WorldWideScience

Sample records for simple event weighting

  1. Design and Use of the Simple Event Model (SEM)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Hage, W.R.; Malaisé, V.; Segers, R.H.; Hollink, L.

    2011-01-01

    Events have become central elements in the representation of data from domains such as history, cultural heritage, multimedia and geography. The Simple Event Model (SEM) is created to model events in these various domains, without making assumptions about the domain-specific vocabularies used. SEM

  2. A simple strategy for fall events detection

    KAUST Repository

    Harrou, Fouzi

    2017-01-20

    The paper concerns the detection of fall events based on human silhouette shape variations. The detection of fall events is addressed from the statistical point of view as an anomaly detection problem. Specifically, the paper investigates the multivariate exponentially weighted moving average (MEWMA) control chart to detect fall events. Towards this end, a set of ratios for five partial occupancy areas of the human body for each frame are collected and used as the input data to MEWMA chart. The MEWMA fall detection scheme has been successfully applied to two publicly available fall detection databases, the UR fall detection dataset (URFD) and the fall detection dataset (FDD). The monitoring strategy developed was able to provide early alert mechanisms in the event of fall situations.

  3. A simple strategy for fall events detection

    KAUST Repository

    Harrou, Fouzi; Zerrouki, Nabil; Sun, Ying; Houacine, Amrane

    2017-01-01

    the multivariate exponentially weighted moving average (MEWMA) control chart to detect fall events. Towards this end, a set of ratios for five partial occupancy areas of the human body for each frame are collected and used as the input data to MEWMA chart

  4. Implementasi Perbandingan Metode Simple Additive Weighting Dengan Weighted Sum Model Dalam Pemilihan Siswa Berprestasi

    OpenAIRE

    Siregar, M. Fajrul Falah

    2015-01-01

    Good Performance Student Selection Program of MIN Tanjung Sari aims to increase students interest in learning. The selection is based on determined criterion. To assist the selection process, then a decision support system is needed. The method used is Simple Additive Weighting and Weighted Sum Model. In this research the results of both methods performed will be tested with the three periods of good performance students data possessed by MIN Tanjung Sari Medan Selayang. This s...

  5. Weight loss alters severity of individual nocturnal respiratory events depending on sleeping position

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kulkas, A; Leppänen, T; Tiihonen, P; Mervaala, E; Töyräs, J; Sahlman, J; Seppä, J; Kokkarinen, J; Randell, J; Tuomilehto, H

    2014-01-01

    Weight loss is an effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The mechanisms of how weight loss affects nocturnal breathing are not fully understood. The severity of OSA is currently estimated by the number of respiratory events per hour of sleep (i.e. apnea-hypopnea-index, AHI). AHI neglects duration and morphology of individual respiratory events, which describe the severity of individual events. In the current paper, we investigate the novel Adjusted-AHI parameter (incorporating individual event severity) and AHI after weight loss in relation to sleeping position. It was hypothesised that there are positional differences in individual event severity changes during weight loss. Altogether, 32 successful (> 5% of weight) and 34 unsuccessful weight loss patients at baseline and after 1 year follow-up were analysed. The results revealed that individual respiratory event severity was reduced differently in supine and non-supine positions during weight loss. During weight loss, AHI was reduced by 54% (p = 0.004) and 74% (p < 0.001), while Adjusted-AHI was reduced by 14% (p = 0.454) and 48% (p = 0.003) in supine and non-supine positions, respectively. In conclusion, the severity of individual respiratory events decreased more in the non-supine position. The novel Adjusted-AHI parameter takes these changes into account and might therefore contribute additional information to the planning of treatment of OSA patients. (paper)

  6. A simple conceptual model of abrupt glacial climate events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Braun

    2007-11-01

    Full Text Available Here we use a very simple conceptual model in an attempt to reduce essential parts of the complex nonlinearity of abrupt glacial climate changes (the so-called Dansgaard-Oeschger events to a few simple principles, namely (i the existence of two different climate states, (ii a threshold process and (iii an overshooting in the stability of the system at the start and the end of the events, which is followed by a millennial-scale relaxation. By comparison with a so-called Earth system model of intermediate complexity (CLIMBER-2, in which the events represent oscillations between two climate states corresponding to two fundamentally different modes of deep-water formation in the North Atlantic, we demonstrate that the conceptual model captures fundamental aspects of the nonlinearity of the events in that model. We use the conceptual model in order to reproduce and reanalyse nonlinear resonance mechanisms that were already suggested in order to explain the characteristic time scale of Dansgaard-Oeschger events. In doing so we identify a new form of stochastic resonance (i.e. an overshooting stochastic resonance and provide the first explicitly reported manifestation of ghost resonance in a geosystem, i.e. of a mechanism which could be relevant for other systems with thresholds and with multiple states of operation. Our work enables us to explicitly simulate realistic probability measures of Dansgaard-Oeschger events (e.g. waiting time distributions, which are a prerequisite for statistical analyses on the regularity of the events by means of Monte-Carlo simulations. We thus think that our study is an important advance in order to develop more adequate methods to test the statistical significance and the origin of the proposed glacial 1470-year climate cycle.

