine and for the mean cycle pressure. It has been found that it is possible to accurately solve the stiff ODE system that describes the coupled...

  19. Effect of Galacto-Oligosaccharides: Maltodextrin Matrices on the Recovery of Lactobacillus plantarum after Spray-Drying

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sosa, Natalia; Gerbino, Esteban; Golowczyc, Marina A.; Schebor, Carolina; Gómez-Zavaglia, Andrea; Tymczyszyn, E. Elizabeth

    2016-01-01

    In this work maltodextrins were added to commercial galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) in a 1:1 ratio and their thermophysical characteristics were analyzed. GOS:MD solutions were then used as matrices during spray-drying of Lactobacillus plantarum CIDCA 83114. The obtained powders were equilibrated at different relative humidities (RH) and stored at 5 and 20°C for 12 weeks, or at 30°C for 6 weeks. The Tgs of GOS:MD matrices were about 20–30°C higher than those of GOS at RH within 11 and 52%. A linear relation between the spin-spin relaxation time (T2) and T-Tg parameter was observed for GOS:MD matrices equilibrated at 11, 22, 33, and 44% RH at 5, 20, and 30°C. Spray-drying of L. plantarum CIDCA 83114 in GOS:MD matrices allowed the recovery of 93% microorganisms. In contrast, only 64% microorganisms were recovered when no GOS were included in the dehydration medium. Survival of L. plantarum CIDCA 83114 during storage showed the best performance for bacteria stored at 5°C. In a further step, the slopes of the linear regressions provided information about the rate of microbial inactivation for each storage condition (k values). This information can be useful to calculate the shelf-life of spray-dried starters stored at different temperatures and RH. Using GOS:MD matrices as a dehydration medium enhanced the recovery of L. plantarum CIDCA 83114 after spray-drying. This strategy allowed for the first time the spray-drying stabilization of a potentially probiotic strain in the presence of GOS. PMID:27199918

  20. 2009 Hanford Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2010-12-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  1. [Health problems and illness of female workers in textile industries].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soonthorndhada, K

    1989-07-01

    This paper examines 3 major health-related issues: 1) existing health problems and illnesses resulting from physical environmental conditions at workplaces; 2) female workers' perception on illness and health protection; and 3) the relationship between illness and risk factors. The study area is textile factories in Bangkok and its peripheries. Data are drawn from the 1987 Survey of Occupational Health and Textile Industrial Development in Thailand: Effect on Health and Socioeconomics of Female Migrant Workers. This study shows that about 20% of female workers have ill-health problems and illness after a period of working mainly due to high levels of dust and noise, and inadequate light. These conditions are hazardous to the respiratory system (resulting in cough and chest tightness), the hearing system (pains as well as impaired and hearing loss), eye systems (irritation, reduced visual capacity) and skin allergy. Such illnesses are intensified in the long- run. The analysis of variances reveals that education, section of work, perception (particularly mask and ear plug) significantly affect these illnesses. This study concludes that health education and occupational health should be provided in factories with emphasis on health prevention and promotion.

  2. Partitioning sparse rectangular matrices for parallel processing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kolda, T.G.

    1998-05-01

    The authors are interested in partitioning sparse rectangular matrices for parallel processing. The partitioning problem has been well-studied in the square symmetric case, but the rectangular problem has received very little attention. They will formalize the rectangular matrix partitioning problem and discuss several methods for solving it. They will extend the spectral partitioning method for symmetric matrices to the rectangular case and compare this method to three new methods -- the alternating partitioning method and two hybrid methods. The hybrid methods will be shown to be best.

  3. ROBUST KALMAN FILTERING FOR SYSTEMS UNDER NORM BOUNDED UNCERTAINTIES IN ALL SYSTEM MATRICES AND ERROR COVARIANCE CONSTRAINTS

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    XIA Yuanqing; HAN Jingqing

    2005-01-01

    This paper concerns robust Kalman filtering for systems under norm bounded uncertainties in all the system matrices and error covariance constraints. Sufficient conditions are given for the existence of such filters in terms of Riccati equations. The solutions to the conditions can be used to design the filters. Finally, an illustrative example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design procedure.

  4. Topological expansion of the chain of matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eynard, B.; Ferrer, A. Prats

    2009-01-01

    We solve the loop equations to all orders in 1/N 2 , for the Chain of Matrices matrix model (with possibly an external field coupled to the last matrix of the chain). We show that the topological expansion of the free energy, is, like for the 1 and 2-matrix model, given by the symplectic invariants of [19]. As a consequence, we find the double scaling limit explicitly, and we discuss modular properties, large N asymptotics. We also briefly discuss the limit of an infinite chain of matrices (matrix quantum mechanics).

  5. Agricultural matrices affect ground ant assemblage composition inside forest fragments.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diego Santana Assis

    Full Text Available The establishment of agricultural matrices generally involves deforestation, which leads to fragmentation of the remaining forest. This fragmentation can affect forest dynamics both positively and negatively. Since most animal species are affected, certain groups can be used to measure the impact of such fragmentation. This study aimed to measure the impacts of agricultural crops (matrices on ant communities of adjacent lower montane Atlantic rainforest fragments. We sampled nine forest fragments at locations surrounded by different agricultural matrices, namely: coffee (3 replicates; sugarcane (3; and pasture (3. At each site we installed pitfall traps along a 500 m transect from the interior of the matrix to the interior of the fragment (20 pitfall traps ~25 m apart. Each transect was partitioned into four categories: interior of the matrix; edge of the matrix; edge of the fragment; and interior of the fragment. For each sample site, we measured ant species richness and ant community composition within each transect category. Ant richness and composition differed between fragments and matrices. Each sample location had a specific composition of ants, probably because of the influence of the nature and management of the agricultural matrices. Species composition in the coffee matrix had the highest similarity to its corresponding fragment. The variability in species composition within forest fragments surrounded by pasture was greatest when compared with forest fragments surrounded by sugarcane or, to a lesser extent, coffee. Functional guild composition differed between locations, but the most representative guild was 'generalist' both in the agricultural matrices and forest fragments. Our results are important for understanding how agricultural matrices act on ant communities, and also, how these isolated forest fragments could act as an island of biodiversity in an 'ocean of crops'.

  6. Agricultural matrices affect ground ant assemblage composition inside forest fragments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Assis, Diego Santana; Dos Santos, Iracenir Andrade; Ramos, Flavio Nunes; Barrios-Rojas, Katty Elena; Majer, Jonathan David; Vilela, Evaldo Ferreira

    2018-01-01

    The establishment of agricultural matrices generally involves deforestation, which leads to fragmentation of the remaining forest. This fragmentation can affect forest dynamics both positively and negatively. Since most animal species are affected, certain groups can be used to measure the impact of such fragmentation. This study aimed to measure the impacts of agricultural crops (matrices) on ant communities of adjacent lower montane Atlantic rainforest fragments. We sampled nine forest fragments at locations surrounded by different agricultural matrices, namely: coffee (3 replicates); sugarcane (3); and pasture (3). At each site we installed pitfall traps along a 500 m transect from the interior of the matrix to the interior of the fragment (20 pitfall traps ~25 m apart). Each transect was partitioned into four categories: interior of the matrix; edge of the matrix; edge of the fragment; and interior of the fragment. For each sample site, we measured ant species richness and ant community composition within each transect category. Ant richness and composition differed between fragments and matrices. Each sample location had a specific composition of ants, probably because of the influence of the nature and management of the agricultural matrices. Species composition in the coffee matrix had the highest similarity to its corresponding fragment. The variability in species composition within forest fragments surrounded by pasture was greatest when compared with forest fragments surrounded by sugarcane or, to a lesser extent, coffee. Functional guild composition differed between locations, but the most representative guild was 'generalist' both in the agricultural matrices and forest fragments. Our results are important for understanding how agricultural matrices act on ant communities, and also, how these isolated forest fragments could act as an island of biodiversity in an 'ocean of crops'.

  7. Patients' and partners' perspectives of chronic illness and its management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Checton, Maria G; Greene, Kathryn; Magsamen-Conrad, Kate; Venetis, Maria K

    2012-06-01

    This study is framed in theories of illness uncertainty (Babrow, A. S., 2007, Problematic integration theory. In B. B. Whaley & W. Samter (Eds.), Explaining communication: Contemporary theories and exemplars (pp. 181-200). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum; Babrow & Matthias, 2009; Brashers, D. E., 2007, A theory of communication and uncertainty management. In B. B. Whaley & W. Samter (Eds.), Explaining communication: Contemporary theories and exemplars (pp. 201-218). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum; Hogan, T. P., & Brashers, D. E. (2009). The theory of communication and uncertainty management: Implications for the wider realm of information behavior. In T. D. Afifi & W. A. Afifi (Eds.), Uncertainty and information regulation in interpersonal contexts: Theories and applications, (pp. 45-66). New York, NY: Routledge; Mishel, M. H. (1999). Uncertainty in chronic illness. Annual Review of Nursing Research, 17, 269-294; Mishel, M. H., & Clayton, M. F., 2003, Theories of uncertainty. In M. J. Smith & P. R. Liehr (Eds.), Middle range theory for nursing (pp. 25-48). New York, NY: Springer) and health information management (Afifi, W. A., & Weiner, J. L., 2004, Toward a theory of motivated information management. Communication Theory, 14, 167-190. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2885.2004.tb00310.x; Greene, K., 2009, An integrated model of health disclosure decision-making. In T. D. Afifi & W. A. Afifi (Eds.), Uncertainty and information regulation in interpersonal contexts: Theories and applications (pp. 226-253). New York, NY: Routledge) and examines how couples experience uncertainty and interference related to one partner's chronic health condition. Specifically, a model is hypothesized in which illness uncertainty (i.e., stigma, prognosis, and symptom) and illness interference predict communication efficacy and health condition management. Participants include 308 dyads in which one partner has a chronic health condition. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results indicate that there

  8. MALDI matrices for low molecular weight compounds: an endless story?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calvano, Cosima Damiana; Monopoli, Antonio; Cataldi, Tommaso R I; Palmisano, Francesco

    2018-04-23

    Since its introduction in the 1980s, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) has gained a prominent role in the analysis of high molecular weight biomolecules such as proteins, peptides, oligonucleotides, and polysaccharides. Its application to low molecular weight compounds has remained for long time challenging due to the spectral interferences produced by conventional organic matrices in the low m/z window. To overcome this problem, specific sample preparation such as analyte/matrix derivatization, addition of dopants, or sophisticated deposition technique especially useful for imaging experiments, have been proposed. Alternative approaches based on second generation (rationally designed) organic matrices, ionic liquids, and inorganic matrices, including metallic nanoparticles, have been the object of intense and continuous research efforts. Definite evidences are now provided that MALDI MS represents a powerful and invaluable analytical tool also for small molecules, including their quantification, thus opening new, exciting applications in metabolomics and imaging mass spectrometry. This review is intended to offer a concise critical overview of the most recent achievements about MALDI matrices capable of specifically address the challenging issue of small molecules analysis. Graphical abstract An ideal Book of matrices for MALDI MS of small molecules.

  9. Hierarchical Matrices Method and Its Application in Electromagnetic Integral Equations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Han Guo

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Hierarchical (H- matrices method is a general mathematical framework providing a highly compact representation and efficient numerical arithmetic. When applied in integral-equation- (IE- based computational electromagnetics, H-matrices can be regarded as a fast algorithm; therefore, both the CPU time and memory requirement are reduced significantly. Its kernel independent feature also makes it suitable for any kind of integral equation. To solve H-matrices system, Krylov iteration methods can be employed with appropriate preconditioners, and direct solvers based on the hierarchical structure of H-matrices are also available along with high efficiency and accuracy, which is a unique advantage compared to other fast algorithms. In this paper, a novel sparse approximate inverse (SAI preconditioner in multilevel fashion is proposed to accelerate the convergence rate of Krylov iterations for solving H-matrices system in electromagnetic applications, and a group of parallel fast direct solvers are developed for dealing with multiple right-hand-side cases. Finally, numerical experiments are given to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed multilevel preconditioner compared to conventional “single level” preconditioners and the practicability of the fast direct solvers for arbitrary complex structures.

  10. Clinical Pharmacology Studies in Critically Ill Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thakkar, Nilay; Salerno, Sara; Hornik, Christoph P.; Gonzalez, Daniel

    2016-01-01

    Developmental and physiological changes in children contribute to variation in drug disposition with age. Additionally, critically ill children suffer from various life-threatening conditions that can lead to pathophysiological alterations that further affect pharmacokinetics (PK). Some factors that can alter PK in this patient population include variability in tissue distribution caused by protein binding changes and fluid shifts, altered drug elimination due to organ dysfunction, and use of medical interventions that can affect drug disposition (e.g., extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and continuous renal replacement therapy). Performing clinical studies in critically ill children is challenging because there is large inter-subject variability in the severity and time course of organ dysfunction; some critical illnesses are rare, which can affect subject enrollment; and critically ill children usually have multiple organ failure, necessitating careful selection of a study design. As a result, drug dosing in critically ill children is often based on extrapolations from adults or non-critically ill children. Dedicated clinical studies in critically ill children are urgently needed to identify optimal dosing of drugs in this population. This review will summarize the effect of critical illness on pediatric PK, the challenges associated with performing studies in this vulnerable subpopulation, and the clinical PK studies performed to date for commonly used drugs. PMID:27585904

  11. 2003 Nevada Test Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2007-05-23

    Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2003 for the Nevada Test Site. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  12. 2010 Nevada National Security Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2011-07-28

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  13. 2007 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2008-05-20

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  14. 2010 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2011-07-28

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  15. 2010 East Tennessee Technology Park Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2011-08-16

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  16. 2006 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2008-05-16

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  17. 2006 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2008-03-27

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  18. 2007 East Tennessee Technology Park Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety, and Security

    2009-07-13

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  19. 2006 Los Alamos National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2008-06-13

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  20. 2006 Sandia National Laboratories--Albuquerque Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2008-05-13

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  1. 2010 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2011-08-16

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  2. The recurrence sequences via Sylvester matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karaduman, Erdal; Deveci, Ömür

    2017-07-01

    In this work, we define the Pell-Jacobsthal-Slyvester sequence and the Jacobsthal-Pell-Slyvester sequence by using the Slyvester matrices which are obtained from the characteristic polynomials of the Pell and Jacobsthal sequences and then, we study the sequences defined modulo m. Also, we obtain the cyclic groups and the semigroups from the generating matrices of these sequences when read modulo m and then, we derive the relationships among the orders of the cyclic groups and the periods of the sequences. Furthermore, we redefine Pell-Jacobsthal-Slyvester sequence and the Jacobsthal-Pell-Slyvester sequence by means of the elements of the groups and then, we examine them in the finite groups.

  3. Quantitative mass spectrometry of unconventional human biological matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutkiewicz, Ewelina P.; Urban, Pawel L.

    2016-10-01

    The development of sensitive and versatile mass spectrometric methodology has fuelled interest in the analysis of metabolites and drugs in unconventional biological specimens. Here, we discuss the analysis of eight human matrices-hair, nail, breath, saliva, tears, meibum, nasal mucus and skin excretions (including sweat)-by mass spectrometry (MS). The use of such specimens brings a number of advantages, the most important being non-invasive sampling, the limited risk of adulteration and the ability to obtain information that complements blood and urine tests. The most often studied matrices are hair, breath and saliva. This review primarily focuses on endogenous (e.g. potential biomarkers, hormones) and exogenous (e.g. drugs, environmental contaminants) small molecules. The majority of analytical methods used chromatographic separation prior to MS; however, such a hyphenated methodology greatly limits analytical throughput. On the other hand, the mass spectrometric methods that exclude chromatographic separation are fast but suffer from matrix interferences. To enable development of quantitative assays for unconventional matrices, it is desirable to standardize the protocols for the analysis of each specimen and create appropriate certified reference materials. Overcoming these challenges will make analysis of unconventional human biological matrices more common in a clinical setting. This article is part of the themed issue 'Quantitative mass spectrometry'.

  4. Productivity cost due to maternal ill health in Sri Lanka.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suneth Agampodi

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The global impact of maternal ill health on economic productivity is estimated to be over 15 billion USD per year. Global data on productivity cost associated with maternal ill health are limited to estimations based on secondary data. Purpose of our study was to determine the productivity cost due to maternal ill health during pregnancy in Sri Lanka. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We studied 466 pregnant women, aged 24 to 36 weeks, residing in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. A two stage cluster sampling procedure was used in a cross sectional design and all pregnant women were interviewed at clinic centers, using the culturally adapted Immpact tool kit for productivity cost assessment. Of the 466 pregnant women studied, 421 (90.3% reported at least one ill health condition during the pregnancy period, and 353 (83.8% of them had conditions affecting their daily life. Total incapacitation requiring another person to carry out all their routine activities was reported by 122 (26.1% of the women. In this study sample, during the last episode of ill health, total number of days lost due to absenteeism was 3,356 (32.9% of total loss and the days lost due to presenteeism was 6,832.8 (67.1% of the total loss. Of the 353 women with ill health conditions affecting their daily life, 280 (60% had coping strategies to recover loss of productivity. Of the coping strategies used to recover productivity loss during maternal ill health, 76.8% (n = 215 was an intra-household adaptation, and 22.8% (n = 64 was through social networks. Loss of productivity was 28.9 days per episode of maternal ill health. The mean productivity cost due to last episode of ill health in this sample was Rs.8,444.26 (95% CI-Rs.6888.74-Rs.9999.78. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal ill health has a major impact on household productivity and economy. The major impact is due to, generally ignored minor ailments during pregnancy.

  5. Illness Identity in Adults with a Chronic Illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oris, Leen; Luyckx, Koen; Rassart, Jessica; Goubert, Liesbet; Goossens, Eva; Apers, Silke; Arat, Seher; Vandenberghe, Joris; Westhovens, René; Moons, Philip

    2018-02-21

    The present study examines the concept of illness identity, the degree to which a chronic illness is integrated into one's identity, in adults with a chronic illness by validating a new self-report questionnaire, the Illness Identity Questionnaire (IIQ). Self-report questionnaires on illness identity, psychological, and physical functioning were assessed in two samples: adults with congenital heart disease (22-78 year old; n = 276) and with multisystem connective tissue disorders (systemic lupus erythematosus or systemic sclerosis; 17-81 year old; n = 241). The IIQ could differentiate four illness identity states (i.e., engulfment, rejection, acceptance, and enrichment) in both samples, based on exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. All four subscales proved to be reliable. Rejection and engulfment were related to maladaptive psychological and physical functioning, whereas acceptance and enrichment were related to adaptive psychological and physical functioning. The present findings underscore the importance of the concept of illness identity. The IIQ, a self-report questionnaire, is introduced to measure four different illness identity states in adults with a chronic illness.