  7. Statistics of weighted Poisson events and its applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bohm, G.; Zech, G.

    2014-01-01

    The statistics of the sum of random weights where the number of weights is Poisson distributed has important applications in nuclear physics, particle physics and astrophysics. Events are frequently weighted according to their acceptance or relevance to a certain type of reaction. The sum is described by the compound Poisson distribution (CPD) which is shortly reviewed. It is shown that the CPD can be approximated by a scaled Poisson distribution (SPD). The SPD is applied to parameter estimation in situations where the data are distorted by resolution effects. It performs considerably better than the normal approximation that is usually used. A special Poisson bootstrap technique is presented which permits to derive confidence limits for observations following the CPD

  8. Simple Additive Weighting to Diagnose Rabbit Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramadiani; Marissa, Dyna; Jundillah, Muhammad Labib; Azainil; Hatta, Heliza Rahmania

    2018-02-01

    Rabbit is one of the many pets maintained by the general public in Indonesia. Like other pet, rabbits are also susceptible to various diseases. Society in general does not understand correctly the type of rabbit disease and the way of treatment. To help care for sick rabbits it is necessary a decision support system recommendation diagnosis of rabbit disease. The purpose of this research is to make the application of rabbit disease diagnosis system so that can help user in taking care of rabbit. This application diagnoses the disease by tracing the symptoms and calculating the recommendation of the disease using Simple Additive Weighting method. This research produces a web-based decision support system that is used to help rabbit breeders and the general public.

  9. Healthy habits: efficacy of simple advice on weight control based on a habit-formation model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lally, P; Chipperfield, A; Wardle, J

    2008-04-01

    To evaluate the efficacy of a simple weight loss intervention, based on principles of habit formation. An exploratory trial in which overweight and obese adults were randomized either to a habit-based intervention condition (with two subgroups given weekly vs monthly weighing; n=33, n=36) or to a waiting-list control condition (n=35) over 8 weeks. Intervention participants were followed up for 8 months. A total of 104 adults (35 men, 69 women) with an average BMI of 30.9 kg m(-2). Intervention participants were given a leaflet containing advice on habit formation and simple recommendations for eating and activity behaviours promoting negative energy balance, together with a self-monitoring checklist. Weight change over 8 weeks in the intervention condition compared with the control condition and weight loss maintenance over 32 weeks in the intervention condition. At 8 weeks, people in the intervention condition had lost significantly more weight (mean=2.0 kg) than those in the control condition (0.4 kg), with no difference between weekly and monthly weighing subgroups. At 32 weeks, those who remained in the study had lost an average of 3.8 kg, with 54% losing 5% or more of their body weight. An intention-to-treat analysis (based on last-observation-carried-forward) reduced this to 2.6 kg, with 26% achieving a 5% weight loss. This easily disseminable, low-cost, simple intervention produced clinically significant weight loss. In limited resource settings it has potential as a tool for obesity management.

  10. Simple Additive Weighting to Diagnose Rabbit Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramadiani

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Rabbit is one of the many pets maintained by the general public in Indonesia. Like other pet, rabbits are also susceptible to various diseases. Society in general does not understand correctly the type of rabbit disease and the way of treatment. To help care for sick rabbits it is necessary a decision support system recommendation diagnosis of rabbit disease. The purpose of this research is to make the application of rabbit disease diagnosis system so that can help user in taking care of rabbit. This application diagnoses the disease by tracing the symptoms and calculating the recommendation of the disease using Simple Additive Weighting method. This research produces a web-based decision support system that is used to help rabbit breeders and the general public.

  11. Adverse events of herbal food supplements for body weight reduction: systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pittler, M H; Schmidt, K; Ernst, E

    2005-05-01

    Herbal weight-loss supplements are marketed with claims of effectiveness. Our earlier systematic review identified data from double-blind, randomized controlled trials for a number of herbal supplements. The aim of this systematic review was to assess all clinical evidence of adverse events of herbal food supplements for body weight reduction for which effectiveness data from rigorous clinical trials exist. We assessed Ephedra sinica, Garcinia cambogia, Paullinia cupana, guar gum, Plantago psyllium, Ilex paraguariensis and Pausinystalia yohimbe. Literature searches were conducted on Medline, Embase, Amed and The Cochrane Library. Data were also requested from the spontaneous reporting scheme of the World Health Organization. We hand-searched relevant medical journals and our own files. There were no restrictions regarding the language of publication. The results show that adverse events including hepatic injury and death have been reported with the use of some herbal food supplements. For herbal ephedra and ephedrine-containing food supplements an increased risk of psychiatric, autonomic or gastrointestinal adverse events and heart palpitations has been reported. In conclusion, adverse events are reported for a number of herbal food supplements, which are used for reducing body weight. Although the quality of the data does not justify definitive attribution of causality in most cases, the reported risks are sufficient to shift the risk-benefit balance against the use of most of the reviewed herbal weight-loss supplements. Exceptions are Garcinia cambogia and yerba mate, which merit further investigation.

  12. A Simple and Sensitive Plant-Based Western Corn Rootworm Bioassay Method for Resistance Determination and Event Selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Zhimou; Chen, Jeng Shong

    2018-05-26

    We report here a simple and sensitive plant-based western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), bioassay method that allows for examination of multiple parameters for both plants and insects in a single experimental setup within a short duration. For plants, injury to roots can be visually examined, fresh root weight can be measured, and expression of trait protein in plant roots can be analyzed. For insects, in addition to survival, larval growth and development can be evaluated in several aspects including body weight gain, body length, and head capsule width. We demonstrated using the method that eCry3.1Ab-expressing 5307 corn was very effective against western corn rootworm by eliciting high mortality and significantly inhibiting larval growth and development. We also validated that the method allowed determination of resistance in an eCry3.1Ab-resistant western corn rootworm strain. While data presented in this paper demonstrate the usefulness of the method for selection of events of protein traits and for determination of resistance in laboratory populations, we envision that the method can be applied in much broader applications.

  13. PENERAPAN METODE SIMPLE ADDITIVE WEIGHTING DALAM PEMILIHAN TABLET PC UNTUK PEMULA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Satria Yudha Prayogi

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstrak — Teknologi berkembang secara terus-menerus menyebabkan sumber daya manusia juga harus berkembang untuk mengikutinya. Banyak produk – produk teknologi baru bermunculan yang diiringi dengan persaingan antara vendor raksasa teknologi dalam memasarkan produknya. Mulai dari ponsel yang dulunya hanya dimiliki oleh para eksekutif dan pebisnis kini dapat dimiliki oleh semua orang dari latar belakang apa saja, dari yang tua sampai yang muda. Setelah ponsel, muncul gadget baru bernama tablet. Ukurannya yang lebih besar dari ponsel membuat gadget ini memiliki ciri khas tersendiri. Setelah itu ada lagi phablet yang merupakan gabungan antara phone dan tablet. Namun kebutuhan manusia yang semakin banyak membuat para vendor teknologi harus memikirkan produk baru yang mampu mengimbangi kebutuhan manusia dengan baik. Tablet PC merupakan salah satu dari jawaban itu. Namun karena banyaknya produk di pasaran membuat pembeli bingung yang mana yang cocok untuk keperluannya, khususnya para pemula. Hanya dengan membaca info produk melalui majalah atau internet kadang tidak cukup untuk menemukan produk mana yang cocok untuk mereka gunakan. Dengan memanfaatkan konsep Sistem Pengambilan Keputusan  dengan metode Simple Additive Weighting  (SAW dan menggunakan aplikasi Mirosoft Visual Studio 2008 serta database MS Access 2007 dapat diimplementasikan untuk membuat analisa sistem dengan merancang aplikasi untuk menentukan Tablet PC yang cocok untuk digunakan oleh para pemula Keywords :  Sistem Pendukung Keputusan, Simple Additive Weighting, Tablet PC, Mirosoft Visual Studio 2008, MS Access 2007

  14. Analysis of respiratory events in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: Inter-relations and association to simple nocturnal features.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghandeharioun, H; Rezaeitalab, F; Lotfi, R