  6. A Conceptual Cost Benefit Analysis of Tailings Matrices Use in Construction Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahmood Ali A.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available As part of a comprehensive research program, new tailings matrices are formulated of combinations of tailings and binder materials. The research program encompasses experimental and numerical analysis of the tailings matrices to investigate the feasibility of using them as construction materials in cold climates. This paper discusses a conceptual cost benefit analysis for the use of these new materials. It is shown here that the financial benefits of using the proposed new tailings matrices in terms of environmental sustainability are much higher when compared to normal sand matrices.

  7. Energy Requirements in Critically Ill Patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-01-01

    During the management of critical illness, optimal nutritional support is an important key for achieving positive clinical outcomes. Compared to healthy people, critically ill patients have higher energy expenditure, thereby their energy requirements and risk of malnutrition being increased. Assessing individual nutritional requirement is essential for a successful nutritional support, including the adequate energy supply. Methods to assess energy requirements include indirect calorimetry (IC) which is considered as a reference method, and the predictive equations which are commonly used due to the difficulty of using IC in certain conditions. In this study, a literature review was conducted on the energy metabolic changes in critically ill patients, and the implications for the estimation of energy requirements in this population. In addition, the issue of optimal caloric goal during nutrition support is discussed, as well as the accuracy of selected resting energy expenditure predictive equations, commonly used in critically ill patients.

  8. Energy Requirements in Critically Ill Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ndahimana, Didace; Kim, Eun-Kyung

    2018-04-01

    During the management of critical illness, optimal nutritional support is an important key for achieving positive clinical outcomes. Compared to healthy people, critically ill patients have higher energy expenditure, thereby their energy requirements and risk of malnutrition being increased. Assessing individual nutritional requirement is essential for a successful nutritional support, including the adequate energy supply. Methods to assess energy requirements include indirect calorimetry (IC) which is considered as a reference method, and the predictive equations which are commonly used due to the difficulty of using IC in certain conditions. In this study, a literature review was conducted on the energy metabolic changes in critically ill patients, and the implications for the estimation of energy requirements in this population. In addition, the issue of optimal caloric goal during nutrition support is discussed, as well as the accuracy of selected resting energy expenditure predictive equations, commonly used in critically ill patients.

  9. Flexible Bayesian Dynamic Modeling of Covariance and Correlation Matrices

    KAUST Repository

    Lan, Shiwei

    2017-11-08

    Modeling covariance (and correlation) matrices is a challenging problem due to the large dimensionality and positive-definiteness constraint. In this paper, we propose a novel Bayesian framework based on decomposing the covariance matrix into variance and correlation matrices. The highlight is that the correlations are represented as products of vectors on unit spheres. We propose a variety of distributions on spheres (e.g. the squared-Dirichlet distribution) to induce flexible prior distributions for covariance matrices that go beyond the commonly used inverse-Wishart prior. To handle the intractability of the resulting posterior, we introduce the adaptive $\\\\Delta$-Spherical Hamiltonian Monte Carlo. We also extend our structured framework to dynamic cases and introduce unit-vector Gaussian process priors for modeling the evolution of correlation among multiple time series. Using an example of Normal-Inverse-Wishart problem, a simulated periodic process, and an analysis of local field potential data (collected from the hippocampus of rats performing a complex sequence memory task), we demonstrated the validity and effectiveness of our proposed framework for (dynamic) modeling covariance and correlation matrices.

  10. An introduction to the theory of canonical matrices

    CERN Document Server

    Turnbull, H W

    2004-01-01

    Thorough and self-contained, this penetrating study of the theory of canonical matrices presents a detailed consideration of all the theory's principal features. Topics include elementary transformations and bilinear and quadratic forms; canonical reduction of equivalent matrices; subgroups of the group of equivalent transformations; and rational and classical canonical forms. The final chapters explore several methods of canonical reduction, including those of unitary and orthogonal transformations. 1952 edition. Index. Appendix. Historical notes. Bibliographies. 275 problems.

  11. Complementary Set Matrices Satisfying a Column Correlation Constraint

    OpenAIRE

    Wu, Di; Spasojevic, Predrag

    2006-01-01

    Motivated by the problem of reducing the peak to average power ratio (PAPR) of transmitted signals, we consider a design of complementary set matrices whose column sequences satisfy a correlation constraint. The design algorithm recursively builds a collection of $2^{t+1}$ mutually orthogonal (MO) complementary set matrices starting from a companion pair of sequences. We relate correlation properties of column sequences to that of the companion pair and illustrate how to select an appropriate...

  12. Hamiltonian structure of isospectral deformation equation and semi-classical approximation to factorized S-matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chudnovsky, D.V.; Chudnovsky, G.V.

    1980-01-01

    We consider semi-classical approximation to factorized S-matrices. We show that this new class of matrices, called s-matrices, defines Hamiltonian structures for isospectral deformation equations. Concrete examples of factorized s-matrices are constructed and they are used to define Hamiltonian structure for general two-dimensional isospectral deformation systems. (orig.)

  13. Self-orthogonal codes from some bush-type Hadamard matrices ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    By means of a construction method outlined by Harada and Tonchev, we determine some non-binary self-orthogonal codes obtained from the row span of orbit matrices of Bush-type Hadamard matrices that admit a xed-point-free and xed-block-free automorphism of prime order. We show that the code [20; 15; 4]5 obtained ...

  14. Illness Among Paralympic Athletes: Epidemiology, Risk Markers, and Preventative Strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janse Van Rensburg, Dina Christina; Schwellnus, Martin; Derman, Wayne; Webborn, Nick

    2018-05-01

    Paralympic athletes have unique preexisting medical conditions that predispose them to increased risk of illness, but data are limited to studies conducted during the last 3 Paralympic Games. This article reviews the epidemiology of illness (risk, patterns, and predictors) in Paralympic athletes and provides practical guidelines for illness prevention. The incidence rate of illness (per 1000 athlete-days) in Paralympic athletes is high in Summer (10.0-13.2) and Winter (18.7) Paralympic Games. The authors propose general and specific guidelines on preventative strategies regarding illness in these athletes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Some thoughts on positive definiteness in the consideration of nuclear data covariance matrices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Geraldo, L.P.; Smith, D.L.

    1988-01-01

    Some basic mathematical features of covariance matrices are reviewed, particularly as they relate to the property of positive difiniteness. Physical implications of positive definiteness are also discussed. Consideration is given to an examination of the origins of non-positive definite matrices, to procedures which encourage the generation of positive definite matrices and to the testing of covariance matrices for positive definiteness. Attention is also given to certain problems associated with the construction of covariance matrices using information which is obtained from evaluated data files recorded in the ENDF format. Examples are provided to illustrate key points pertaining to each of the topic areas covered.

  16. Some thoughts on positive definiteness in the consideration of nuclear data covariance matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geraldo, L.P.; Smith, D.L.

    1988-01-01

    Some basic mathematical features of covariance matrices are reviewed, particularly as they relate to the property of positive difiniteness. Physical implications of positive definiteness are also discussed. Consideration is given to an examination of the origins of non-positive definite matrices, to procedures which encourage the generation of positive definite matrices and to the testing of covariance matrices for positive definiteness. Attention is also given to certain problems associated with the construction of covariance matrices using information which is obtained from evaluated data files recorded in the ENDF format. Examples are provided to illustrate key points pertaining to each of the topic areas covered

  17. The role of illness perception and emotions on quality of life in fibromyalgia compared with other chronic pain conditions The role of illness perception and emotions on quality of life in fibromyalgia compared with other chronic pain conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Sgnaolin

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMs is a chronic widespread pain condition that can negatively impact on all aspects of patient’s life. The purpose of this study was: first, to evaluate illness perception (IP, quality of life (QoL and affective-emotive variables (EAV of patients with FM; and second, to compare these variables to different pain conditions. Methods: Consecutive 34 women (mean age 47.4±8.3 years affected by FM were enrolled for the study from December 2009 to May 2011. IP was evaluated by means of the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire, QoL through Nottigham Health Profile and EAV through the Beck Depression Inventory. Scores were compared with rheumatoid arthritis (RA (n=20; mean age 53±12.8 years and low back pain (LBP (n=20; 51.3±7.8 years groups. Results: FM patients scored higher than RA and LBP groups on IP (Identity scale mean: FM=8.8±2.3, AR=5.5±3.3, LBP=4.1±2.9; Kruskal-Wallis=24.42. Moreover FM patients show higher EAV (mean FM=21±9.6, AR=8.9±5.6, LBP=14.9±6.5; Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z=2.17 and QoL (Pain scale mean: FM=74.2±24.1; AR=35.7±19.9; LBP=56.5±20.4; Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z=2.27; Energy scale mean: FM=86.2±28.5; AR=46.8±35.4; LBP=61.6 ±63.7; Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z=1.98 than RA group. Conclusions: Our study highlighted dysfunctional IP, low QoL, high EAV scores in FM patients and the significant relations between these variables. Research results provided support for relevance of a multidisciplinary approach to the management of FM, including psychological interventions, according to a biopsychosocial perspective.Objective: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMs is a chronic widespread pain condition that can negatively impact on all aspects of patient’s life. The purposes of this study were: i to evaluate illness perception (IP, quality of life (QoL and affective-emotive variables (EAV of patients with FM; and ii to compare these variables to different pain conditions. Methods: Consecutive 34 women (mean age

  18. Wavelet analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Cheng, Lizhi; Luo, Yong; Chen, Bo

    2014-01-01

    This book could be divided into two parts i.e. fundamental wavelet transform theory and method and some important applications of wavelet transform. In the first part, as preliminary knowledge, the Fourier analysis, inner product space, the characteristics of Haar functions, and concepts of multi-resolution analysis, are introduced followed by a description on how to construct wavelet functions both multi-band and multi wavelets, and finally introduces the design of integer wavelets via lifting schemes and its application to integer transform algorithm. In the second part, many applications are discussed in the field of image and signal processing by introducing other wavelet variants such as complex wavelets, ridgelets, and curvelets. Important application examples include image compression, image denoising/restoration, image enhancement, digital watermarking, numerical solution of partial differential equations, and solving ill-conditioned Toeplitz system. The book is intended for senior undergraduate stude...

  19. Asymmetric correlation matrices: an analysis of financial data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Livan, G.; Rebecchi, L.

    2012-06-01

    We analyse the spectral properties of correlation matrices between distinct statistical systems. Such matrices are intrinsically non-symmetric, and lend themselves to extend the spectral analyses usually performed on standard Pearson correlation matrices to the realm of complex eigenvalues. We employ some recent random matrix theory results on the average eigenvalue density of this type of matrix to distinguish between noise and non-trivial correlation structures, and we focus on financial data as a case study. Namely, we employ daily prices of stocks belonging to the American and British stock exchanges, and look for the emergence of correlations between two such markets in the eigenvalue spectrum of their non-symmetric correlation matrix. We find several non trivial results when considering time-lagged correlations over short lags, and we corroborate our findings by additionally studying the asymmetric correlation matrix of the principal components of our datasets.

  20. LIBS analysis of artificial calcified tissues matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasem, M A; Gonzalez, J J; Russo, R E; Harith, M A

    2013-04-15

    In most laser-based analytical methods, the reproducibility of quantitative measurements strongly depends on maintaining uniform and stable experimental conditions. For LIBS analysis this means that for accurate estimation of elemental concentration, using the calibration curves obtained from reference samples, the plasma parameters have to be kept as constant as possible. In addition, calcified tissues such as bone are normally less "tough" in their texture than many samples, especially metals. Thus, the ablation process could change the sample morphological features rapidly, and result in poor reproducibility statistics. In the present work, three artificial reference sample sets have been fabricated. These samples represent three different calcium based matrices, CaCO3 matrix, bone ash matrix and Ca hydroxyapatite matrix. A comparative study of UV (266 nm) and IR (1064 nm) LIBS for these three sets of samples has been performed under similar experimental conditions for the two systems (laser energy, spot size, repetition rate, irradiance, etc.) to examine the wavelength effect. The analytical results demonstrated that UV-LIBS has improved reproducibility, precision, stable plasma conditions, better linear fitting, and the reduction of matrix effects. Bone ash could be used as a suitable standard reference material for calcified tissue calibration using LIBS with a 266 nm excitation wavelength. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. "For Their Own Good": A Response to Popular Arguments Against Permitting Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) where Mental Illness Is the Sole Underlying Condition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dembo, Justine; Schuklenk, Udo; Reggler, Jonathan

    2018-01-01

    Canada is approaching its federal government's review of whether patients should be eligible for medical assistance in dying (MAID) where mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition, and when "natural death" is not "reasonably foreseeable". For those opposed, arguments involve the following themes: capacity, value of life, vulnerability, stigma, irremediability, and the role of physicians. It has also been suggested that those who are able-bodied should have to kill themselves, even though suicide may be painful, lonely, and violent. Opponents of MAID for severe, refractory suffering due to mental illness imply that it is acceptable to remove agency from such patients on paternalistic grounds. After years of efforts to destigmatise mental illness, these kinds of arguments effectively declare all patients with mental illness, regardless of capacity, unable to make considered choices for themselves. The current paper argues that decisions about capacity must be made on an individual-patient basis. Given the rightful importance granted to respect for patient autonomy in liberal democracies, the wholesale removal of agency advocated by opponents of a permissive MAID regime is difficult to reconcile with Canadian constitutional values.

  2. Tissue engineering approaches to develop decellularized tendon matrices functionalized with progenitor cells cultured under undifferentiated and tenogenic conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniele D’Arrigo

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Tendon ruptures and retractions with an extensive tissue loss represent a major clinical problem and a great challenge in surgical reconstruction. Traditional approaches consist in autologous or allogeneic grafts, which still have some drawbacks. Hence, tissue engineering strategies aimed at developing functionalized tendon grafts. In this context, the use of xenogeneic tissues represents a promising perspective to obtain decellularized tendon grafts. This study is focused on the identification of suitable culture conditions for the generation of reseeded and functional decellularized constructs to be used as tendon grafts. Equine superficial digital flexor tendons were decellularized, reseeded with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs from bone marrow and statically cultured in two different culture media to maintain undifferentiated cells (U-MSCs or to induce a terminal tenogenic differentiation (T-MSCs for 24 hours, 7 and 14 days. Cell viability, proliferation, morphology as well as matrix deposition and type I and III collagen production were assessed by means of histological, immunohistochemical and semi-quantitative analyses. Results showed that cell viability was not affected by any culture conditions and active proliferation was maintained 14 days after reseeding. However, seeded MSCs were not able to penetrate within the dense matrix of the decellularized tendons. Nevertheless, U-MSCs synthesized a greater amount of extracellular matrix rich in type I collagen compared to T-MSCs. In spite of the inability to deeply colonize the decellularized matrix in vitro, reseeding tendon matrices with U-MSCs could represent a suitable method for the functionalization of biological constructs, considering also any potential chemoattractant capability of the newly deposed extracellular matrix to recruit resident cells. This bioengineering approach can be exploited to produce functionalized tendon constructs for the substitution of large tendon defects.

  3. Psychosocial well-being in young adults with chronic illness since childhood: the role of illness cognitions

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background More and more pediatric patients reach adulthood. Some of them are successfully integrating in adult life, but many others are not. Possibly Illness cognitions (IC) - the way people give meaning to their illness/disability – may play a role in individual differences on long-term adjustment. This study explored the association of IC with disease–characteristics and Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), anxiety and depression in young adults with a disability benefit due to childhood-onset chronic condition. Methods In a cross-sectional study, young adults (22–31 years, N = 377) who claimed a disability benefit because of a somatic condition since childhood, completed the Illness Cognition Questionnaire (acceptance-helplessness-benefits), RAND-36 (HRQoL) and HADS (anxiety and depression) online. Besides descriptive statistics, linear regression analyses were conducted to predict (1) illness cognitions by age, gender and disease-characteristics, and (2) HRQoL (Mental and Physical Component Scale), Anxiety and Depression by illness cognitions, controlling for disease-characteristics, age and gender. Results Respectively 90.2%, 83.8% and 53.3% of the young adults with a disability benefit experienced feelings of acceptance, benefits and helplessness. Several disease-characteristics were associated with IC. More acceptance and less helplessness were associated with better mental (β = 0.31; β = −0.32) and physical (β = 0.16; β = −0.15) HRQoL and with less anxiety (β = −0.27; β = 0.28) and depression (β = −0.29; β = 0.31). Conclusions IC of young adult beneficiaries were associated with their HRQoL and feelings of anxiety and depression. Early recognition of psychological distress and negative IC might be a key to the identification of pediatric patients at risk for long-term dysfunction. Identification of maladaptive illness cognitions enables the development of psychosocial interventions to optimise

  4. Adhesion and metabolic activity of human corneal cells on PCL based nanofiber matrices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stafiej, Piotr; Küng, Florian [Department of Ophthalmology, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schwabachanlage 6, 91054 Erlangen (Germany); Institute of Polymer Materials, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Martensstraße 7, 91054 Erlangen (Germany); Thieme, Daniel; Czugala, Marta; Kruse, Friedrich E. [Department of Ophthalmology, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schwabachanlage 6, 91054 Erlangen (Germany); Schubert, Dirk W. [Institute of Polymer Materials, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Martensstraße 7, 91054 Erlangen (Germany); Fuchsluger, Thomas A., E-mail: thomas.fuchsluger@uk-erlangen.de [Department of Ophthalmology, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schwabachanlage 6, 91054 Erlangen (Germany)

    2017-02-01

    In this work, polycaprolactone (PCL) was used as a basic polymer for electrospinning of random and aligned nanofiber matrices. Our aim was to develop a biocompatible substrate for ophthalmological application to improve wound closure in defects of the cornea as replacement for human amniotic membrane. We investigated whether blending the hydrophobic PCL with poly (glycerol sebacate) (PGS) or chitosan (CHI) improves the biocompatibility of the matrices for cell expansion. Human corneal epithelial cells (HCEp) and human corneal keratocytes (HCK) were used for in vitro biocompatibility studies. After optimization of the electrospinning parameters for all blends, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and water contact angle were used to characterize the different matrices. Fluorescence staining of the F-actin cytoskeleton of the cells was performed to analyze the adherence of the cells to the different matrices. Metabolic activity of the cells was measured by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) for 20 days to compare the biocompatibility of the materials. Our results show the feasibility of producing uniform nanofiber matrices with and without orientation for the used blends. All materials support adherence and proliferation of human corneal cell lines with oriented growth on aligned matrices. Although hydrophobicity of the materials was lowered by blending PCL, no increase in biocompatibility or proliferation, as was expected, could be measured. All tested matrices supported the expansion of human corneal cells, confirming their potential as substrates for biomedical applications. - Highlights: • PCL was blended with chitosan and poly(glycerol sebacate) for electrospinning. • Biocompatibility was proven with two human corneal cell lines. • Both cell lines adhered and proliferated on random and aligned nanofiber matrices. • Cytoskeletal orientation is shown on aligned nanofiber matrices.