    2016-01-01

    This study carefully evaluates the association of different respiration-related events to each other and to simple nocturnal features in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAS). The events include apneas, hypopneas, respiratory event-related arousals and snores. We conducted a statistical study on 158 adults who underwent polysomnography between July 2012 and May 2014. To monitor relevance, along with linear statistical strategies like analysis of variance and bootstrapping a correlation coefficient standard error, the non-linear method of mutual information is also applied to illuminate vague results of linear techniques. Based on normalized mutual information weights (NMIW), indices of apnea are 1.3 times more relevant to AHI values than those of hypopnea. NMIW for the number of blood oxygen desaturation below 95% is considerable (0.531). The next relevant feature is "respiratory arousals index" with NMIW of 0.501. Snore indices (0.314), and BMI (0.203) take the next place. Based on NMIW values, snoring events are nearly one-third (29.9%) more dependent to hypopneas than RERAs. 1. The more sever the OSAS is, the more frequently the apneic events happen. 2. The association of snore with hypopnea/RERA revealed which is routinely ignored in regression-based OSAS modeling. 3. The statistical dependencies of oximetry features potentially can lead to home-based screening of OSAS. 4. Poor ESS-AHI relevance in the database under study indicates its disability for the OSA diagnosis compared to oximetry. 5. Based on poor RERA-snore/ESS relevance, detailed history of the symptoms plus polysomnography is suggested for accurate diagnosis of RERAs. Copyright © 2015 Sociedade Portuguesa de Pneumologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  15. SISTEM PENDUKUNG KEPUTUSAN UNTUK PENILAIAN KINERJA KARYAWAN DENGAN METODE SIMPLE ADDITIVE ' WEIGHTING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sri Wahyu Utari

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available In determining the Best Employees in SI'MK AMKOM Purwokerto several. factors into the assessment. This assessment is based on performance assessmenl,' namely communication with studenls, attention to students, ease of providingconsulting, ease of providing solulions, altitude and appearance. For efficiency andeffectivity of the appropriate decision-making is needed.This study aims to develop a decision support system that has the bestemployee selection analysis capabilities using lhe Simple Additive weighting method(SAW. This decision support system to help make an assessment of each employee, 'make changes to the criteria, and changes in weight values. It is useful to facilitate thedecision makers on issues relatbd to the seleclion of the best employees, so will theemployees get the most feasible given lhe reward or award as the best employee

  16. A Simple Thermoplastic Substrate Containing Hierarchical Silica Lamellae for High-Molecular-Weight DNA Extraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ye; Zhang, Yi; Burke, Jeffrey M; Gleitsman, Kristin; Friedrich, Sarah M; Liu, Kelvin J; Wang, Tza-Huei

    2016-12-01

    An inexpensive, magnetic thermoplastic nanomaterial is developed utilizing a hierarchical layering of micro- and nanoscale silica lamellae to create a high-surface-area and low-shear substrate capable of capturing vast amounts of ultrahigh-molecular-weight DNA. Extraction is performed via a simple 45 min process and is capable of achieving binding capacities up to 1 000 000 times greater than silica microparticles. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Light-weight Mutual Authentication with Non-repudiation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Clupek

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we focused on a problem of authentication on low-cost devices. We have proposed a new light-weight protocol for mutual authentication of communication entities with non-repudiation of realized events. The protocol is simple and suitable for implementation on low-cost devices. Non-repudiation of realized events is achieved by involving a Trusted Third Party (TTP to the communication. The proposed protocol uses only an appropriate lightweight hash function and pre-shared secret data. Security of the proposed protocol was verified by the BAN (Burrows-Abadi-Needham logic.

  18. Effects of protein versus simple sugar intake on weight loss in polycystic ovary syndrome (according to the National Institutes of Health criteria).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasim-Karakas, Sidika E; Almario, Rogelio U; Cunningham, Wendy

    2009-07-01

    To compare the effects of protein vs. simple sugars on weight loss, body composition, and metabolic and endocrine parameters in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A 2-month, free-living, randomized, single-blinded study. University PCOS clinic. Thirty-three patients with PCOS. To achieve a final energy reduction of 450 kcal/day, first the daily energy intake was reduced by 700 kcal; then a 240-kcal supplement containing either whey protein or simple sugars was added. Changes in weight, fat mass, fasting glucose and insulin, plasma lipoproteins, and sex steroids. Twenty-four subjects (13 in the simple sugars group and 11 in the protein group) completed the study. The protein group lost more weight (-3.3 +/- 0.8 kg vs. -1.1 +/- 0.6 kg) and more fat mass (-3.1 +/- 0.9 kg vs. -0.5 +/- 0.6 kg) and had larger decreases in serum cholesterol (-33.0 +/- 8.4 mg/dL vs. -2.3 +/- 6.8 mg/dL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-4.5 +/- 1.3 mg/dL vs. -0.4 +/- 1.3 mg/dL), and apoprotein B (-20 +/- 5 mg/dL vs. 3 +/- 5 mg/dL). In patients with PCOS, a hypocaloric diet supplemented with protein reduced body weight, fat mass, serum cholesterol, and apoprotein B more than the diet supplemented with simple sugars.

  19. Sistem Pendukung Keputusan Evaluasi Pemilihan Pemenang Pengadaan Aset dengan Metode Simple Additive Weighting (SAW

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    Fajar Nugraha

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Procurement of assets by auction requires a decision support in selecting the winning bidder so that decision makers can pick and choose the winner of the auction. This study aims to develop a Decision Support System (DSS, which serves as an aid in decision mak ing in the process  of  evaluating  the  winning  bidder  acquisitions.  In order to  achieve  the  purpose  of  SPK  well  then helped  by  using  one  of  the methods in decision-making that is the method of Simple Additive weighting method (SAW to evaluate alternatives in the provision of asset  based  decision-making  criteria.  This  method  has  the  advantage  criteria  (benefits  and  cost  criteria  (cost.  Criteria  advantage (benefit is used when considering the aspects of decision making maximum profit. While the cost criteria (cost is the inver se of the attributes of an advantage, in this draft decision will be looking  for a minimal fee. The results may support the decision on the selection of an alternative evaluation of acquisitions winners based on predetermined criteria.Keywords: Acquisitions; Decision support systems; Simple additive weighting

  20. Magnetic susceptibility as a simple tracer for fluvial sediment source ascription during storm events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rowntree, Kate M; van der Waal, Bennie W; Pulley, Simon

    2017-06-01

    Sediment tracing using a single tracer, low frequency magnetic susceptibility (X lf ), was used to apportion suspended sediment to geologically defined source areas and to interpret sediment source changes during flood events in the degraded catchment of the Vuvu River, a headwater tributary of the Mzimbubu River, South Africa. The method was tested as a simple tool for use by catchment managers concerned with controlling erosion. The geology of the 58 km 2 catchment comprises two distinct formations: basalt in the upper catchment with a characteristically high magnetic susceptibility and shales with a low magnetic susceptibility in the lower catchment. Application of an unmixing model incorporating a Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis showed that X lf provided a means to assign the proportion of each geological province contributing to the river's sediment load. Grab water samples were collected at ten-minute intervals during flood events for subsequent analysis of suspended sediment concentration and the magnetic susceptibility of the filtered sediment. Two floods are presented in detail, the first represents a significant event at the start of the wet season (max. discharge 32 m 3  s -1 ); the second was a smaller flood (max discharge 14 m 3  s -1 ) that occurred a month later. Suspended sediment concentrations during the twelve monitored events showed a characteristic decline over the wet season. The main source of suspended sediment was shown to be from the mudstones in the lower catchment, which contributed 86% of the total measured load. The sediment dynamics during the two floods monitored in detail were quite different from each other. In the first the sediment concentration was high (11 g L -1 ), peaking after the flood peak. The X lf value increased during the event, indicating that contribution to the sediment load from basalt in the upper catchment increased during the recession limb. In the second, smaller flood the sediment peak (6 g L -1

  1. IMPLEMENTATION OF SIMPLE ADDITIVE WEIGHTING (SAW METHODE IN DETERMINING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT’S INTEREST

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prind Triajeng Pungkasanti

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education of Republic of Indonesia has set a regulation about curriculum applied in education field named Kurikulum 2013. One of the subsections in the Kurikulum 2013 regulates all requirements of majoring in high school. High school students determine their major based on Kurrikulum 2013 as they are on the 10th grade. The purpose of the majoring in education is to allow children development based on their skills and interests, because before, majoring have been done based on scores obtained. The main problem is the majoring requirements considered are admission test score and Junior High School National Test score. Both scores are not sufficient enough to determine the students major therefore academic aptitude test score is required. In term of weighting, the school has not been imposed the weighting system so the scores obtained is the average of admission test score and national test score. Based on the issue above, a solution required to solve the issue using a method. Method used in this research is Simple Additive Weighting (SAW, wherein this methode is looking for the weighted sum of performance rate on every alternative of atributes. This research provides the information about which potential students is suitable to enter the science major and social major so this results can be used as consideration of school decisions.