  5. Concurrent acute illness and comorbid conditions poorly predict antibiotic use in upper respiratory tract infections: a cross-sectional analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Perencevich Eli N

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Inappropriate antibiotic use promotes resistance. Antibiotics are generally not indicated for upper respiratory infections (URIs. Our objectives were to describe patterns of URI treatment and to identify patient and provider factors associated with antibiotic use for URIs. Methods This study was a cross-sectional analysis of medical and pharmacy claims data from the Pennsylvania Medicaid fee-for-service program database. We identified Pennsylvania Medicaid recipients with a URI office visit over a one-year period. Our outcome variable was antibiotic use within seven days after the URI visit. Study variables included URI type and presence of concurrent acute illnesses and chronic conditions. We considered the associations of each study variable with antibiotic use in a logistic regression model, stratifying by age group and adjusting for confounders. Results Among 69,936 recipients with URI, 35,786 (51.2% received an antibiotic. In all age groups, acute sinusitis, chronic sinusitis, otitis, URI type and season were associated with antibiotic use. Except for the oldest group, physician specialty and streptococcal pharyngitis were associated with antibiotic use. History of chronic conditions was not associated with antibiotic use in any age group. In all age groups, concurrent acute illnesses and history of chronic conditions had only had fair to poor ability to distinguish patients who received an antibiotic from patients who did not. Conclusion Antibiotic prevalence for URIs was high, indicating that potentially inappropriate antibiotic utilization is occurring. Our data suggest that demographic and clinical factors are associated with antibiotic use, but additional reasons remain unexplained. Insight regarding reasons for antibiotic prescribing is needed to develop interventions to address the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.

  6. 2007 Sandia National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-02-04

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  7. 2007 Kansas City Plant Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-07-13

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  8. 2009 Brookhaven National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2010-11-24

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  9. 2008 Brookhaven National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-12-10

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  10. 2007 Savannah River Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-05-05

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  11. 2008 Kansas City Plant Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-09-22

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  12. 2008 Savannah River Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-09-29

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  13. 2007 Nevada Test Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-06-30

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  14. 2008 Idaho National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2010-11-23

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  15. 2009 Argonne National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2010-08-19

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  16. 2008 Sandia National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-09-17

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  17. 2008 Nevada Test Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-10-05

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  18. First results in the application of silicon photomultiplier matrices to small animal PET

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Llosa, G. [University of Pisa, Department of Physics, Pisa (Italy)], E-mail: gabriela.llosa@pi.infn.it; Belcari, N.; Bisogni, M.G. [University of Pisa, Department of Physics, Pisa (Italy); INFN Pisa (Italy); Collazuol, G. [University of Pisa, Department of Physics, Pisa (Italy); Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa (Italy); Marcatili, S. [University of Pisa, Department of Physics, Pisa (Italy); INFN Pisa (Italy); Boscardin, M.; Melchiorri, M.; Tarolli, A.; Piemonte, C.; Zorzi, N. [FBK irst, Trento (Italy); Barrillon, P.; Bondil-Blin, S.; Chaumat, V.; La Taille, C. de; Dinu, N.; Puill, V.; Vagnucci, J-F. [Laboratoire de l' Accelerateur Lineaire, IN2P3-CNRS, Orsay (France); Del Guerra, A. [University of Pisa, Department of Physics, Pisa (Italy); INFN Pisa (Italy)

    2009-10-21

    A very high resolution small animal PET scanner that employs matrices of silicon photomultipliers as photodetectors is under development at the University of Pisa and INFN Pisa. The first SiPM matrices composed of 16 (4x4)1mmx1mm pixel elements on a common substrate have been produced at FBK-irst, and are being evaluated for this application. The MAROC2 ASIC developed at LAL-Orsay has been employed for the readout of the SiPM matrices. The devices have been tested with pixelated and continuous LYSO crystals. The results show the good performance of the matrices and lead to the fabrication of matrices with 64 SiPM elements.

  19. First results in the application of silicon photomultiplier matrices to small animal PET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Llosa, G.; Belcari, N.; Bisogni, M.G.; Collazuol, G.; Marcatili, S.; Boscardin, M.; Melchiorri, M.; Tarolli, A.; Piemonte, C.; Zorzi, N.; Barrillon, P.; Bondil-Blin, S.; Chaumat, V.; La Taille, C. de; Dinu, N.; Puill, V.; Vagnucci, J-F.; Del Guerra, A.

    2009-01-01

    A very high resolution small animal PET scanner that employs matrices of silicon photomultipliers as photodetectors is under development at the University of Pisa and INFN Pisa. The first SiPM matrices composed of 16 (4x4)1mmx1mm pixel elements on a common substrate have been produced at FBK-irst, and are being evaluated for this application. The MAROC2 ASIC developed at LAL-Orsay has been employed for the readout of the SiPM matrices. The devices have been tested with pixelated and continuous LYSO crystals. The results show the good performance of the matrices and lead to the fabrication of matrices with 64 SiPM elements.

  20. More about unphysical zeroes in quark mass matrices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Emmanuel-Costa, David, E-mail: david.costa@tecnico.ulisboa.pt [Departamento de Física and Centro de Física Teórica de Partículas - CFTP, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); González Felipe, Ricardo, E-mail: ricardo.felipe@tecnico.ulisboa.pt [Departamento de Física and Centro de Física Teórica de Partículas - CFTP, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); ISEL - Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Rua Conselheiro Emídio Navarro, 1959-007 Lisboa (Portugal)

    2017-01-10

    We look for all weak bases that lead to texture zeroes in the quark mass matrices and contain a minimal number of parameters in the framework of the standard model. Since there are ten physical observables, namely, six nonvanishing quark masses, three mixing angles and one CP phase, the maximum number of texture zeroes in both quark sectors is altogether nine. The nine zero entries can only be distributed between the up- and down-quark sectors in matrix pairs with six and three texture zeroes or five and four texture zeroes. In the weak basis where a quark mass matrix is nonsingular and has six zeroes in one sector, we find that there are 54 matrices with three zeroes in the other sector, obtainable through right-handed weak basis transformations. It is also found that all pairs composed of a nonsingular matrix with five zeroes and a nonsingular and nondecoupled matrix with four zeroes simply correspond to a weak basis choice. Without any further assumptions, none of these pairs of up- and down-quark mass matrices has physical content. It is shown that all non-weak-basis pairs of quark mass matrices that contain nine zeroes are not compatible with current experimental data. The particular case of the so-called nearest-neighbour-interaction pattern is also discussed.

  1. Basal Cell Carcinoma With Matrical Differentiation: Clinicopathologic, Immunohistochemical, and Molecular Biological Study of 22 Cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kyrpychova, Liubov; Carr, Richard A; Martinek, Petr; Vanecek, Tomas; Perret, Raul; Chottová-Dvořáková, Magdalena; Zamecnik, Michal; Hadravsky, Ladislav; Michal, Michal; Kazakov, Dmitry V

    2017-06-01

    Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) with matrical differentiation is a fairly rare neoplasm, with about 30 cases documented mainly as isolated case reports. We studied a series of this neoplasm, including cases with an atypical matrical component, a hitherto unreported feature. Lesions coded as BCC with matrical differentiation were reviewed; 22 cases were included. Immunohistochemical studies were performed using antibodies against BerEp4, β-catenin, and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA). Molecular genetic studies using Ion AmpliSeq Cancer Hotspot Panel v2 by massively parallel sequencing on Ion Torrent PGM were performed in 2 cases with an atypical matrical component (1 was previously subjected to microdissection to sample the matrical and BCC areas separately). There were 13 male and 9 female patients, ranging in age from 41 to 89 years. Microscopically, all lesions manifested at least 2 components, a BCC area (follicular germinative differentiation) and areas with matrical differentiation. A BCC component dominated in 14 cases, whereas a matrical component dominated in 4 cases. Matrical differentiation was recognized as matrical/supramatrical cells (n=21), shadow cells (n=21), bright red trichohyaline granules (n=18), and blue-gray corneocytes (n=18). In 2 cases, matrical areas manifested cytologic atypia, and a third case exhibited an infiltrative growth pattern, with the tumor metastasizing to a lymph node. BerEP4 labeled the follicular germinative cells, whereas it was markedly reduced or negative in matrical areas. The reverse pattern was seen with β-catenin. EMA was negative in BCC areas but stained a proportion of matrical/supramatrical cells. Genetic studies revealed mutations of the following genes: CTNNB1, KIT, CDKN2A, TP53, SMAD4, ERBB4, and PTCH1, with some differences between the matrical and BCC components. It is concluded that matrical differentiation in BCC in most cases occurs as multiple foci. Rare neoplasms manifest atypia in the matrical areas

  2. Dirac Matrices and Feynman’s Rest of the Universe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young S. Kim

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available There are two sets of four-by-four matrices introduced by Dirac. The first set consists of fifteen Majorana matrices derivable from his four γ matrices. These fifteen matrices can also serve as the generators of the group SL(4, r. The second set consists of ten generators of the Sp(4 group which Dirac derived from two coupled harmonic oscillators. It is shown possible to extend the symmetry of Sp(4 to that of SL(4, r if the area of the phase space of one of the oscillators is allowed to become smaller without a lower limit. While there are no restrictions on the size of phase space in classical mechanics, Feynman’s rest of the universe makes this Sp(4-to-SL(4, r transition possible. The ten generators are for the world where quantum mechanics is valid. The remaining five generators belong to the rest of the universe. It is noted that the groups SL(4, r and Sp(4 are locally isomorphic to the Lorentz groups O(3, 3 and O(3, 2 respectively. This allows us to interpret Feynman’s rest of the universe in terms of space-time symmetry.

  3. Quantum Algorithms for Weighing Matrices and Quadratic Residues

    OpenAIRE

    van Dam, Wim

    2000-01-01

    In this article we investigate how we can employ the structure of combinatorial objects like Hadamard matrices and weighing matrices to device new quantum algorithms. We show how the properties of a weighing matrix can be used to construct a problem for which the quantum query complexity is ignificantly lower than the classical one. It is pointed out that this scheme captures both Bernstein & Vazirani's inner-product protocol, as well as Grover's search algorithm. In the second part of the ar...

  4. Study about Illness: Through the Narrative of "Illness Image"

    OpenAIRE

    岩城, 晶子

    2013-01-01

    In this research, the meaning of the illness was studied from the perpective of Image. From listening to the narrative about two types of Illness Image, i.e., "my illness" and "A's illness, " we found that there was a characteristic that the Illness Image was similar to the real image. In addition, there were several differences between 2 images, which indicated that distance between the narrator and these images had an influence. From the syudy of two cases, it was indicated that Illness Ima...

  5. Extreme eigenvalues of sample covariance and correlation matrices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heiny, Johannes

    This thesis is concerned with asymptotic properties of the eigenvalues of high-dimensional sample covariance and correlation matrices under an infinite fourth moment of the entries. In the first part, we study the joint distributional convergence of the largest eigenvalues of the sample covariance...... matrix of a p-dimensional heavy-tailed time series when p converges to infinity together with the sample size n. We generalize the growth rates of p existing in the literature. Assuming a regular variation condition with tail index ... eigenvalues are essentially determined by the extreme order statistics from an array of iid random variables. The asymptotic behavior of the extreme eigenvalues is then derived routinely from classical extreme value theory. The resulting approximations are strikingly simple considering the high dimension...

  6. Empowering first year (post-matric) students in basic research skills ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Post-matric students from under-resourced (historically disadvantaged) black high schools generally encounter difficulties in their academic work at university. The study reported here was intended to empower first year (post-matric) students from these schools with basic research skills in a bid to counteract the effects of ...

  7. Polymer Percolation Threshold in Multi-Component HPMC Matrices Tablets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Maghsoodi

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The percolation theory studies the critical points or percolation thresholds of the system, where onecomponent of the system undergoes a geometrical phase transition, starting to connect the whole system. The application of this theory to study the release rate of hydrophilic matrices allows toexplain the changes in release kinetics of swellable matrix type system and results in a clear improvement of the design of controlled release dosage forms. Methods: In this study, the percolation theory has been applied to multi-component hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC hydrophilic matrices. Matrix tablets have been prepared using phenobarbital as drug,magnesium stearate as a lubricant employing different amount of lactose and HPMC K4M as a fillerandmatrix forming material, respectively. Ethylcelullose (EC as a polymeric excipient was also examined. Dissolution studies were carried out using the paddle method. In order to estimate the percolation threshold, the behaviour of the kinetic parameters with respect to the volumetric fraction of HPMC at time zero, was studied. Results: In both HPMC/lactose and HPMC/EC/lactose matrices, from the point of view of the percolation theory, the optimum concentration for HPMC, to obtain a hydrophilic matrix system for the controlled release of phenobarbital is higher than 18.1% (v/v HPMC. Above 18.1% (v/v HPMC, an infinite cluster of HPMC would be formed maintaining integrity of the system and controlling the drug release from the matrices. According to results, EC had no significant influence on the HPMC percolation threshold. Conclusion: This may be related to broad functionality of the swelling hydrophilic matrices.

  8. Project W-320, waste retrieval sluicing system: BIO/SER implementation matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bailey, J.W.

    1998-01-01

    This document provides verification that the safety related commitments specified in HNF-SD-WM-810-001, Addendum 1 for the Waste Retrieval Sluicing System, Project W-320 and Project W-320 Safety Evaluation Report (SER), have been implemented in the project hardware, procedures and administrative controls. Four appendices include matrices which show where the 810 commitments are implemented for limiting conditions of operation and surveillance requirements controls, administrative controls, defense-in-depth controls and controls discussed in 810 Addendum 1. A fifth appendix includes the implementation of Project W-320 SER issues and provisions

  9. 2010 Y-12 National Security Complex Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2011-08-31

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  10. 2006 Y-12 National Security Complex Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2008-04-17

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  11. 2003 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2007-05-23

    Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2003 for ORNL. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  12. Efficient linear algebra routines for symmetric matrices stored in packed form.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahlrichs, Reinhart; Tsereteli, Kakha

    2002-01-30

    Quantum chemistry methods require various linear algebra routines for symmetric matrices, for example, diagonalization or Cholesky decomposition for positive matrices. We present a small set of these basic routines that are efficient and minimize memory requirements.

  13. The long-term psychiatric and medical prognosis of perinatal mental illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meltzer-Brody, Samantha; Stuebe, Alison

    2014-01-01

    The perinatal period provides an important window into a woman's long-term health. Perinatal mental illness is a common condition conferring potential serious long-term psychiatric and medical consequences for the mother and family. It is known that childbirth acts as a powerful trigger for depressive episodes in some women, and that women with histories of a mood disorder are particularly vulnerable. Some evidence links perinatal mental illness with obstetrical complications and reduced lactation initiation and duration. Therefore, perinatal mental illness may be a marker for long-term risk, and may contribute directly to subsequent cardiometabolic disease through both neuroendocrine mechanisms and the effects of mental illness on health behaviours. In clinical practice, these associations underscore the importance of screening and treating women with perinatal mental illness to ensure best possible long-term outcomes. Early screening and treatment may both mitigate the primary disease process and reduce the risk of comorbid medical conditions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Deterministic matrices matching the compressed sensing phase transitions of Gaussian random matrices

    OpenAIRE

    Monajemi, Hatef; Jafarpour, Sina; Gavish, Matan; Donoho, David L.; Ambikasaran, Sivaram; Bacallado, Sergio; Bharadia, Dinesh; Chen, Yuxin; Choi, Young; Chowdhury, Mainak; Chowdhury, Soham; Damle, Anil; Fithian, Will; Goetz, Georges; Grosenick, Logan

    2012-01-01

    In compressed sensing, one takes samples of an N-dimensional vector using an matrix A, obtaining undersampled measurements . For random matrices with independent standard Gaussian entries, it is known that, when is k-sparse, there is a precisely determined phase transition: for a certain region in the (,)-phase diagram, convex optimization typically finds the sparsest solution, whereas outside that region, it typically fails. It has been shown empirically that the same property—with the ...

  15. Comorbidities and psychotic illness. Part 1: Philosophy and clinical consequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agius, Mark; Aquilina, Francesca Falzon

    2014-11-01

    This article aims at addressing the implications of defining 'comorbidity' within the field of psychiatry. We have looked at the standard definition of comorbidity and then discussed whether this definition can be applied to comorbidities in psychiatry. While comorbidities in physical illness are clearly the coexistence of two independent illnesses, Comorbidities in Mental illness are the result of the polygenic nature of mental illnesses, especially in psychotic illness whether schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. As a consequence, often the comorbidities of psychiatric illness are caused by two conditions which have in common the presence of particular single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps), which regulate the metabolism of neurotransmitters or the presence of neurotrophic factors . Thus inevitably, many such comorbidities are inextricably linked. We discuss the consequences of this form of comorbidity for the description, classification, and risk profile of mental illness.

  16. Positive projections of symmetric matrices and Jordan algebras

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fuglede, Bent; Jensen, Søren Tolver

    2013-01-01

    An elementary proof is given that the projection from the space of all symmetric p×p matrices onto a linear subspace is positive if and only if the subspace is a Jordan algebra. This solves a problem in a statistical model.......An elementary proof is given that the projection from the space of all symmetric p×p matrices onto a linear subspace is positive if and only if the subspace is a Jordan algebra. This solves a problem in a statistical model....

  17. Statistical potential-based amino acid similarity matrices for aligning distantly related protein sequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Yen Hock; Huang, He; Kihara, Daisuke

    2006-08-15

    Aligning distantly related protein sequences is a long-standing problem in bioinformatics, and a key for successful protein structure prediction. Its importance is increasing recently in the context of structural genomics projects because more and more experimentally solved structures are available as templates for protein structure modeling. Toward this end, recent structure prediction methods employ profile-profile alignments, and various ways of aligning two profiles have been developed. More fundamentally, a better amino acid similarity matrix can improve a profile itself; thereby resulting in more accurate profile-profile alignments. Here we have developed novel amino acid similarity matrices from knowledge-based amino acid contact potentials. Contact potentials are used because the contact propensity to the other amino acids would be one of the most conserved features of each position of a protein structure. The derived amino acid similarity matrices are tested on benchmark alignments at three different levels, namely, the family, the superfamily, and the fold level. Compared to BLOSUM45 and the other existing matrices, the contact potential-based matrices perform comparably in the family level alignments, but clearly outperform in the fold level alignments. The contact potential-based matrices perform even better when suboptimal alignments are considered. Comparing the matrices themselves with each other revealed that the contact potential-based matrices are very different from BLOSUM45 and the other matrices, indicating that they are located in a different basin in the amino acid similarity matrix space.