  2. Improved event positioning in a gamma ray detector using an iterative position-weighted centre-of-gravity algorithm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Chen-Yi; Goertzen, Andrew L

    2013-07-21

    An iterative position-weighted centre-of-gravity algorithm was developed and tested for positioning events in a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM)-based scintillation detector for positron emission tomography. The algorithm used a Gaussian-based weighting function centred at the current estimate of the event location. The algorithm was applied to the signals from a 4 × 4 array of SiPM detectors that used individual channel readout and a LYSO:Ce scintillator array. Three scintillator array configurations were tested: single layer with 3.17 mm crystal pitch, matched to the SiPM size; single layer with 1.5 mm crystal pitch; and dual layer with 1.67 mm crystal pitch and a ½ crystal offset in the X and Y directions between the two layers. The flood histograms generated by this algorithm were shown to be superior to those generated by the standard centre of gravity. The width of the Gaussian weighting function of the algorithm was optimized for different scintillator array setups. The optimal width of the Gaussian curve was found to depend on the amount of light spread. The algorithm required less than 20 iterations to calculate the position of an event. The rapid convergence of this algorithm will readily allow for implementation on a front-end detector processing field programmable gate array for use in improved real-time event positioning and identification.

  3. Capturing Flow-weighted Water and Suspended Particulates from Agricultural Canals During Drainage Events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhadha, Jehangir H; Sexton, Anne; Lang, Timothy A; Daroub, Samira H

    2017-11-07

    The purpose of this study is to describe the methods used to capture flow-weighted water and suspended particulates from farm canals during drainage discharge events. Farm canals can be enriched by nutrients such as phosphorus (P) that are susceptible to transport. Phosphorus in the form of suspended particulates can significantly contribute to the overall P loads in drainage water. A settling tank experiment was conducted to capture suspended particulates during discrete drainage events. Farm canal discharge water was collected in a series of two 200 L settling tanks over the entire duration of the drainage event, so as to represent a composite subsample of the water being discharged. Imhoff settling cones are ultimately used to settle out the suspended particulates. This is achieved by siphoning water from the settling tanks via the cones. The particulates are then collected for physico-chemical analyses.

  4. Eating and weight/shape criticism as a specific life-event related to bulimia nervosa: a case control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonçalves, Sonia Ferreira; Machado, Bárbara César; Martins, Carla

    2014-01-01

    The present study aims to evaluate the occurrence of life events preceding the onset of eating problems in bulimia nervosa patients. A case-control design was used involving the comparison of 60 female subjects who meet DSM-IV criteria for bulimia nervosa with 60 healthy control subjects and 60 subjects with other psychiatric disorders. The RFI (Fairburn et al., 1998) subset of factors that represent exposure to life events in the 12 months immediately before the development of eating problems was used. Women with bulimia nervosa reported higher rates of major stress, criticism about eating, weight and shape and also a great number of antecedent life events during the year preceding the development of eating problems than the healthy control group. However, when compared with the general psychiatric control group only the exposure to critical comments about weight, shape, or eating emerged as a specific trigger for bulimia nervosa. Our findings support the fact that eating and shape/weight criticism in the year preceding the development of eating disturbance seems to be specifically related to bulimia nervosa.

  5. A simple ideal magnetohydrodynamical model of vertical disruption events in tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fitzpatrick, R.

    2009-01-01

    A simple model of axisymmetric vertical disruption events (VDEs) in tokamaks is presented in which the halo current force exerted on the vacuum vessel is calculated directly from linear, marginally stable, ideal-magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) stability analysis. The basic premise of the model is that the halo current force modifies pressure balance at the edge of the plasma, and therefore also modifies ideal-MHD plasma stability. In order to prevent the ideal vertical instability, responsible for the VDE, from growing on the very short Alfven time scale, the halo current force must adjust itself such that the instability is rendered marginally stable. The model predicts halo currents which are similar in magnitude to those observed experimentally. An approximate nonaxisymmetric version of the model is developed in order to calculate the toroidal peaking factor for the halo current force.

  6. A simple technique for measuring buoyant weight increment of entire, transplanted coral colonies in the field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herler, Jürgen; Dirnwöber, Markus

    2011-10-31

    Estimating the impacts of global and local threats on coral reefs requires monitoring reef health and measuring coral growth and calcification rates at different time scales. This has traditionally been mostly performed in short-term experimental studies in which coral fragments were grown in the laboratory or in the field but measured ex situ. Practical techniques in which growth and measurements are performed over the long term in situ are rare. Apart from photographic approaches, weight increment measurements have also been applied. Past buoyant weight measurements under water involved a complicated and little-used apparatus. We introduce a new method that combines previous field and laboratory techniques to measure the buoyant weight of entire, transplanted corals under water. This method uses an electronic balance fitted into an acrylic glass underwater housing and placed atop of an acrylic glass cube. Within this cube, corals transplanted onto artificial bases can be attached to the balance and weighed at predetermined intervals while they continue growth in the field. We also provide a set of simple equations for the volume and weight determinations required to calculate net growth rates. The new technique is highly accurate: low error of weight determinations due to variation of coral density (corals. We outline a transplantation technique for properly preparing corals for such long-term in situ experiments and measurements.

  7. Propensity-Weighted Comparison of Long-Term Risk of Urinary Adverse Events in Elderly Women Treated For Cervical Cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elliott, Sean P.; Fan, Yunhua; Jarosek, Stephanie; Chu, Haitao; Downs, Levi; Dusenbery, Kathryn; Geller, Melissa A.; Virnig, Beth A.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Cervical cancer treatment is associated with a risk of urinary adverse events (UAEs) such as ureteral stricture and vesicovaginal fistula. We sought to measure the long-term UAE risk after surgery and radiation therapy (RT), with confounding controlled through propensity-weighted models. Methods and Materials: From the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database, we identified women ≥66 years old with nonmetastatic cervical cancer treated with simple surgery (SS), radical hysterectomy (RH), external beam RT plus brachytherapy (EBRT+BT), or RT+surgery. We matched them to noncancer controls 1:3. Differences in demographic and cancer characteristics were balanced by propensity weighting. Grade 3 to 4 UAEs were identified by diagnosis codes plus treatment codes. Cumulative incidence was measured using Kaplan-Meier methods. The hazard associated with different cancer treatments was compared using Cox models. Results: UAEs occurred in 272 of 1808 cases (17%) and 222 of 5424 (4%) controls; most (62%) were ureteral strictures. The raw cumulative incidence of UAEs was highest in advanced cancers. UAEs occurred in 31% of patients after EBRT+BT, 25% of patients after RT+surgery, and 15% of patients after RH; however, after propensity weighting, the incidence was similar. In adjusted Cox models (reference = controls), the UAE risk was highest after RT+surgery (hazard ratio [HR], 5.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.32-11.07), followed by EBRT+BT (HR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.45-7.65), RH (HR, 3.65; 95% CI, 1.41-9.46) and SS (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.32-3.01). The higher risk after RT+surgery versus EBRT+BT was statistically significant, whereas, EBRT+BT and RH were not significantly different from each other. Conclusions: UAEs are common after cervical cancer treatment, particularly in patients with advanced cancers. UAEs are more common after RT, but these women tend to have the advanced cancers. After propensity weighting, the risk after RT was similar

  8. The HepMC C++ Monte Carlo Event Record for High Energy Physics

    CERN Document Server

    Dobbs, M

    2000-01-01

    HepMC is an Object Oriented event record written in C++ for High Energy Physics Monte Carlo Event Generators. Many extensions from HEPEVT, the Fortran HEP standard, are supported: the number of entries is unlimited, spin density matrices can be stored with each vertex, flow patterns (such as colour) can be stored and traced, random number generator states can be stored, and an arbitrary number of event weights can be included. Particles and vertices are stored separately in a graph structure, reflecting the evolution of a physics event. The added information supports the modularisation of event generators. The event record has been kept as simple as possible with minimal internal/external dependencies. Event information is accessed by means of iterators supplied with HepMC.

  9. A simple analytical model of single-event upsets in bulk CMOS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sogoyan, Armen V.; Chumakov, Alexander I.; Smolin, Anatoly A., E-mail: aasmol@spels.ru; Ulanova, Anastasia V.; Boruzdina, Anna B.

    2017-06-01

    During the last decade, multiple new methods of single event upset (SEU) rate prediction for aerospace systems have been proposed. Despite different models and approaches being employed in these methods, they all share relatively high usage complexity and require information about a device that is not always available to an end user. This work presents an alternative approach to estimating SEU cross-section as a function of linear energy transfer (LET) that can be further developed into a method of SEU rate prediction. The goal is to propose a simple, yet physics-based, approach with just two parameters that can be used even in situations when only a process node of the device is known. The developed approach is based on geometrical interpretation of SEU cross-section and an analytical solution to the diffusion problem obtained for a simplified IC topology model. A good fit of the model to the experimental data encompassing 7 generations of SRAMs is demonstrated.

  10. A simple analytical model of single-event upsets in bulk CMOS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sogoyan, Armen V.; Chumakov, Alexander I.; Smolin, Anatoly A.; Ulanova, Anastasia V.; Boruzdina, Anna B.