  18. The optimal version of Hua's fundamental theorem of geometry of rectangular matrices

    CERN Document Server

    Semrl, Peter

    2014-01-01

    Hua's fundamental theorem of geometry of matrices describes the general form of bijective maps on the space of all m\\times n matrices over a division ring \\mathbb{D} which preserve adjacency in both directions. Motivated by several applications the author studies a long standing open problem of possible improvements. There are three natural questions. Can we replace the assumption of preserving adjacency in both directions by the weaker assumption of preserving adjacency in one direction only and still get the same conclusion? Can we relax the bijectivity assumption? Can we obtain an analogous result for maps acting between the spaces of rectangular matrices of different sizes? A division ring is said to be EAS if it is not isomorphic to any proper subring. For matrices over EAS division rings the author solves all three problems simultaneously, thus obtaining the optimal version of Hua's theorem. In the case of general division rings he gets such an optimal result only for square matrices and gives examples ...

  19. Numerical solutions of stochastic Lotka-Volterra equations via operational matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Hosseini Shekarabi

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, an efficient and convenient method for numerical solutions of stochastic Lotka-Volterra dynamical system is proposed. Here, we consider block pulse functions and their operational matrices of integration. Illustrative example is included to demonstrate the procedure and accuracy of the operational matrices based on block pulse functions.

  20. On families of anticommuting matrices

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hrubeš, Pavel

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 493, March 15 (2016), s. 494-507 ISSN 0024-3795 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 339691 - FEALORA Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : anticommuting matrices * sum-of-squares formulas Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.973, year: 2016 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024379515007296

  1. On families of anticommuting matrices

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hrubeš, Pavel

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 493, March 15 (2016), s. 494-507 ISSN 0024-3795 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 339691 - FEALORA Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : anticommuting matrices * sum -of-squares formulas Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.973, year: 2016 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024379515007296

  2. Schur Complement Inequalities for Covariance Matrices and Monogamy of Quantum Correlations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lami, Ludovico; Hirche, Christoph; Adesso, Gerardo; Winter, Andreas

    2016-11-25

    We derive fundamental constraints for the Schur complement of positive matrices, which provide an operator strengthening to recently established information inequalities for quantum covariance matrices, including strong subadditivity. This allows us to prove general results on the monogamy of entanglement and steering quantifiers in continuous variable systems with an arbitrary number of modes per party. A powerful hierarchical relation for correlation measures based on the log-determinant of covariance matrices is further established for all Gaussian states, which has no counterpart among quantities based on the conventional von Neumann entropy.

  3. Application of Parallel Hierarchical Matrices in Spatial Statistics and Parameter Identification

    KAUST Repository

    Litvinenko, Alexander

    2018-04-20

    Parallel H-matrices in spatial statistics 1. Motivation: improve statistical model 2. Tools: Hierarchical matrices [Hackbusch 1999] 3. Matern covariance function and joint Gaussian likelihood 4. Identification of unknown parameters via maximizing Gaussian log-likelihood 5. Implementation with HLIBPro

  4. Ethical and methodological issues in qualitative studies involving people with severe and persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions: a critical review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlsson, Ing-Marie; Blomqvist, Marjut; Jormfeldt, Henrika

    2017-01-01

    Undertaking research studies in the field of mental health is essential in mental health nursing. Qualitative research methodologies enable human experiences to become visible and recognize the importance of lived experiences. This paper argues that involving people with schizophrenia in research is critical to promote their health and well-being. The quality of qualitative research needs scrutinizing according to methodological issues such as trustworthiness and ethical standards that are a fundamental part of qualitative research and nursing curricula. The aim of this study was to critically review recent qualitative studies involving people with severe and persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions, regarding descriptions of ethical and methodological issues in data collection and analysis. A search for relevant papers was conducted in three electronic databases, in December 2016. Fifteen qualitative interview studies were included and reviewed regarding methodological issues related to ethics, and data collection and analysis. The results revealed insufficient descriptions of methodology regarding ethical considerations and issues related to recruitment and sampling in qualitative interview studies with individuals with severe mental illness, putting trustworthiness at risk despite detailed descriptions of data analysis. Knowledge from the perspective of individuals with their own experience of mental illness is essential. Issues regarding sampling and trustworthiness in qualitative studies involving people with severe mental illness are vital to counteract the stigmatization of mental illness.

  5. 2003 East Tennessee Technology Park Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2007-05-23

    Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2003 for the East Tennessee Technology Park (K-25).The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  6. Higher dimensional unitary braid matrices: Construction, associated structures and entanglements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdesselam, B.; Chakrabarti, A.; Dobrev, V.K.; Mihov, S.G.

    2007-03-01

    We construct (2n) 2 x (2n) 2 unitary braid matrices R-circumflex for n ≥ 2 generalizing the class known for n = 1. A set of (2n) x (2n) matrices (I, J,K,L) are defined. R-circumflex is expressed in terms of their tensor products (such as K x J), leading to a canonical formulation for all n. Complex projectors P ± provide a basis for our real, unitary R-circumflex. Baxterization is obtained. Diagonalizations and block- diagonalizations are presented. The loss of braid property when R-circumflex (n > 1) is block-diagonalized in terms of R-circumflex (n = 1) is pointed out and explained. For odd dimension (2n + 1) 2 x (2n + 1) 2 , a previously constructed braid matrix is complexified to obtain unitarity. R-circumflexLL- and R-circumflexTT- algebras, chain Hamiltonians, potentials for factorizable S-matrices, complex non-commutative spaces are all studied briefly in the context of our unitary braid matrices. Turaev construction of link invariants is formulated for our case. We conclude with comments concerning entanglements. (author)

  7. A Conceptual Cost Benefit Analysis of Tailings Matrices Use in Construction Applications

    OpenAIRE

    Mahmood Ali A.; Elektorowicz Maria

    2016-01-01

    As part of a comprehensive research program, new tailings matrices are formulated of combinations of tailings and binder materials. The research program encompasses experimental and numerical analysis of the tailings matrices to investigate the feasibility of using them as construction materials in cold climates. This paper discusses a conceptual cost benefit analysis for the use of these new materials. It is shown here that the financial benefits of using the proposed new tailings matrices i...

  8. Gulf War illnesses are autoimmune illnesses caused by reactive oxygen species which were caused by nerve agent prophylaxis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moss, J I

    2012-08-01

    Gulf War illnesses (GWI share many of the features of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and both CFS and GWI may be the result of chronic immune system processes. The main suspected cause for GWI, the drug pyridostigmine bromide (PB), has been shown to cause neuronal damage from reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS have been associated with IgM mediated autoimmune responses against ROS induced neoepitopes in depressed patients and this may also apply to CFS. It therefore follows that the drug used in the Gulf War caused ROS, the ROS modified native molecules, and that this trigged the autoimmune condition we refer to as Gulf War illnesses. Similar mechanisms may apply to other autoimmune illnesses. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Invertibility and Explicit Inverses of Circulant-Type Matrices with k-Fibonacci and k-Lucas Numbers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhaolin Jiang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Circulant matrices have important applications in solving ordinary differential equations. In this paper, we consider circulant-type matrices with the k-Fibonacci and k-Lucas numbers. We discuss the invertibility of these circulant matrices and present the explicit determinant and inverse matrix by constructing the transformation matrices, which generalizes the results in Shen et al. (2011.

  10. The effect of solar activity on ill and healthy people under conditions of neurous and emotional stresses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zakharov, I. G.; Tyrnov, O. F.

    2001-01-01

    It is commonly agreed that solar activity has adverse effects first of all on enfeebled and ill organisms. In our study we have traced that under conditions of neurous and emotional stresses (at work, in the street, and in cars) the effect may be larger (˜ 30 %) for healthy people. Our calculations have been carried out applying the epoch-superposition method, spectrum and correlation analyses to daily data over a 1992 to 1994 period from three independent databases (Kharkiv City) on patients (adults and children) suffering from mental diseases and physical traumas. The effect is most marked during the recovery phase of geomagnetic storms and accompanied by the inhibition in the central nervous system.

  11. Asymptotic Distribution of Eigenvalues of Weakly Dilute Wishart Matrices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khorunzhy, A. [Institute for Low Temperature Physics (Ukraine)], E-mail: khorunjy@ilt.kharkov.ua; Rodgers, G. J. [Brunel University, Uxbridge, Department of Mathematics and Statistics (United Kingdom)], E-mail: g.j.rodgers@brunel.ac.uk

    2000-03-15

    We study the eigenvalue distribution of large random matrices that are randomly diluted. We consider two random matrix ensembles that in the pure (nondilute) case have a limiting eigenvalue distribution with a singular component at the origin. These include the Wishart random matrix ensemble and Gaussian random matrices with correlated entries. Our results show that the singularity in the eigenvalue distribution is rather unstable under dilution and that even weak dilution destroys it.

  12. The development of a model of dignity in illness based on qualitative interviews with seriously ill patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Gennip, Isis E; Pasman, H Roeline W; Oosterveld-Vlug, Mariska G; Willems, Dick L; Onwuteaka-Philipsen, Bregje D

    2013-08-01

    While knowledge on factors affecting personal dignity of patients nearing death is quite substantial, far less is known about how patients living with a serious disease understand dignity. To develop a conceptual model of dignity that illuminates the process by which serious illness can undermine patients' dignity, and that is applicable to a wide patient population. Qualitative interview study. 34 patients with either cancer, early stage dementia, or a severe chronic illness were selected from an extensive cohort study into advance directives. In-depth interviews were carried out exploring the experiences of seriously ill patients with regard to their personal dignity. The interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis and a conceptual model was constructed based on the resulting themes. We developed a two-step dignity model of illness. According to this model, illness related conditions do not affect patients' dignity directly but indirectly by affecting the way patients perceive themselves. We identified three components shaping self-perception: (a) the individual self: the subjective experiences and internally held qualities of the patient; (b) the relational self: the self within reciprocal interaction with others; and, (c) the societal self: the self as a social object in the eyes of others. The merits of the model are two-folded. First, it offers an organizing framework for further research into patients' dignity. Secondly, the model can serve to facilitate care for seriously ill patients in practice by providing insight into illness and dignity at the level of the individual patient where intervention can be effectively targeted. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. A Lie algebraic condition for exponential stability of discrete hybrid systems and application to hybrid synchronization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Shouwei

    2011-06-01

    A Lie algebraic condition for global exponential stability of linear discrete switched impulsive systems is presented in this paper. By considering a Lie algebra generated by all subsystem matrices and impulsive matrices, when not all of these matrices are Schur stable, we derive new criteria for global exponential stability of linear discrete switched impulsive systems. Moreover, simple sufficient conditions in terms of Lie algebra are established for the synchronization of nonlinear discrete systems using a hybrid switching and impulsive control. As an application, discrete chaotic system's synchronization is investigated by the proposed method.

  14. 2007 Los Alamos National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-06-30

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  15. 2008 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-12-14

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  16. 2008 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-09-21

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  17. 2007 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-03-04

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  18. An Analysis of Conditional Dependencies of Covariance Matrices for Economic Processes in Selected EU Countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janiga-Ćmiel Anna

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper looks at the issues related to the research on and assessment of the contagion effect. Based on several examinations of two selected EU countries, Poland paired with one of the EU member states; it presents the interaction between their economic development. A DCC-GARCH model constructed for the purpose of the study was used to generate a covariance matrix Ht, which enabled the calculation of correlation matrices Rt. The resulting variance vectors were used to present a linear correlation model on which a further analysis of the contagion effect was based. The aim of the study was to test a contagion effect among selected EU countries in the years 2000–2014. The transmission channel under study was the GDP of a selected country. The empirical studies confirmed the existence of the contagion effect between the economic development of the Polish and selected EU economies.

  19. Fabrication of chemically cross-linked porous gelatin matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozzini, Sabrina; Petrini, Paola; Altomare, Lina; Tanzi, Maria Cristina

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this study was to chemically cross-link gelatin, by reacting its free amino groups with an aliphatic diisocyanate. To produce hydrogels with controllable properties, the number of reacting amino groups was carefully determined. Porosity was introduced into the gelatin-based hydrogels through the lyophilization process. Porous and non-porous matrices were characterized with respect to their chemical structure, morphology, water uptake and mechanical properties. The physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the porous matrices are related to the extent of their cross-linking, showing that they can be controlled by varying the reaction parameters. Water uptake values (24 hours) vary between 160% and 200% as the degree of cross-linking increases. The flexibility of the samples also decreases by changing the extent of cross-linking. Young's modulus shows values between 0.188 KPa, for the highest degree, and 0.142 KPa for the lowest degree. The matrices are potential candidates for use as tissue-engineering scaffolds by modulating their physical chemical properties according to the specific application.

  20. Large-deviation theory for diluted Wishart random matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castillo, Isaac Pérez; Metz, Fernando L.

    2018-03-01

    Wishart random matrices with a sparse or diluted structure are ubiquitous in the processing of large datasets, with applications in physics, biology, and economy. In this work, we develop a theory for the eigenvalue fluctuations of diluted Wishart random matrices based on the replica approach of disordered systems. We derive an analytical expression for the cumulant generating function of the number of eigenvalues IN(x ) smaller than x ∈R+ , from which all cumulants of IN(x ) and the rate function Ψx(k ) controlling its large-deviation probability Prob[IN(x ) =k N ] ≍e-N Ψx(k ) follow. Explicit results for the mean value and the variance of IN(x ) , its rate function, and its third cumulant are discussed and thoroughly compared to numerical diagonalization, showing very good agreement. The present work establishes the theoretical framework put forward in a recent letter [Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 104101 (2016), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.104101] as an exact and compelling approach to deal with eigenvalue fluctuations of sparse random matrices.

  1. Theoretical and experimental researches of methanol clusters in low - temperature matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chernolevs'ka, Je.A.; Doroshenko, Yi.Yu.; Pogorelov, V.Je.; Vas'kyivs'kij, Je.V.; Shablyinskas, V.; Balyavyichus, V.; Yasajev, O.

    2015-01-01

    Molecular vibrational spectra of methanol in argon and nitrogen matrices have been studied. Since methanol belongs to a class of substances with hydrogen bonds, there is a possibility of forming molecular associations and clusters with various numbers of molecules. IR spectra of methanol in Ar and N 2 matrices experimentally obtained in the temperature range from 10 to 50 K are compared with the results of computer simulation using the ab initio Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics (CPMD) method. The results obtained for small clusters in model calculations demonstrate a good correlation with experimental data for various matrices at the corresponding temperatures

  2. Multiple Regression Analysis of Unconfined Compression Strength of Mine Tailings Matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahmood Ali A.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available As part of a novel approach of sustainable development of mine tailings, experimental and numerical analysis is carried out on newly formulated tailings matrices. Several physical characteristic tests are carried out including the unconfined compression strength test to ascertain the integrity of these matrices when subjected to loading. The current paper attempts a multiple regression analysis of the unconfined compressive strength test results of these matrices to investigate the most pertinent factors affecting their strength. Results of this analysis showed that the suggested equation is reasonably applicable to the range of binder combinations used.

  3. Predicting the combinatorial effects of water activity, pH and organic acids on Listeria growth in media and complex food matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nyhan, L; Begley, M; Mutel, A; Qu, Y; Johnson, N; Callanan, M

    2018-09-01

    The aim of this study was to develop a model to predict growth of Listeria in complex food matrices as a function of pH, water activity and undissociated acetic and propionic acid concentration i.e. common food hurdles. Experimental growth curves of Listeria in food products and broth media were collected from ComBase, the literature and industry sources from which a bespoke secondary gamma model was constructed. Model performance was evaluated by comparing predictions to measured growth rates in growth media (BHI broth) and two adjusted food matrices (zucchini purée and béarnaise sauce). In general, observed growth rates were higher in broth than in the food matrices which resulted in the model over-estimating growth in the adjusted food matrices. In addition, model outputs were more accurate for conditions without acids, indicating that the organic acid component of the model was a source of inaccuracy. In summary, a new predictive growth model for innovating or renovating food products that rely on multi-hurdle technology was created. This study is the first to report on modelling of propionic acid as an inhibitor of Listeria in combination with other hurdles. Our findings provide valuable insights into predictive model design and performance and highlight the importance of experimental validation of models in real food matrices rather than laboratory media alone. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Different Rols of Modified Organoclay in Deformation Mechanism Control of Polymeric Matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Babak Akbari

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The effect of organically modified clay on the structure and deformation mechanism of polymeric matrices was investigated. For this purpose, the role of organoclay in deformation control of polymeric matrices, with different deformation mechanisms, has been studied methodically in order to determine a relationship between the structure and deformation mechanisms. In this respect polypropylene and polystyrene composites systems were designed using montmorillonite through melt intercalation technique using a twin, co-rotating extruder with starve feeding system. Also an epoxy was employed to design a nanocomposite system prepared by in-situ polymerization technique. The structure and deformation mechanism of nanocomposites were investigated using appropriate techniques. X-Ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were used to explore the structure of various systems while, the reflection and transmission optical microscopy were used in order to study their corresponding deformation mechanisms. The bulk polymer was also studied for its deformation mechanism by reflection optical microscopy and the notch tip of the samples were examined by transmission optical microscopy. The results of experiments showed that organoclays acted as initiator sites for shear yielding mechanism as the dominant deformation mechanism in epoxies. It may be noted that, these particles may act as initiator sites for crazing, the dominant deformation mechanism of polystyrene, and alter the mechanism from local to massive. In polypropylene systems, which may exhibit both shear yielding and crazing organoclays can facilitate or postpone both mechanisms in different conditions, related to PP morphology and other conditions.

  5. A Workshop on Algebraic Design Theory and Hadamard Matrices

    CERN Document Server

    2015-01-01

    This volume develops the depth and breadth of the mathematics underlying the construction and analysis of Hadamard matrices and their use in the construction of combinatorial designs. At the same time, it pursues current research in their numerous applications in security and cryptography, quantum information, and communications. Bridges among diverse mathematical threads and extensive applications make this an invaluable source for understanding both the current state of the art and future directions. The existence of Hadamard matrices remains one of the most challenging open questions in combinatorics. Substantial progress on their existence has resulted from advances in algebraic design theory using deep connections with linear algebra, abstract algebra, finite geometry, number theory, and combinatorics. Hadamard matrices arise in a very diverse set of applications. Starting with applications in experimental design theory and the theory of error-correcting codes, they have found unexpected and important ap...

  6. Comorbidity between pain and mental illness - Evidence of a bidirectional relationship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bondesson, E; Larrosa Pardo, F; Stigmar, K; Ringqvist, Å; Petersson, I F; Jöud, A; Schelin, M E C

    2018-03-25

    Pain from various locations in the body and mental illness are common and the comorbidity between the two is well-known although the temporal relationship remains to be determined. Our aim was to follow patients over time to study if pain (here dorsalgia/abdominal pain) or fibromyalgia lead to an increased risk of developing mental illness (here depression/anxiety) and/or the reverse, that is whether patients with mental illness have an increased risk to develop pain or fibromyalgia, compared to the rest of the population. This prospective cohort study used the Skåne Healthcare Register, covering all care in the region of Skåne, southern Sweden (population ~1.3 million). The cohort included healthcare consultations in primary care, outpatient specialized care and inpatient care between 2007 and 2016 for all patients without prior registered diagnosis of mental illness or pain, aged 18 or older (n = 504,365). The incidence rate ratio (IRR) for developing mental illness after pain was 2.18 (95% CI = 2.14-2.22) compared to without pain. IRR for developing pain after mental illness was 2.02 (95% CI = 1.98-2.06) compared to without mental illness. Corresponding IRR for developing mental illness after fibromyalgia was 4.05 (95% CI = 3.58-4.59) and for developing fibromyalgia after mental illness 5.54 (95% CI = 4.99-6.16). This study shows a bidirectional influence of similar magnitude of pain and mental illness, respectively. In monitoring patients with pain or mental illness, a focus on both conditions is thus important to develop appropriate, targeted interventions and may increase the likelihood of improved outcomes. We followed a population-based cohort over a period of 10 years, including incident cases of both exposure and outcome and found a bidirectional relationship between pain and mental illness. Clinicians need to pay attention on both conditions, in patients seeking care due to mental illness or pain. © 2018 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

  7. Inconsistent Distances in Substitution Matrices can be Avoided by Properly Handling Hydrophobic Residues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Baussand

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The adequacy of substitution matrices to model evolutionary relationships between amino acid sequences can be numerically evaluated by checking the mathematical property of triangle inequality for all triplets of residues. By converting substitution scores into distances, one can verify that a direct path between two amino acids is shorter than a path passing through a third amino acid in the amino acid space modeled by the matrix. If the triangle inequality is not verified, the intuition is that the evolutionary signal is not well modeled by the matrix, that the space is locally inconsistent and that the matrix construction was probably based on insufficient biological data. Previous analysis on several substitution matrices revealed that the number of triplets violating the triangle inequality increases with sequence divergence. Here, we compare matrices which are dedicated to the alignment of highly divergent proteins. The triangle inequality is tested on several classical substitution matrices as well as in a pair of “complementary” substitution matrices recording the evolutionary pressures inside and outside hydrophobic blocks in protein sequences. The analysis proves the crucial role of hydrophobic residues in substitution matrices dedicated to the alignment of distantly related proteins.

  8. The social construction of illness: key insights and policy implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conrad, Peter; Barker, Kristin K

    2010-01-01

    The social construction of illness is a major research perspective in medical sociology. This article traces the roots of this perspective and presents three overarching constructionist findings. First, some illnesses are particularly embedded with cultural meaning--which is not directly derived from the nature of the condition--that shapes how society responds to those afflicted and influences the experience of that illness. Second, all illnesses are socially constructed at the experiential level, based on how individuals come to understand and live with their illness. Third, medical knowledge about illness and disease is not necessarily given by nature but is constructed and developed by claims-makers and interested parties. We address central policy implications of each of these findings and discuss fruitful directions for policy-relevant research in a social constructionist tradition. Social constructionism provides an important counterpoint to medicine's largely deterministic approaches to disease and illness, and it can help us broaden policy deliberations and decisions.

  9. A Technique for Controlling Matric Suction on Filter Papers . GroWth ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    'Abstract. Moist filter papers are widely usedfor seed gennination tests but their water confent and matric suction are not usually controlled. A technique for controlling filter paper matric suction is described and usedfor germination studies involving fresh and aged sorghum seed (Sorghummcolor (L) Moench). Filter papers ...

  10. 2004 Hanford Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report, Revised October 2007

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2007-10-24

    Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program for 2004 for the Hanford site. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  11. ON MATRICES ARISING IN RETARDED DELAY DIFFERENTIAL SYSTEMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S DJEZZAR

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available Dans cet article, on considère une classe de système différentiels retardés et à laquelle on associe une matrice système sur R[s,z], l'anneau des polynômes à deux indéterminés s et z. Ensuite, en utilisant la notion de la matrice forme de Smith sur R[s,z], on étend un résultat de caractérisation obtenu précédemment [5] sur les formes canoniques, à un cas plus général.

  12. Experiencing stigma as a nurse with mental illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, A L

    2017-06-01

    WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Stigma involves connecting individuals with a particular label to negative characteristics; this is based not on the stigmatized condition itself, but cultural reactions to it. Stigma exists towards nurses with mental illness. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This paper offers a first-person account of experiencing stigma as a nurse with a mental illness. This paper incorporates the existing literature to offer a broader cultural perspective on the experiences of a nurse with a mental illness. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Nurses are likely to encounter a nurse with a mental illness at some point in their practice. Nurses' reactions towards colleagues with mental illness can have significant implications for those colleague(s)' wellbeing. Nurses with mental illness will have to navigate their person and professional journey while giving consideration to the attitudes of their nursing peers and leaders. Limited research has been done on the stigma faced by nurses with mental illness from their nursing peers. Mental illness is not generally considered acceptable within the context of nursing culture, so when nurses do experience mental illness, their experiences in a professional context may be influenced by stereotypes, particularly those relating to dangerousness. Using autoethnography as a research method, the author examines her own subjective experiences of stigma as a nurse with a mental illness, and draws upon existing literature on stigma, deviance and the phenomenon of mental illness in nurses to analyse broader cultural implications for nursing. Assessment of suitability to return to work arises throughout the narratives, and consideration is given to the way that risk assessment by nursing leaders is impacted by negative stereotypes that surround mental illness. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. Lectures on matrices

    CERN Document Server

    M Wedderburn, J H

    1934-01-01

    It is the organization and presentation of the material, however, which make the peculiar appeal of the book. This is no mere compendium of results-the subject has been completely reworked and the proofs recast with the skill and elegance which come only from years of devotion. -Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society The very clear and simple presentation gives the reader easy access to the more difficult parts of the theory. -Jahrbuch über die Fortschritte der Mathematik In 1937, the theory of matrices was seventy-five years old. However, many results had only recently evolved from sp

  14. Theoretical origin of quark mass matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohapatra, R.N.

    1987-01-01

    This paper presents the theoretical origin of specific quark mass matrices in the grand unified theories. The author discusses the first natural derivation of the Stech-type mass matrix in unified gauge theories. A solution to the strong CP-problem is provided

  15. Regenerated cellulose micro-nano fiber matrices for transdermal drug release

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Yue; Nguyen, Andrew; Allen, Alicia; Zoldan, Janet; Huang, Yuxiang; Chen, Jonathan Y.

    2017-01-01

    In this work, biobased fibrous membranes with micro- and nano-fibers are fabricated for use as drug delivery carries because of their biocompatibility, eco-friendly approach, and potential for scale-up. The cellulose micro-/nano-fiber (CMF) matrices were prepared by electrospinning of pulp in an ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride. A model drug, ibuprofen (IBU), was loaded on the CMF matrices by a simple immersing method. The amount of IBU loading was about 6% based on the weight of cellulose membrane. The IBU-loaded CMF matrices were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The test of ibuprofen release was carried out in an acetate buffer solution of pH 5.5 and examined by UV–Vis spectroscopy. Release profiles from the CMF matrices indicated that the drug release rate could be determined by a Fickian diffusion mechanism. - Highlights: • Cellulose micro-nano fiber matrix was prepared by dry-wet electrospinning. • Ibuprofen was loaded on the matrix by a simple immersing method. • The drug loaded matrix showed a biphasic release profile. • The drug release was determined by a Fickian diffusion mechanism.

  16. Regenerated cellulose micro-nano fiber matrices for transdermal drug release

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Yue [School of Human Ecology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX (United States); Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin (China); Nguyen, Andrew; Allen, Alicia; Zoldan, Janet [Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX (United States); Huang, Yuxiang [School of Human Ecology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX (United States); Chen, Jonathan Y., E-mail: jychen2@austin.utexas.edu [School of Human Ecology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX (United States)

    2017-05-01

    In this work, biobased fibrous membranes with micro- and nano-fibers are fabricated for use as drug delivery carries because of their biocompatibility, eco-friendly approach, and potential for scale-up. The cellulose micro-/nano-fiber (CMF) matrices were prepared by electrospinning of pulp in an ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride. A model drug, ibuprofen (IBU), was loaded on the CMF matrices by a simple immersing method. The amount of IBU loading was about 6% based on the weight of cellulose membrane. The IBU-loaded CMF matrices were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The test of ibuprofen release was carried out in an acetate buffer solution of pH 5.5 and examined by UV–Vis spectroscopy. Release profiles from the CMF matrices indicated that the drug release rate could be determined by a Fickian diffusion mechanism. - Highlights: • Cellulose micro-nano fiber matrix was prepared by dry-wet electrospinning. • Ibuprofen was loaded on the matrix by a simple immersing method. • The drug loaded matrix showed a biphasic release profile. • The drug release was determined by a Fickian diffusion mechanism.

  17. A Technique for Controlling Matric Suction on Filter Papers Used in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Moist filter papers are widely usedfor seed gennination tests but their water confent and matric suction are not usually controlled. A technique for controlling filter paper matric suction is described and usedfor germination studies involving fresh and aged sorghum seed (Sorghummcolor (L) Moench). Filter papers wetted to ...

  18. Evolutionary Games with Randomly Changing Payoff Matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yakushkina, Tatiana; Saakian, David B.; Bratus, Alexander; Hu, Chin-Kun

    2015-06-01

    Evolutionary games are used in various fields stretching from economics to biology. In most of these games a constant payoff matrix is assumed, although some works also consider dynamic payoff matrices. In this article we assume a possibility of switching the system between two regimes with different sets of payoff matrices. Potentially such a model can qualitatively describe the development of bacterial or cancer cells with a mutator gene present. A finite population evolutionary game is studied. The model describes the simplest version of annealed disorder in the payoff matrix and is exactly solvable at the large population limit. We analyze the dynamics of the model, and derive the equations for both the maximum and the variance of the distribution using the Hamilton-Jacobi equation formalism.

  19. Polymer tensiometers with ceramic cones: direct observations of matric pressures in drying soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. J. van der Ploeg

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Measuring soil water potentials is crucial to characterize vadose zone processes. Conventional tensiometers only measure until approximately −0.09 MPa, and indirect methods may suffer from the non-uniqueness in the relationship between matric potential and measured properties. Recently developed polymer tensiometers (POTs are able to directly measure soil matric potentials until the theoretical wilting point (−1.6 MPa. By minimizing the volume of polymer solution inside the POT while maximizing the ceramic area in contact with that polymer solution, response times drop to acceptable ranges for laboratory and field conditions. Contact with the soil is drastically improved with the use of cone-shaped solid ceramics instead of flat ceramics. The comparison between measured potentials by polymer tensiometers and indirectly obtained potentials with time domain reflectometry highlights the risk of using the latter method at low water contents. By combining POT and time domain reflectometry readings in situ moisture retention curves can be measured over the range permitted by the measurement range of both POT and time domain reflectometry.

  20. Open vessel microwave digestion of food matrices (T6)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rhodes, L.; LeBlanc, G.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Advancements in the field of open vessel microwave digestion continue to provide solutions for industries requiring acid digestion of large sample sizes. Those interesting in digesting food matrices are particularly interested in working with large amounts of sample and then diluting small final volumes. This paper will show the advantages of instantaneous regent addition and post-digestion evaporation when performing an open vessel digestion and evaporation methods for various food matrices will be presented along with analyte recovery data. (author)

  1. 10 CFR 55.25 - Incapacitation because of disability or illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... § 55.25 Incapacitation because of disability or illness. If, during the term of the license, the licensee develops a permanent physical or mental condition that causes the licensee to fail to meet the... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Incapacitation because of disability or illness. 55.25...

  2. Mental Illness

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... the same time. For example, you may have depression and a substance use disorder. Complications Mental illness is a leading cause of disability. Untreated mental illness can cause severe emotional, behavioral and physical health problems. Complications sometimes linked to mental illness include: ...

  3. Essential imposition of Neumann condition in Galerkin-Legendre elliptic solvers

    CERN Document Server

    Auteri, F; Quartapelle, L

    2003-01-01

    A new Galerkin-Legendre direct spectral solver for the Neumann problem associated with Laplace and Helmholtz operators in rectangular domains is presented. The algorithm differs from other Neumann spectral solvers by the high sparsity of the matrices, exploited in conjunction with the direct product structure of the problem. The homogeneous boundary condition is satisfied exactly by expanding the unknown variable into a polynomial basis of functions which are built upon the Legendre polynomials and have a zero slope at the interval extremes. A double diagonalization process is employed pivoting around the eigenstructure of the pentadiagonal mass matrices in both directions, instead of the full stiffness matrices encountered in the classical variational formulation of the problem with a weak natural imposition of the derivative boundary condition. Nonhomogeneous Neumann data are accounted for by means of a lifting. Numerical results are given to illustrate the performance of the proposed spectral elliptic solv...

  4. Square matrices of order 2 theory, applications, and problems

    CERN Document Server

    Pop, Vasile

    2017-01-01

    This unique and innovative book presents an exciting and complete detail of all the important topics related to the theory of square matrices of order 2. The readers exploring every detailed aspect of matrix theory are gently led toward understanding advanced topics. They will follow every notion of matrix theory with ease, accumulating a thorough understanding of algebraic and geometric aspects of matrices of order 2. The prime jewel of this book is its offering of an unusual collection of problems, theoretically motivated, most of which are new, original, and seeing the light of publication for the first time in the literature. Nearly all of the exercises are presented with detailed solutions and vary in difficulty from easy to more advanced. Many problems are particularly challenging. These, and not only these, invite the reader to unleash their creativity and research capabilities and to discover their own methods of attacking a problem. Matrices have a vast practical importance to mathematics, science, a...

  5. Linear algebra and matrices topics for a second course

    CERN Document Server

    Shapiro, Helene

    2015-01-01

    Linear algebra and matrix theory are fundamental tools for almost every area of mathematics, both pure and applied. This book combines coverage of core topics with an introduction to some areas in which linear algebra plays a key role, for example, block designs, directed graphs, error correcting codes, and linear dynamical systems. Notable features include a discussion of the Weyr characteristic and Weyr canonical forms, and their relationship to the better-known Jordan canonical form; the use of block cyclic matrices and directed graphs to prove Frobenius's theorem on the structure of the eigenvalues of a nonnegative, irreducible matrix; and the inclusion of such combinatorial topics as BIBDs, Hadamard matrices, and strongly regular graphs. Also included are McCoy's theorem about matrices with property P, the Bruck-Ryser-Chowla theorem on the existence of block designs, and an introduction to Markov chains. This book is intended for those who are familiar with the linear algebra covered in a typical first c...

  6. Biogenetic models of psychopathology, implicit guilt, and mental illness stigma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rüsch, Nicolas; Todd, Andrew R; Bodenhausen, Galen V; Corrigan, Patrick W

    2010-10-30

    Whereas some research suggests that acknowledgment of the role of biogenetic factors in mental illness could reduce mental illness stigma by diminishing perceived responsibility, other research has cautioned that emphasizing biogenetic aspects of mental illness could produce the impression that mental illness is a stable, intrinsic aspect of a person ("genetic essentialism"), increasing the desire for social distance. We assessed genetic and neurobiological causal attributions about mental illness among 85 people with serious mental illness and 50 members of the public. The perceived responsibility of persons with mental illness for their condition, as well as fear and social distance, was assessed by self-report. Automatic associations between Mental Illness and Guilt and between Self and Guilt were measured by the Brief Implicit Association Test. Among the general public, endorsement of biogenetic models was associated with not only less perceived responsibility, but also greater social distance. Among people with mental illness, endorsement of genetic models had only negative correlates: greater explicit fear and stronger implicit self-guilt associations. Genetic models may have unexpected negative consequences for implicit self-concept and explicit attitudes of people with serious mental illness. An exclusive focus on genetic models may therefore be problematic for clinical practice and anti-stigma initiatives. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Preparation and characterization of porous crosslinked collagenous matrices containing bioavailable chondroitin sulphate

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pieper, J.S.; Oosterhof, A.; Dijkstra, Pieter J.; Veerkamp, J.H.; van Kuppevelt, T.H.

    1999-01-01

    Porous collagen matrices with defined physical, chemical and biological characteristics are interesting materials for tissue engineering. Attachment of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) may add to these characteristics and valorize collagen. In this study, porous type I collagen matrices were crosslinked

  8. Efficiency of fly ash belite cement and zeolite matrices for immobilizing cesium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goni, S.; Guerrero, A.; Lorenzo, M.P.

    2006-01-01

    The efficiency of innovative matrices for immobilizing cesium is presented in this work. The matrix formulation included the use of fly ash belite cement (FABC-2-W) and gismondine-type Na-P1 zeolite, both of which are synthesized from fly ash of coal combustion. The efficiency for immobilizing cesium is evaluated from the leaching test ANSI/ANS 16.1-1986 at the temperature of 40 deg. C, from which the apparent diffusion coefficient of cesium is obtained. Matrices with 100% of FABC-2-W are used as a reference. The integrity of matrices is evaluated by porosity and pore-size distribution from mercury intrusion porosimetry, X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption analyses. Both matrices can be classified as good solidify systems for cesium, specially the FABC-2-W/zeolite matrix in which the replacement of 50% of belite cement by the gismondine-type Na-P1 zeolite caused a decrease of two orders of magnitude of cesium mean Effective Diffusion Coefficient (D e ) (2.8e-09 cm 2 /s versus 2.2e-07 cm 2 /s, for FABC-2-W/zeolite and FABC-2-W matrices, respectively)

  9. Soil salinity and matric potential interaction on water use, water use efficiency and yield response factor of bean and wheat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khataar, Mahnaz; Mohhamadi, Mohammad Hossien; Shabani, Farzin

    2018-02-08

    We studied the effects of soil matric potential and salinity on the water use (WU), water use efficiency (WUE) and yield response factor (Ky), for wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Mahdavi) and bean (Phaseoulus vulgaris cv. COS16) in sandy loam and clay loam soils under greenhouse conditions. Results showed that aeration porosity is the predominant factor controlling WU, WUE, Ky and shoot biomass (Bs) at high soil water potentials. As matric potential was decreased, soil aeration improved, with Bs, WU and Ky reaching maximum value at -6 to -10 kPa, under all salinities. Wheat WUE remained almost unchanged by reduction of matric potential under low salinities (EC ≤ 8 dSm -1 ), but increased under higher salinities (EC ≥ 8 dSm -1 ), as did bean WUE at all salinities, as matric potential decreased to -33 kPa. Wheat WUE exceeds that of bean in both sandy loam and clay loam soils. WUE of both plants increased with higher shoot/root ratio and a high correlation coefficient exists between them. Results showed that salinity decreases all parameters, particularly at high potentials (h = -2 kPa), and amplifies the effects of waterlogging. Further, we observed a strong relationship between transpiration (T) and root respiration (Rr) for all experiments.

  10. 2003 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2007-05-23

    Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2003 for Lawrence Livermore National Lab. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The IISP monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  11. 2003 Sandia National Laboratories--Albuquerque Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2007-05-23

    Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2003 for Sandia National Laboratories-Albuquerque. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The IISP monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  12. Chronic physical illness, psychiatric disorder and disability in the workplace.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewa, C S; Lin, E

    2000-07-01

    While agreement is growing that mental illness burdens the North American economy, how it impacts productivity--particularly compared to physical illness--is unclear. Hypothesizing that lost work days are only the tip of the iceberg, we also examined the association of mental and chronic physical illness with partial work days and days requiring extra effort to function. Data from 4225 employed individuals, aged 18-54, were analyzed. These were a subset of respondents to the Ontario Health Survey's Mental Health Supplement, a 1990/91 epidemiologic survey of households across Ontario, Canada. Psychiatric disorder was assessed using the University of Michigan' modification of WHO's Composite International Diagnostic Interview (UM-CIDI). Similar to US reports, professional/managerial groups had lower rates of affective and anxiety disorders and fewer disability days compared to the rest of the workforce. However, no single occupational group was consistently at greater risk for either physical or psychiatric problems. Even after accounting for sociodemographic characteristics and work conditions, mental and physical status had clear, but different, impacts on productivity. Physical conditions alone had a fairly constant effect across all types of disability days and were the largest contributor to total work day loss. They also significantly impacted partial and extra effort days but were far less important than conditions involving a mental disorder. Respondents with mental health problems, either alone or in combination with physical illnesses, appeared more likely to go to work but to require greater effort to function. WHO projects that mental illness will become the second most important cause of global disease burden in the next century. Our findings suggest that among working individuals, it affects productivity more subtly than does physical illness. However, with an estimated eight percent of Ontario's workforce experiencing more than two months annually of

  13. Matrices and society matrix algebra and its applications in the social sciences

    CERN Document Server

    Bradley, Ian

    2014-01-01

    Matrices offer some of the most powerful techniques in modem mathematics. In the social sciences they provide fresh insights into an astonishing variety of topics. Dominance matrices can show how power struggles in offices or committees develop; Markov chains predict how fast news or gossip will spread in a village; permutation matrices illuminate kinship structures in tribal societies. All these invaluable techniques and many more are explained clearly and simply in this wide-ranging book. Originally published in 1986. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to

  14. Geometry and arithmetic of factorized S-matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freund, P.G.O.

    1995-01-01

    In realistic four-dimensional quantum field theories integrability is elusive. Relativity, when combined with quantum theory does not permit an infinity of local conservation laws except for free fields, for which the S-matrix is trivial S = 1. In two space-time dimensions, where forward and backward scattering are the only possibilities, nontrivial S-matrices are possible even in integrable theories. Such S-matrices are known to factorize [1]. This means that there is no particle production, so that the 4-point amplitudes determine all higher n-point amplitudes. In our recent work [2, 3, 4, 5, 6] we found that in such integrable two-dimensional theories, even the input 4-point amplitudes are determined by a simple principle. Roughly speaking these amplitudes describe the S-wave scattering which one associates with free motion on certain quantum-symmetric spaces. The trivial S-matrix of free field theory describes the absence of scattering which one associates with free motion on a euclidean space, itself a symmetric space. As is well known [7, 8, 9], for curved symmetric spaces the S-matrices for S-wave scattering are no longer trivial, but rather they are determined by the Harish-Chandra c-functions of these spaces [10]. The quantum deformation of this situation is what appears when one considers excitation scattering in two-dimensional integrable models. (orig.)

  15. Structure and stability of genetic variance-covariance matrices: A Bayesian sparse factor analysis of transcriptional variation in the three-spined stickleback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siren, J; Ovaskainen, O; Merilä, J

    2017-10-01

    The genetic variance-covariance matrix (G) is a quantity of central importance in evolutionary biology due to its influence on the rate and direction of multivariate evolution. However, the predictive power of empirically estimated G-matrices is limited for two reasons. First, phenotypes are high-dimensional, whereas traditional statistical methods are tuned to estimate and analyse low-dimensional matrices. Second, the stability of G to environmental effects and over time remains poorly understood. Using Bayesian sparse factor analysis (BSFG) designed to estimate high-dimensional G-matrices, we analysed levels variation and covariation in 10,527 expressed genes in a large (n = 563) half-sib breeding design of three-spined sticklebacks subject to two temperature treatments. We found significant differences in the structure of G between the treatments: heritabilities and evolvabilities were higher in the warm than in the low-temperature treatment, suggesting more and faster opportunity to evolve in warm (stressful) conditions. Furthermore, comparison of G and its phenotypic equivalent P revealed the latter is a poor substitute of the former. Most strikingly, the results suggest that the expected impact of G on evolvability-as well as the similarity among G-matrices-may depend strongly on the number of traits included into analyses. In our results, the inclusion of only few traits in the analyses leads to underestimation in the differences between the G-matrices and their predicted impacts on evolution. While the results highlight the challenges involved in estimating G, they also illustrate that by enabling the estimation of large G-matrices, the BSFG method can improve predicted evolutionary responses to selection. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Doing gender, doing away with illness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kolling, Marie

    2012-01-01

    fieldwork conducted among men and women who are living with type 2 diabetes in conditions of urban poverty in Northeast Brazil, this article examines how the men’s illness experiences are interwoven with the changes they concomitantly experienced in their sexuality. By examining the disruptiveness...

  17. Ethnomedical treatment of children's diarrheal illnesses in the highlands of Ecuador.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKee, L

    1987-01-01

    In rural communities in the Ecuadorian Highlands, gastrointestinal disease is the leading cause of death. This paper proposes a model of the world view that specifies the factors that condition illness or health and a traditional taxonomy that relies on certain criteria to categorize three classes of diarrhea. These determine whether ethnomedical or medical treatment will be used to 'cure' a child. The three illness classes: diarrhea produced by supernatural forces, by humoral imbalances, and by 'infection' differ etiologically. The ambient air and its temperatures, the constitution, humoral state and overt personality characteristics (character) of the individual, and the predelictions of the evil spirits that seek to sap their vital essence all figure in the origins of illness. The model of the world view is related to a folk taxonomy, which, it is asserted, provides a charter for families' responses to child illness, that more often than not, are appropriate under the economic conditions they suffer.

  18. Dwell time-based stabilisation of switched delay systems using free-weighting matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koru, Ahmet Taha; Delibaşı, Akın; Özbay, Hitay

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we present a quasi-convex optimisation method to minimise an upper bound of the dwell time for stability of switched delay systems. Piecewise Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals are introduced and the upper bound for the derivative of Lyapunov functionals is estimated by free-weighting matrices method to investigate non-switching stability of each candidate subsystems. Then, a sufficient condition for the dwell time is derived to guarantee the asymptotic stability of the switched delay system. Once these conditions are represented by a set of linear matrix inequalities , dwell time optimisation problem can be formulated as a standard quasi-convex optimisation problem. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the improvements over previously obtained dwell time bounds. Using the results obtained in the stability case, we present a nonlinear minimisation algorithm to synthesise the dwell time minimiser controllers. The algorithm solves the problem with successive linearisation of nonlinear conditions.

  19. Social support, health, and illness: a complicated relationship

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Roy, R

    2011-01-01

    .... A useful resource for clinical practitioners and researchers, Social Support, Health, and Illness addresses the effects of intimate support on a wide variety of medical and psychiatric conditions...

  20. 2009 Y-12 National Security Complex Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2010-07-09

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  1. 2008 Y-12 National Security Complex Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-12-11

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  2. 2007 Y-12 National Security Complex Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Health, Office of Health and Safety, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2009-07-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  3. Considerations in designing and using superconductors with high resistivity matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartlett, R.J.; Carlson, R.V.; Laquer, H.L.; Migliori, A.

    1976-01-01

    Superconductors are often designed with matrices of much higher residual resistivities than copper for reasons of manufacturing (multifilamentary Nb 3 Sn in CuSn bronze) or loss reduction (mixed matrix NbTi with Cu and CuNi). The high resistivity matrix may complicate or degrade contact resistances at the joints, generate excess heat, reduce the stability of the conductor, and interfere with the observation of flux flow resistivities in the 10 -12 Ω-cm region. The minimization of these effects is discussed, presenting both simple and more refined models for the current transfer length, and it is shown how variations in transfer length (with current), particularly under significant self field conditions, can mimic flux flow resistivity

  4. Studies of Catalytic Properties of Inorganic Rock Matrices in Redox Reactions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nikolay M. Dobrynkin

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Intrinsic catalytic properties of mineral matrices of various kinds (basalts, clays, sandstones were studied, which are of interest for in-situ heavy oil upgrading (i.e., underground to create advanced technologies for enhanced oil recovery. The elemental, surface and phase composition and matrix particle morphology, surface and acidic properties were studied using elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, adsorption and desorption of nitrogen and ammonia. The data on the catalytic activity of inorganic matrices in ammonium nitrate decomposition (reaction with a large gassing, oxidation of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, and hydrocracking of asphaltenes into maltenes (the conversion of heavy hydrocarbons into more valuable light hydrocarbons were discussed. In order to check their applicability for the asphaltenes hydrocracking catalytic systems development, basalt and clay matrices were used as supports for iron/basalt, nickel/basalt and iron/clay catalysts. The catalytic activity of the matrices in the reactions of the decomposition of ammonium nitrate, oxidation of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, and hydrocracking of asphaltens was observed for the first time.

  5. Compensation neurosis: financial reward for illness as nocebo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellamy, R

    1997-03-01

    Results of medical treatment are notoriously poor in patients with pending litigation after personal injury or disability claims, and for those covered by workers' compensation programs. Although some instances of overt malingering are documented by surveillance videos, most exaggerated illness behavior in compensation situations takes place because of a combination of suggestion, somatization, and rationalization. A distorted sense of justice, victim status, and entitlement may further the exaggerated sick role. Adversarial administrative and legal systems challenging the claimant to prove repeatedly he or she is permanently ill harden the conviction of illness and the individual's defense of the claim. Unfortunately, after advocating for one's injury before a sometimes doubting public for the several years required to resolve such claims, care eliciting behavior too often remains permanent. Because any improvement in the claimant's health condition may result in denial of disability status in the future, the claimant is compelled to guard against getting well and is left with no honorable way to recover from illness. Financial reward for illness thus functions as a powerful nocebo, a nonspecific force creating and exacerbating illness. Solutions require recognition that judging disability and work incapacity in others is an unscientific process and that adversarial systems rewarding permanent illness or injury, particularly self reported pain, are often permanently harmful. The remainder of the solution must be political.

  6. SUPERCRITICAL FLUID TREATMENT OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL HYDROGEL MATRICES, COMPOSED OF CHITOSAN DERIVATIVES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. S. Timashev

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. Controlled treatment of the physico-chemical and mechanical properties of a three-dimensional crosslinked matrix based on reactive chitosan. Materials and methods. The three-dimensional matrices were obtained using photosensitive composition based on allyl chitosan (5 wt%, poly(ethylene glycol diacrylate (8 wt% and the photoinitiator Irgacure 2959 (1 wt% by laser stereolithography setting. The kinetic swelling curves were constructed for structures in the base and salt forms of chitosan using gravimetric method and the contact angles were measured using droplet spreading. The supercritical fl uid setting (40 °C, 12 MPa was used to process matrices during 1.5 hours. Using nanohardness Piuma Nanoindenter we calculated values of Young’s modulus. The study of cytotoxicity was performed by direct contact with the culture of the NIH 3T3 mouse fi broblast cell line. Results. Architectonics of matrices fully repeats the program model. Matrices are uniform throughout and retain their shape after being transferred to the base form. Matrices compressed by 5% after treatment in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2 . The elastic modulus of matrices after scCO2 treatment is 4 times higher than the original matrix. The kinetic swelling curves have similar form. In this case the maximum degree of swelling for matrices in base form is 2–2.5 times greater than that of matrices in salt form. There was a surface hydrophobization after the material was transferred to the base form: the contact angle is 94°, and for the salt form it is 66°. The basic form absorbs liquid approximately 1.6 times faster. The fi lm thickness was increased in the area of contact with the liquid droplets after absorption by 133 and 87% for the base and the salt forms, respectively. Treatment of samples in scCO2 reduces their cytotoxicity from 2 degree of reaction (initial samples down to 1 degree of reaction. Conclusion. The use of supercritical carbon dioxide for scaffolds

  7. The reflection of hierarchical cluster analysis of co-occurrence matrices in SPSS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zhou, Q.; Leng, F.; Leydesdorff, L.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To discuss the problems arising from hierarchical cluster analysis of co-occurrence matrices in SPSS, and the corresponding solutions. Design/methodology/approach: We design different methods of using the SPSS hierarchical clustering module for co-occurrence matrices in order to compare

  8. Study on vulnerability matrices of masonry buildings of mainland China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Baitao; Zhang, Guixin

    2018-04-01

    The degree and distribution of damage to buildings subjected to earthquakes is a concern of the Chinese Government and the public. Seismic damage data indicates that seismic capacities of different types of building structures in various regions throughout mainland China are different. Furthermore, the seismic capacities of the same type of structure in different regions may vary. The contributions of this research are summarized as follows: 1) Vulnerability matrices and earthquake damage matrices of masonry structures in mainland China were chosen as research samples. The aim was to analyze the differences in seismic capacities of sample matrices and to present general rules for categorizing seismic resistance. 2) Curves relating the percentage of damaged masonry structures with different seismic resistances subjected to seismic demand in different regions of seismic intensity (VI to X) have been developed. 3) A method has been proposed to build vulnerability matrices of masonry structures. The damage ratio for masonry structures under high-intensity events such as the Ms 6.1 Panzhihua earthquake in Sichuan province on 30 August 2008, was calculated to verify the applicability of this method. This research offers a significant theoretical basis for predicting seismic damage and direct loss assessment of groups of buildings, as well as for earthquake disaster insurance.

  9. The Antitriangular Factorization of Saddle Point Matrices

    KAUST Repository

    Pestana, J.; Wathen, A. J.

    2014-01-01

    Mastronardi and Van Dooren [SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl., 34 (2013), pp. 173-196] recently introduced the block antitriangular ("Batman") decomposition for symmetric indefinite matrices. Here we show the simplification of this factorization for saddle

  10. Diagonalization of quark mass matrices and the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rasin, A.

    1997-08-01

    I discuss some general aspect of diagonalizing the quark mass matrices and list all possible parametrizations of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix (CKM) in terms of three rotation angles and a phase. I systematically study the relation between the rotations needed to diagonalize the Yukawa matrices and various parametrizations of the CKM. (author). 17 refs, 1 tab

  11. Concrete minimal 3 × 3 Hermitian matrices and some general cases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Klobouk Abel H.

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Given a Hermitian matrix M ∈ M3(ℂ we describe explicitly the real diagonal matrices DM such that ║M + DM║ ≤ ║M + D║ for all real diagonal matrices D ∈ M3(ℂ, where ║ · ║ denotes the operator norm. Moreover, we generalize our techniques to some n × n cases.

  12. 2003 Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2007-05-23

    Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2003 for Idaho National Lab. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  13. Semiparametric estimation of covariance matrices for longitudinal data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Jianqing; Wu, Yichao

    2008-12-01

    Estimation of longitudinal data covariance structure poses significant challenges because the data are usually collected at irregular time points. A viable semiparametric model for covariance matrices was proposed in Fan, Huang and Li (2007) that allows one to estimate the variance function nonparametrically and to estimate the correlation function parametrically via aggregating information from irregular and sparse data points within each subject. However, the asymptotic properties of their quasi-maximum likelihood estimator (QMLE) of parameters in the covariance model are largely unknown. In the current work, we address this problem in the context of more general models for the conditional mean function including parametric, nonparametric, or semi-parametric. We also consider the possibility of rough mean regression function and introduce the difference-based method to reduce biases in the context of varying-coefficient partially linear mean regression models. This provides a more robust estimator of the covariance function under a wider range of situations. Under some technical conditions, consistency and asymptotic normality are obtained for the QMLE of the parameters in the correlation function. Simulation studies and a real data example are used to illustrate the proposed approach.

  14. Calculation of controllability and observability matrices for special case of continuous-time multi-order fractional systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassanzadeh, Iman; Tabatabaei, Mohammad

    2017-03-28

    In this paper, controllability and observability matrices for pseudo upper or lower triangular multi-order fractional systems are derived. It is demonstrated that these systems are controllable and observable if and only if their controllability and observability matrices are full rank. In other words, the rank of these matrices should be equal to the inner dimension of their corresponding state space realizations. To reduce the computational complexities, these matrices are converted to simplified matrices with smaller dimensions. Numerical examples are provided to show the usefulness of the mentioned matrices for controllability and observability analysis of this case of multi-order fractional systems. These examples clarify that the duality concept is not necessarily true for these special systems. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Fast LCMV-based Methods for Fundamental Frequency Estimation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Jesper Rindom; Glentis, George-Othon; Christensen, Mads Græsbøll

    2013-01-01

    peaks and require matrix inversions for each point in the search grid. In this paper, we therefore consider fast implementations of LCMV-based fundamental frequency estimators, exploiting the estimators' inherently low displacement rank of the used Toeplitz-like data covariance matrices, using...... with several orders of magnitude, but, as we show, further computational savings can be obtained by the adoption of an approximative IAA-based data covariance matrix estimator, reminiscent of the recently proposed Quasi-Newton IAA technique. Furthermore, it is shown how the considered pitch estimators can...... as such either the classic time domain averaging covariance matrix estimator, or, if aiming for an increased spectral resolution, the covariance matrix resulting from the application of the recent iterative adaptive approach (IAA). The proposed exact implementations reduce the required computational complexity...

  16. 2003 Pantex Plant Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report, Revised September 2007

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2007-10-05

    Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2003 for the Pantex Plant. DOE is commited to assuring the health and safety of its workers. This includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The IISP monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  17. The Development of Novel Nanodiamond Based MALDI Matrices for the Analysis of Small Organic Pharmaceuticals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chitanda, Jackson M.; Zhang, Haixia; Pahl, Erica; Purves, Randy W.; El-Aneed, Anas

    2016-10-01

    The utility of novel functionalized nanodiamonds (NDs) as matrices for matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) is described herein. MALDI-MS analysis of small organic compounds (<1000 Da) is typically complex because of interferences from numerous cluster ions formed when using conventional matrices. To expand the use of MALDI for the analysis of small molecules, novel matrices were designed by covalently linking conventional matrices (or a lysine moiety) to detonated NDs. Four new functionalized NDs were evaluated for their ionization capabilities using five pharmaceuticals with varying molecular structures. Two ND matrices were able to ionize all tested pharmaceuticals in the negative ion mode, producing the deprotonated ions [M - H]-. Ion intensity for target analytes was generally strong with enhanced signal-to-noise ratios compared with conventional matrices. The negative ion mode is of great importance for biological samples as interference from endogenous compounds is inherently minimized in the negative ion mode. Since the molecular structures of the tested pharmaceuticals did not suggest that negative ion mode would be preferable, this result magnifies the importance of these findings. On the other hand, conventional matrices primarily facilitated the ionization as expected in the positive ion mode, producing either the protonated molecules [M + H]+ or cationic adducts (typically producing complex spectra with numerous adduct peaks). The data presented in this study suggests that these matrices may offer advantages for the analysis of low molecular weight pharmaceuticals/metabolites.

  18. Stabilization of chromium-bearing electroplating sludge with MSWI fly ash-based Friedel matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Guangren; Yang, Xiaoyan; Dong, Shixiang; Zhou, Jizhi; Sun, Ying; Xu, Yunfeng; Liu, Qiang

    2009-06-15

    This work investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of MSWI fly ash-based Friedel matrices on stabilizing/solidifying industrial chromium-bearing electroplating sludge using MSWI fly ash as the main raw material with a small addition of active aluminum. The compressive strength, leaching behavior and chemical speciation of heavy metals and hydration phases of matrices were characterized by TCLP, XRD, FTIR and other experimental methods. The results revealed that MSWI fly ash-based Friedel matrices could effectively stabilize chromium-bearing electroplating sludge, the formed ettringite and Friedel phases played a significant role in the fixation of heavy metals in electroplating sludge. The co-disposal of chromium-bearing electroplating sludge and MSWI fly ash-based Friedel matrices with a small addition of active aluminum is promising to be an effective way of stabilizing chromium-bearing electroplating sludge.

  19. Oral hygiene care in critically ill patients

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2007-11-19

    Nov 19, 2007 ... conditions, treatment interventions, equipment, and the patient's inability to attend to his or her ... practices for a critically ill patient include assessment of the oral cavity, brushing the teeth, moisturising the lips and mouth and ...

  20. Simultaneous quantification of iodine and high valent metals via ICP-MS under acidic conditions in complex matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brix, Kristina; Hein, Christina; Sander, Jonas Michael; Kautenburger, Ralf

    2017-05-15

    The determination of iodine as a main fission product (especially the isotopes I-129 and I-131) of stored HLW in a disposal beside its distribution as a natural ingredient of many different products like milk, food and seawater is a matter of particular interest. The simultaneous ICP-MS determination of iodine as iodide together with other elements (especially higher valent metal ions) relevant for HLW is analytically very problematic. A reliable ICP-MS quantification of iodide must be performed at neutral or alkaline conditions in contrast to the analysis of metal ions which are determined in acidic pH ranges. Herein, we present a method to solve this problem by changing the iodine speciation resulting in an ICP-MS determination of iodide as iodate. The oxidation from iodide to iodate with sodium hypochlorite at room temperature is a fast and convenient method with flexible reaction time, from one hour up to three days, thus eliminating the disadvantages of quantifying iodine species via ICP-MS. In the analysed concentration range of iodine (0.1-100µgL -1 ) we obtain likely quantitative recovery rates for iodine between 91% and 102% as well as relatively low RSD values (0.3-4.0%). As an additional result, it is possible to measure different other element species in parallel together with the generated iodate, even high valent metals (europium and uranium beside caesium) at recovery rates in the same order of magnitude (93-104%). In addition, the oxidation process operates above pH 7 thus offering a wide pH range for sample preparation. Even analytes in complex matrices, like 5M saline (NaCl) solution or artificial cement pore water (ACW) can be quantified with this robust sample preparation method. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Properties of Zero-Free Transfer Function Matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    D. O. Anderson, Brian; Deistler, Manfred

    Transfer functions of linear, time-invariant finite-dimensional systems with more outputs than inputs, as arise in factor analysis (for example in econometrics), have, for state-variable descriptions with generic entries in the relevant matrices, no finite zeros. This paper gives a number of characterizations of such systems (and indeed square discrete-time systems with no zeros), using state-variable, impulse response, and matrix-fraction descriptions. Key properties include the ability to recover the input values at any time from a bounded interval of output values, without any knowledge of an initial state, and an ability to verify the no-zero property in terms of a property of the impulse response coefficient matrices. Results are particularized to cases where the transfer function matrix in question may or may not have a zero at infinity or a zero at zero.

  2. Developmental Competence of Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Pluripotent Embryonic Stem Cells Over Different Homologous Feeder Layers and the Comparative Evaluation with Various Extracellular Matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Manjinder; Dubey, Pawan K; Kumar, Rajesh; Nath, Amar; Kumar, G Sai; Sharma, G Taru

    2013-05-01

    Use of somatic cells as a feeder layer to maintain the embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in undifferentiated state limits the stem cell research design, since experimental data may result from a combined ESCs and feeder cell response to various stimuli. Therefore, present study was designed to evaluate the developmental competence of the buffalo ESCs over different homogenous feeders and compare with various extracellular matrices using different concentrations of LIF. Inner cell masses (ICMs) of in vitro hatched blastocysts were cultured onto homologous feeders viz. fetal fibroblast, granulosa and oviductal cell feeder layers and synthetic matrices viz. fibronectin, collagen type I and matrigel in culture medium. Developmental efficiency was found higher for ESCs cultured on fetal fibroblast and granulosa layers (83.33%) followed by fibronectin (77.78%) at 30 ng LIF. Oviductal feeder was found to be the least efficient feeder showing only 11.11% undifferentiated primary ESC colonies at 30 ng LIF. However, neither feeder layer nor synthetic matrix could support the development of primary colonies at 10 ng LIF. Expression of SSEA- 4, TRA-1-60 and Oct-4 were found positive in ESC colonies from all the feeders and synthetic matrices with 20 ng and 30 ng LIF. Fetal fibroblast and granulosa cell while, amongst synthetic matrices, fibronectin were found to be equally efficient to support the growth and maintenance of ESCs pluripotency with 30 ng LIF. This well-defined culture conditions may provide an animal model for culturing human embryonic stem cells in the xeno-free or feeder-free conditions for future clinical applications.

  3. The underexposed role of food matrices in probiotic products: reviewing the relationship between carrier matrices and product parameters

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Flach, J.; van der Waal, M.B.; van den Nieuwboer, M.; Claassen, H.J.H.M.; Larsen, O.F.A.

    2017-01-01

     Full Article  Figures & data References  Supplemental  Citations Metrics  Reprints & Permissions  PDF ABSTRACT Probiotic microorganisms are increasingly incorporated into food matrices in order to confer proposed health benefits on the consumer. It is important that the health benefits,

  4. The Impact of Illness Identity on Recovery from Severe Mental Illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yanos, Philip T; Roe, David; Lysaker, Paul H

    2010-04-01

    The impact of the experience and diagnosis of mental illness on one's identity has long been recognized; however, little is known about the impact of illness identity, which we define as the set of roles and attitudes that a person has developed in relation to his or her understanding of having a mental illness. The present article proposes a theoretically driven model of the impact of illness identity on the course and recovery from severe mental illness and reviews relevant research. We propose that accepting a definition of oneself as mentally ill and assuming that mental illness means incompetence and inadequacy impact hope and self-esteem, which further impact suicide risk, coping, social interaction, vocational functioning, and symptom severity. Evidence supports most of the predictions made by the model. Implications for psychiatric rehabilitation services are discussed.

  5. Matrices and linear algebra

    CERN Document Server

    Schneider, Hans

    1989-01-01

    Linear algebra is one of the central disciplines in mathematics. A student of pure mathematics must know linear algebra if he is to continue with modern algebra or functional analysis. Much of the mathematics now taught to engineers and physicists requires it.This well-known and highly regarded text makes the subject accessible to undergraduates with little mathematical experience. Written mainly for students in physics, engineering, economics, and other fields outside mathematics, the book gives the theory of matrices and applications to systems of linear equations, as well as many related t

  6. 2004 Hanford Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report, Revised October 2007

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2007-10-24

    Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2004 for the Hanford site. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The IISP monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  7. 2003 Y-12 National Security Complex Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2007-05-23

    Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2003 for Y-12. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The IISP monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  8. 2003 Hanford Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report, Revised October 2007

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2007-10-24

    Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for the Hanford site. The IISP monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers. The prpogram is part of DOE's commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers and includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers.

  9. Foodborne illness: new developments concerning an old problem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasowski, Eric J; Gackstetter, Gary D; Sharp, Trueman W

    2002-08-01

    Foodborne illnesses continue to cause substantial morbidity and mortality in the United States, primarily as gastroenteritis but occasionally as other syndromes as well. Most of these illnesses are caused by a variety of widely known infectious agents, principally viruses, and are probably the result of common mistakes in food handling in the home or in restaurants. The epidemiology of foodborne illness is evolving. Major changes in food production, distribution, and consumption have created opportunities for new pathogens to emerge and for old ones to reemerge, and the potential for widespread outbreaks is increasing. Antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens resulting from the widespread use of antimicrobial agents in animal husbandry is also an important concern. Clinicians must be aware of the changing epidemiology of foodborne illness to recognize and manage these conditions in the clinical setting. In addition, clinicians are critical in the reporting of recognized or suspected foodborne illness, so that public health authorities are able to investigate, understand, and ultimately better control them. A number of new techniques have been employed, and others under development will improve our ability to recognize and cope with foodborne diseases.

  10. Retention of aroma compounds: an interlaboratory study on the effect of the composition of food matrices on thermodynamic parameters in comparison with water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kopjar, Mirela; Andriot, Isabelle; Saint-Eve, Anne; Souchon, Isabelle; Guichard, Elisabeth

    2010-06-01

    Partition coefficients give an indication of the retention of aroma compounds by the food matrix. Data in the literature are obtained by various methods, under various conditions and expressed in various units, and it is thus difficult to compare the results. The aim of the present study was first to obtain gas/water and gas/matrix partition coefficients of selected aroma compounds, at different temperatures, in order to calculate thermodynamic parameters and second to compare the retention of these aroma compounds in different food matrices. Yogurts containing lipids and proteins induced a higher retention of aroma compounds than model gel matrices. The observed effects strongly depend on hydrophobicity of aroma compounds showing a retention for ethyl hexanoate and a salting out effect for ethyl acetate. A small but noticeable decrease in enthalpy of affinity is observed for ethyl butyrate and ethyl hexanoate between water and food matrices, suggesting that the energy needed for the volatilization is lower in matrices than in water. The composition and complexity of a food matrix influence gas/matrix partition coefficients or aroma compounds in function of their hydrophobicity and to a lower extent enthalpy of vaporization. Copyright (c) 2010 Society of Chemical Industry.

  11. Underdevelopment and the political economy of malnutrition and ill health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chossudovsky, M

    1983-01-01

    This article applies Marx's abstract subdivision of social consumption to the prevailing patterns of capital accumulation in the Third World. Built-in scarcities in the availability of necessary consumer goods, alongside patterns of overconsumption and social waste by the upper-income groups, are conducive to conditions of mass poverty, malnutrition, and disease that coexist with small pockets of social privilege and affluence. Malnutrition and ill health must be understood and analyzed in relation to the dual and divided structure of social consumption: necessities of life as opposed to luxury and semi-luxury goods. The relationship between capital accumulation, the distribution of money income, and patterns of malnutrition and ill health is analyzed. It is shown that patterns of malnutrition and ill health are socially differentiated, and the core disease pattern in Third World social formations is discussed in relation to the material and social conditions of life which generate ill health and which underlie particular patterns of peripheral capital accumulation. The study focuses on empirical procedures for analyzing the relationship between levels of money income and levels of calorie and protein intake. An appendix outlines a methodology for estimating undernourishment in urban areas from household budget surveys.

  12. Does Mental Illness Stigma Contribute to Adolescent Standardized Patients' Discomfort With Simulations of Mental Illness and Adverse Psychosocial Experiences?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanson, Mark D.; Johnson, Samantha; Niec, Anne; Pietrantonio, Anna Marie; High, Bradley; MacMillan, Harriet; Eva, Kevin W.

    2008-01-01

    Objective: Adolescent mental illness stigma-related factors may contribute to adolescent standardized patients' (ASP) discomfort with simulations of psychiatric conditions/adverse psychosocial experiences. Paradoxically, however, ASP involvement may provide a stigma-reduction strategy. This article reports an investigation of this hypothetical…

  13. Understanding and Reducing Disability in Older Adults Following Critical Illness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brummel, N.E.; Balas, M.C.; Morandi, A.; Ferrante, L.E.; Gill, T.M.; Ely, E.W.

    2015-01-01

    Objective To review how disability can develop in older adults with critical illness and to explore ways to reduce long-term disability following critical illness. Data Sources Review of the literature describing post-critical illness disability in older adults and expert opinion. Results We identified 19 studies evaluating disability outcomes in critically ill patients age 65 years and older. Newly acquired disability in activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living and mobility activities was commonplace among older adults who survived a critical illness. Incident dementia and less-severe cognitive impairment was also highly prevalent. Factors related to the acute critical illness, intensive care unit practices such as heavy sedation, physical restraints and immobility as well as aging physiology and coexisting geriatric conditions can combine to result in these poor outcomes. Conclusion Older adults who survive critical illness suffer physical and cognitive declines resulting in disability at greater rates than hospitalized, non-critically ill and community dwelling older adults. Interventions derived from widely available geriatric care models in use outside of the ICU, which address modifiable risk factors including immobility and delirium, are associated with improved functional and cognitive outcomes and can be used to complement ICU-focused models such as the ABCDEs. PMID:25756418

  14. Inversion of General Cyclic Heptadiagonal Matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Karawia

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We describe a reliable symbolic computational algorithm for inverting general cyclic heptadiagonal matrices by using parallel computing along with recursion. The computational cost of it is operations. The algorithm is implementable to the Computer Algebra System (CAS such as MAPLE, MATLAB, and MATHEMATICA. Two examples are presented for the sake of illustration.

  15. Physical Health Risk Behaviours in Young People with Mental Illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCloughen, Andrea; Foster, Kim; Marabong, Nikka; Miu, David; Fethney, Judith

    2015-01-01

    Comorbid physical health conditions, commonly associated with mental illness, contribute to increased morbidity and reduced life expectancy. The trajectory to poorer health begins with the onset of mental illness. For young people with mental illness, health risk behaviours and poor physical health can progress to adulthood with long-term detrimental impacts. Using a cross-sectional survey design, self-reported health risk behaviours were gathered from 56 young (16-25 years) Australians who had been hospitalised for mental illness and taking psychotropic medication. Smoking, alcohol use, minimal physical activity, and lack of primary health care were evident. While these behaviours are typical of many young people, those with mental illness have substantially increased vulnerability to poor health and reduced life expectancy. Priority needs to be given to targeted health promotion strategies for young people with mental illness to modify their risky long-term health behaviours and improve morbidity and mortality outcomes. Nurses in mental health settings play a vital role in promoting young peoples' well-being and preventing poorer physical health outcomes. Implementation of a cardiometabolic health nurse role in inpatient settings for young people with mental illness could facilitate prevention and early intervention for health risk behaviours.

  16. Bayesian analysis of finite population sampling in multivariate co-exchangeable structures with separable covariance matric

    OpenAIRE

    Shaw, Simon C.; Goldstein, Michael

    2017-01-01

    We explore the effect of finite population sampling in design problems with many variables cross-classified in many ways. In particular, we investigate designs where we wish to sample individuals belonging to different groups for which the underlying covariance matrices are separable between groups and variables. We exploit the generalised conditional independence structure of the model to show how the analysis of the full model can be reduced to an interpretable series of lower dimensional p...

  17. Critical statistics for non-Hermitian matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia-Garcia, A.M.; Verbaarschot, J.J.M.; Nishigaki, S.M.

    2002-01-01

    We introduce a generalized ensemble of non-Hermitian matrices interpolating between the Gaussian Unitary Ensemble, the Ginibre ensemble, and the Poisson ensemble. The joint eigenvalue distribution of this model is obtained by means of an extension of the Itzykson-Zuber formula to general complex matrices. Its correlation functions are studied both in the case of weak non-Hermiticity and in the case of strong non-Hermiticity. In the weak non-Hermiticity limit we show that the spectral correlations in the bulk of the spectrum display critical statistics: the asymptotic linear behavior of the number variance is already approached for energy differences of the order of the eigenvalue spacing. To lowest order, its slope does not depend on the degree of non-Hermiticity. Close the edge, the spectral correlations are similar to the Hermitian case. In the strong non-Hermiticity limit the crossover behavior from the Ginibre ensemble to the Poisson ensemble first appears close to the surface of the spectrum. Our model may be relevant for the description of the spectral correlations of an open disordered system close to an Anderson transition

  18. QSAR models for the removal of organic micropollutants in four different river water matrices

    KAUST Repository

    Sudhakaran, Sairam

    2012-04-01

    Ozonation is an advanced water treatment process used to remove organic micropollutants (OMPs) such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). In this study, Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) models, for ozonation and advanced oxidation process (AOP), were developed with percent-removal of OMPs by ozonation as the criterion variable. The models focused on PPCPs and pesticides elimination in bench-scale studies done within natural water matrices: Colorado River, Passaic River, Ohio River and Suwannee synthetic water. The OMPs removal for the different water matrices varied depending on the water quality conditions such as pH, DOC, alkalinity. The molecular descriptors used to define the OMPs physico-chemical properties range from one-dimensional (atom counts) to three-dimensional (quantum-chemical). Based on a statistical modeling approach using more than 40 molecular descriptors as predictors, descriptors influencing ozonation/AOP were chosen for inclusion in the QSAR models. The modeling approach was based on multiple linear regression (MLR). Also, a global model based on neural networks was created, compiling OMPs from all the four river water matrices. The chemically relevant molecular descriptors involved in the QSAR models were: energy difference between lowest unoccupied and highest occupied molecular orbital (E LUMO-E HOMO), electron-affinity (EA), number of halogen atoms (#X), number of ring atoms (#ring atoms), weakly polar component of the solvent accessible surface area (WPSA) and oxygen to carbon ratio (O/C). All the QSAR models resulted in a goodness-of-fit, R 2, greater than 0.8. Internal and external validations were performed on the models. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

  19. Quantification of iodine in porous hydroxyapatite matrices for application as radioactive sources in brachytherapy

    OpenAIRE

    Lacerda, Kássio André; Lameiras, Fernando Soares; Silva, Viviane Viana

    2007-01-01

    In this study, non-radioactive iodine was incorporated in two types of biodegradable hydroxyapatite-based porous matrices (HA and HACL) through impregnation process from sodium iodine aqueous solutions with varying concentrations (0.5 and 1.0 mol/L) . The results revealed that both systems presented a high capacity of incorporating iodine into their matrices. The quantity of incorporated iodine was measured through Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA). The porous ceramic matrices based on hydrox...

  20. Classification of mass matrices and the calculability of the Cabibbo angle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rizzo, T.G.

    1981-01-01

    We have analyzed all possible 2 x 2 mass matrices with two nonzero elements in an attempt to find which matrices yield a reasonable value of the Cabibbo angle upon diagonalization. We do not concern ourselves with the origin of these mass matrices (spontaneous symmetry breaking, bare-mass term, etc.). We find that, in the limit m/sub u//m/sub c/→0, only four possible relationships exist between sin 2 theta/sub C/ and the quark mass ratio m/sub d//m/sub s/, only one of which is reasonable for the usual value of m/sub d//m/sub s/ (approx.1/20). This limits the possible forms of the quark mass matrix to be two in number, both of which have been discussed previously in the literature

  1. Conjugate-gradient preconditioning methods for shift-variant PET image reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fessler, J A; Booth, S D

    1999-01-01

    Gradient-based iterative methods often converge slowly for tomographic image reconstruction and image restoration problems, but can be accelerated by suitable preconditioners. Diagonal preconditioners offer some improvement in convergence rate, but do not incorporate the structure of the Hessian matrices in imaging problems. Circulant preconditioners can provide remarkable acceleration for inverse problems that are approximately shift-invariant, i.e., for those with approximately block-Toeplitz or block-circulant Hessians. However, in applications with nonuniform noise variance, such as arises from Poisson statistics in emission tomography and in quantum-limited optical imaging, the Hessian of the weighted least-squares objective function is quite shift-variant, and circulant preconditioners perform poorly. Additional shift-variance is caused by edge-preserving regularization methods based on nonquadratic penalty functions. This paper describes new preconditioners that approximate more accurately the Hessian matrices of shift-variant imaging problems. Compared to diagonal or circulant preconditioning, the new preconditioners lead to significantly faster convergence rates for the unconstrained conjugate-gradient (CG) iteration. We also propose a new efficient method for the line-search step required by CG methods. Applications to positron emission tomography (PET) illustrate the method.

  2. Mental Illness Statistics

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... News & Events About Us Home > Health Information Share Statistics Research shows that mental illnesses are common in ... of mental illnesses, such as suicide and disability. Statistics Top ı cs Mental Illness Any Anxiety Disorder ...

  3. Psychological interventions for parents of children and adolescents with chronic illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eccleston, Christopher; Palermo, Tonya M; Fisher, Emma; Law, Emily

    2012-08-15

    Psychological therapies have been developed for parents of children and adolescents with a chronic illness. Such therapies include parent only or parent and child/adolescent, and are designed to treat parent behaviour, parent mental health, child behaviour/disability, child mental health, child symptoms and/or family functioning. No comprehensive, meta-analytic reviews have been published in this area. To evaluate the effectiveness of psychological therapies that include coping strategies for parents of children/adolescents with chronic illnesses (painful conditions, cancer, diabetes mellitus, asthma, traumatic brain injury, inflammatory bowel diseases, skin diseases or gynaecological disorders). The therapy will aim to improve parent behaviour, parent mental health, child behaviour/disability, child mental health, child symptoms and family functioning. We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of psychological interventions that included parents of children and adolescents with a chronic illness. The initial search was from inception of these databases to June 2011 and we conducted a follow-up search from June 2011 to March 2012. We identified additional studies from the reference list of retrieved papers and from discussion with investigators. Included studies were RCTs of psychological interventions that delivered treatment to parents of children and adolescents (under 19 years of age) with a chronic illness compared to active control, wait list control or treatment as usual. We excluded studies if the parent component was a coaching intervention, the aim of the intervention was health prevention/promotion, the comparator was a pharmacological treatment, the child/adolescent had an illness not listed above or the study included children with more than one type of chronic illness. Further to this, we excluded studies when the sample size of either comparator group was fewer than 10 at post-treatment. We included 35

  4. Stabilization and solidification of Pb in cement matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gollmann, Maria A.C.; Silva, Marcia M. da; Santos, Joao H. Z. dos; Masuero, Angela B.

    2010-01-01

    Pb was incorporated to a series of cement matrices, which were submitted to different cure time and pH. Pb content leached to aqueous solution was monitored by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The block resistance was evaluated by unconfined compressive strength at 7 and 28 ages. Data are discussed in terms of metal mobility along the cement block monitored by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry. The Pb incorporated matrices have shown that a long cure time is more suitable for avoiding metal leaching. For a longer cure period the action of the metal is higher and there is a decreasing in the compressive strength. The XRF analyses show that there is a lower Ca concentration in the matrix in which Pb was added. (author)

  5. Preconditioners for regularized saddle point matrices

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Axelsson, Owe

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 19, č. 2 (2011), s. 91-112 ISSN 1570-2820 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30860518 Keywords : saddle point matrices * preconditioning * regularization * eigenvalue clustering Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.533, year: 2011 http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/jnma.2011.19.issue-2/jnum.2011.005/jnum.2011.005. xml

  6. Morgellons: contested illness, diagnostic compromise and medicalisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fair, Brian

    2010-05-01

    The case of Morgellons illustrates how the emergence of a new medically contested illness intersected with and impacted on the diagnostic processes of an existing uncontested psychiatric condition, Delusional Parasitosis (DP). More specifically, the sociopolitical processes at play in the contested illness, Morgellons, dubiously reflect patient empowerment, as well the resilience and power of medical jurisdiction. This research offers insights into the contested illness and medicalisation literatures, and aims to bridge these two approaches towards the relationship between patient empowerment and medical authority, which I do through the notion of doctor-patient compromise. The data for this research come from a comprehensive qualitative analysis of Morgellons discourse through four key sources: the pro-Morgellons website Morgellons.org; the anti-Morgellons website Morgellonswatch.com; the popular media's portrayal of Morgellons; and the DP and Morgellons articles published in peer-reviewed medical journals, as made available on PubMed.

  7. Characteristic Polynomials of Sample Covariance Matrices: The Non-Square Case

    OpenAIRE

    Kösters, Holger

    2009-01-01

    We consider the sample covariance matrices of large data matrices which have i.i.d. complex matrix entries and which are non-square in the sense that the difference between the number of rows and the number of columns tends to infinity. We show that the second-order correlation function of the characteristic polynomial of the sample covariance matrix is asymptotically given by the sine kernel in the bulk of the spectrum and by the Airy kernel at the edge of the spectrum. Similar results are g...

  8. Frequency of decompression illness among recent and extinct mammals and "reptiles": a review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlsen, Agnete Weinreich

    2017-08-01

    The frequency of decompression illness was high among the extinct marine "reptiles" and very low among the marine mammals. Signs of decompression illness are still found among turtles but whales and seals are unaffected. In humans, the risk of decompression illness is five times increased in individuals with Patent Foramen Ovale; this condition allows blood shunting from the venous circuit to the systemic circuit. This right-left shunt is characteristic of the "reptile" heart, and it is suggested that this could contribute to the high frequency of decompression illness in the extinct reptiles.

  9. Attitudes Toward Euthanasia for Patients Who Suffer From Physical or Mental Illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levin, Kfir; Bradley, Graham L; Duffy, Amanda

    2018-01-01

    This study examined whether attitudes toward euthanasia vary with type of illness and with the source of the desire to end the patient's life. The study used a 3 (illness type: cancer, schizophrenia, depression) × 2 (euthanasia type: patient-initiated, family-initiated) between-groups experimental design. An online questionnaire was administered to 324 employees and students from a Australian public university following random assignment of participants to one of the six vignette-based conditions. Attitudes toward euthanasia were more positive for patients with a physical illness than a mental illness. For a patient with cancer or depression, but not schizophrenia, approval was greater for patient-, than, family-, initiated euthanasia. Relationships between illness type and attitudes were mediated by perceptions of patient autonomy and illness controllability. Findings have implications for debate, practices, and legislation regarding euthanasia.

  10. Reliability and Validity of Colored Progressive Matrices for 4-6 Age Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmet Bildiren

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In this research, it was aimed to test the reliability and validity of Colored Progressive Matrices for children between the ages of 4 to 6 from 15 schools. The sample of the study consisted of 640 kindergarten children. Test-retest and parallel form were used for reliability analyses. For the validity analysis, the relations between the Colored Progressive Matrices Test and Bender Gestalt Visual Motor Sensitivity Test, WISC-R and TONI-3 tests were examined. The results showed that there was a significant relation between the test-retest results and the parallel forms in all the age groups. Validity analyses showed strong correlations between the Colored Progressive Matrices and all the other measures.

  11. 2003 Savannah River Site Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report, Revised September 2007

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health, Safety and Security, Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs

    2007-10-05

    Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2003 for the Savannah River Site. DOE is commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The report monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

  12. Unified triminimal parametrizations of quark and lepton mixing matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He Xiaogang; Li Shiwen; Ma Boqiang

    2009-01-01

    We present a detailed study on triminimal parametrizations of quark and lepton mixing matrices with different basis matrices. We start with a general discussion on the triminimal expansion of the mixing matrix and on possible unified quark and lepton parametrization using quark-lepton complementarity. We then consider several interesting basis matrices and compare the triminimal parametrizations with the Wolfenstein-like parametrizations. The usual Wolfenstein parametrization for quark mixing is a triminimal expansion around the unit matrix as the basis. The corresponding quark-lepton complementarity lepton mixing matrix is a triminimal expansion around the bimaximal basis. Current neutrino oscillation data show that the lepton mixing matrix is very well represented by the tribimaximal mixing. It is natural to take it as an expanding basis. The corresponding zeroth order basis for quark mixing in this case makes the triminimal expansion converge much faster than the usual Wolfenstein parametrization. The triminimal expansion based on tribimaximal mixing can be converted to the Wolfenstein-like parametrizations discussed in the literature. We thus have a unified description between different kinds of parametrizations for quark and lepton sectors: the standard parametrizations, the Wolfenstein-like parametrizations, and the triminimal parametrizations.

  13. Products of random matrices from fixed trace and induced Ginibre ensembles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akemann, Gernot; Cikovic, Milan

    2018-05-01

    We investigate the microcanonical version of the complex induced Ginibre ensemble, by introducing a fixed trace constraint for its second moment. Like for the canonical Ginibre ensemble, its complex eigenvalues can be interpreted as a two-dimensional Coulomb gas, which are now subject to a constraint and a modified, collective confining potential. Despite the lack of determinantal structure in this fixed trace ensemble, we compute all its density correlation functions at finite matrix size and compare to a fixed trace ensemble of normal matrices, representing a different Coulomb gas. Our main tool of investigation is the Laplace transform, that maps back the fixed trace to the induced Ginibre ensemble. Products of random matrices have been used to study the Lyapunov and stability exponents for chaotic dynamical systems, where the latter are based on the complex eigenvalues of the product matrix. Because little is known about the universality of the eigenvalue distribution of such product matrices, we then study the product of m induced Ginibre matrices with a fixed trace constraint—which are clearly non-Gaussian—and M  ‑  m such Ginibre matrices without constraint. Using an m-fold inverse Laplace transform, we obtain a concise result for the spectral density of such a mixed product matrix at finite matrix size, for arbitrary fixed m and M. Very recently local and global universality was proven by the authors and their coworker for a more general, single elliptic fixed trace ensemble in the bulk of the spectrum. Here, we argue that the spectral density of mixed products is in the same universality class as the product of M independent induced Ginibre ensembles.

  14. Illness identity in young adults with refractory epilepsy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luyckx, Koen; Oris, Leen; Raymaekers, Koen; Rassart, Jessica; Moons, Philip; Verdyck, Ludo; Mijnster, Teus; Mark, Ruth E

    2018-03-01

    Refractory epilepsy is an intrusive condition with important implications for daily functioning in emerging and young adulthood. The present study examined the degree to which refractory epilepsy is integrated in one's identity, and examined how such a sense of illness identity was related to health-related quality of life (HRQOL). A total of 121 18- to 40-year-old patients with refractory epilepsy (56.2% women) completed self-report questionnaires assessing the four illness identity states of acceptance, enrichment, engulfment, and rejection (Illness Identity Questionnaire (IIQ)); HRQOL (Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory - 31); and seizure frequency and severity (Liverpool Seizure Severity Scale (LSSS)). Illness identity scores were compared with a sample of 191 patients with a nonneurological chronic disease (congenital heart disease). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to assess the predictive value of illness identity for HRQOL when simultaneously controlling for demographic and clinical features. Patients with refractory epilepsy scored higher on rejection and engulfment and lower on acceptance when compared with patients with congenital heart disease. Further, seizure severity and number of medication side-effects were positively related to engulfment and negatively to acceptance. Finally, when simultaneously controlling for various demographic and clinical variables, illness identity significantly predicted HRQOL (with engulfment being the strongest and most consistent predictor). The extent to which patients with refractory epilepsy succeed in integrating their illness into their identity may have important implications for HRQOL. Clinicians should be especially attentive for signs that patients feel engulfed by their epilepsy. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Numerical strategies to reduce the effect of ill-conditioned correlation matrices and underflow errors in Kriging

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Haarhoff, LJ

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available affect the search for the optimum Kriging parameters and the ability of the Kriging surface to accurately interpolate known data points. We illustrate this by firstly computing the inverse of the correlation matrix in the Kriging equations, and secondly...

  16. A comparison of adherence to hypoglycemic medications between Type 2 diabetes patients with and without serious mental illness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kreyenbuhl, Julie; Leith, Jaclyn; Medoff, Deborah R.; Fang, LiJuan; Dickerson, Faith B.; Brown, Clayton H.; Goldberg, Richard W.; Potts, Wendy; Dixon, Lisa B.

    2011-01-01

    Inadequate self-management of chronic medical conditions like Type 2 diabetes may play a role in the poor health status of individuals with serious mental illnesses. We compared adherence to hypoglycemic medications and blood glucose control between 44 diabetes patients with a serious mental illness and 30 patients without a psychiatric illness. The two groups did not differ in their ability to manage a complex medication regimen as assessed by a performance-based measure of medication management capacity. However, significantly fewer patients with a mental illness self-reported nonadherence to their hypoglycemic regimens compared to those without a mental illness. Although individuals with mental illnesses also had better control of blood glucose, this metabolic parameter was not correlated with adherence to hypoglycemic medications in either patient group. The experience of managing a chronic mental illness may confer advantages to individuals with serious mental illnesses in the self-care of co-occurring medical conditions like Type 2 diabetes. PMID:21459458

  17. MGI-oriented High-throughput Measurement of Interdiffusion Coefficient Matrices in Ni-based Superalloys

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    TANG Ying

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available One of the research hotspots in the field of high-temperature alloys was to search the substitutional elements for Re in order to prepare the single-crystal Ni-based superalloys with less or even no Re addition. To find the elements with similar or even lower diffusion coefficients in comparison with that of Re was one of the effective strategies. In multicomponent alloys, the interdiffusivity matrix were used to comprehensively characterize the diffusion ability of any alloying elements. Therefore, accurate determination of the composition-dependant and temperature-dependent interdiffusivities matrices of different elements in γ and γ' phases of Ni-based superalloys was high priority. The paper briefly introduces of the status of the interdiffusivity matrices determination in Ni-based superalloys, and the methods for determining the interdiffusivities in multicomponent alloys, including the traditional Matano-Kirkaldy method and recently proposed numerical inverse method. Because the traditional Matano-Kirkaldy method is of low efficiency, the experimental reports on interdiffusivity matrices in ternary and higher order sub-systems of the Ni-based superalloys were very scarce in the literature. While the numerical inverse method newly proposed in our research group based on Fick's second law can be utilized for high-throughput measurement of accurate interdiffusivity matrices in alloys with any number of components. After that, the successful application of the numerical inverse method in the high-throughput measurement of interdiffusivity matrices in alloys is demonstrated in fcc (γ phase of the ternary Ni-Al-Ta system. Moreover, the validation of the resulting composition-dependant and temperature-dependent interdiffusivity matrices is also comprehensively made. Then, this paper summarizes the recent progress in the measurement of interdiffusivity matrices in γ and γ' phases of a series of core ternary Ni-based superalloys achieved in

  18. Characteristics of phosphorus adsorption by sediment mineral matrices with different particle sizes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yang Xiao

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The particle size of sediment is one of the main factors that influence the phosphorus physical adsorption on sediment. In order to eliminate the effect of other components of sediment on the phosphorus physical adsorption the sediment mineral matrices were obtained by removing inorganic matter metal oxides, and organic matter from natural sediments, which were collected from the Nantong reach of the Yangtze River. The results show that an exponential relationship exists between the median particle size (D50 and specific surface area (Sg of the sediment mineral matrices, and the fine sediment mineral matrix sample has a larger specific surface area and pore volume than the coarse sediment particles. The kinetic equations were used to describe the phosphorus adsorption process of the sediment mineral matrices, including the Elovich equation, quasi-first-order adsorption kinetic equation, and quasi-second-order adsorption kinetic equation. The results show that the quasi-second-order adsorption kinetic equation has the best fitting effect. Using the mass conservation and Langmuir adsorption kinetic equations, a formula was deduced to calculate the equilibrium adsorption capacity of the sediment mineral matrices. The results of this study show that the phosphorus adsorption capacity decreases with the increase of D50, indicating that the specific surface area and pore volume are the main factors in determining the phosphorus adsorption capacity of the sediment mineral matrices. This study will help understand the important role of sediment in the transformation of phosphorus in aquatic environments.

  19. Dimension from covariance matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carroll, T L; Byers, J M

    2017-02-01

    We describe a method to estimate embedding dimension from a time series. This method includes an estimate of the probability that the dimension estimate is valid. Such validity estimates are not common in algorithms for calculating the properties of dynamical systems. The algorithm described here compares the eigenvalues of covariance matrices created from an embedded signal to the eigenvalues for a covariance matrix of a Gaussian random process with the same dimension and number of points. A statistical test gives the probability that the eigenvalues for the embedded signal did not come from the Gaussian random process.

  20. From Jollibee to BeeBee: "lifestyle" and chronic illness in Southeast Asia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manderson, Lenore; Naemiratch, Bhensri

    2010-07-01

    Throughout Southeast Asia, the number of people living with chronic conditions and degenerative disease has increased proportionately and absolutely. Public health interventions and effective medical treatment and surgeries have increased life expectancy. Concurrently, social and economic conditions have led to the rapid escalation of lifelong illnesses, characterized as "lifestyle" conditions. Drawing on ethnographic and survey research conducted in Southeast Asia, the authors illustrate the multiple factors contributing to people's health. Changes in food production; the organization, nature, and conditions of work; living conditions; and other factors affecting contemporary living increase vulnerability to noncommunicable diseases. These factors are largely beyond the control of most people. Efforts to reduce chronic illnesses predominantly focus on individual interventions, overlooking the lack of individual capacity to address the structural and institutional factors that compromise people's health.