    2017-01-01

    During the last decade, multiple new methods of single event upset (SEU) rate prediction for aerospace systems have been proposed. Despite different models and approaches being employed in these methods, they all share relatively high usage complexity and require information about a device that is not always available to an end user. This work presents an alternative approach to estimating SEU cross-section as a function of linear energy transfer (LET) that can be further developed into a method of SEU rate prediction. The goal is to propose a simple, yet physics-based, approach with just two parameters that can be used even in situations when only a process node of the device is known. The developed approach is based on geometrical interpretation of SEU cross-section and an analytical solution to the diffusion problem obtained for a simplified IC topology model. A good fit of the model to the experimental data encompassing 7 generations of SRAMs is demonstrated.

  11. Fuzzy Simple Additive Weighting Method in the Decision Making of Human Resource Recruitment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Budi Prasetiyo

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The Company is one of the jobs that was founded to reduce unemployment. The progress of a company is determined by the human resources that exist within the company. So, the selection of workers will join the company need to be selected first. The hardest thing in making a selection factor is the effort to eliminate the subjectivity of the personnel manager so that every choice made is objective based on the criteria expected by the company. To help determine who is accepted as an employee in the company, we need a method that can provide a valid decision. Therefore, we use Fuzzy Multiple Attribute Decision Making with Simple Additive Weighting method (SAW to decide to make in human resource recruitment. This method was chosen because it can provide the best alternative from several alternatives. In this case, the alternative is that the applicants or candidates. This research was conducted by finding the weight values for each attribute. Then do the ranking process that determines the optimal alternative to the best applicants who qualify as employees of the company. Based on calculations by the SAW obtained the two highest ranking results are A5 (alternative 5 and A1 (alternative 1, to obtain two candidates received.

  12. The Flushtration Count Illusion: Attribute substitution tricks our interpretation of a simple visual event sequence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Cyril; Didierjean, André; Kuhn, Gustav

    2018-04-17

    When faced with a difficult question, people sometimes work out an answer to a related, easier question without realizing that a substitution has taken place (e.g., Kahneman, 2011, Thinking, fast and slow. New York, Farrar, Strauss, Giroux). In two experiments, we investigated whether this attribute substitution effect can also affect the interpretation of a simple visual event sequence. We used a magic trick called the 'Flushtration Count Illusion', which involves a technique used by magicians to give the illusion of having seen multiple cards with identical backs, when in fact only the back of one card (the bottom card) is repeatedly shown. In Experiment 1, we demonstrated that most participants are susceptible to the illusion, even if they have the visual and analytical reasoning capacity to correctly process the sequence. In Experiment 2, we demonstrated that participants construct a biased and simplified representation of the Flushtration Count by substituting some attributes of the event sequence. We discussed of the psychological processes underlying this attribute substitution effect. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

  13. PENERAPAN METODE SIMPLE ADDITIVE WEIGHTING DALAM PEMILIHAN TABLET PC UNTUK PEMULA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Satria Yudha Prayogi

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Teknologi berkembang secara terus-menerus menyebabkan sumber daya manusia juga harus berkembang untuk mengikutinya. Banyak produk – produk teknologi baru bermunculan yang diiringi dengan persaingan antara vendor raksasa teknologi dalam memasarkan produknya. Mulai dari ponsel yang dulunya hanya dimiliki oleh para eksekutif dan pebisnis kini dapat dimiliki oleh semua orang dari latar belakang apa saja, dari yang tua sampai yang muda. Setelah ponsel, muncul gadget baru bernama tablet. Ukurannya yang lebih besar dari ponsel membuat gadget ini memiliki ciri khas tersendiri. Setelah itu ada lagi phablet yang merupakan gabungan antara phone dan tablet. Namun kebutuhan manusia yang semakin banyak membuat para vendor teknologi harus memikirkan produk baru yang mampu mengimbangi kebutuhan manusia dengan baik. Tablet PC merupakan salah satu dari jawaban itu. Namun karena banyaknya produk di pasaran membuat pembeli bingung yang mana yang cocok untuk keperluannya, khususnya para pemula. Hanya dengan membaca info produk melalui majalah atau internet kadang tidak cukup untuk menemukan produk mana yang cocok untuk mereka gunakan. Dengan memanfaatkan konsep Sistem Pengambilan Keputusan dengan metode Simple Additive Weighting (SAW dan menggunakan aplikasi Mirosoft Visual Studio 2008 serta database MS Access 2007 dapat diimplementasikan untuk membuat analisa sistem dengan merancang aplikasi untuk menentukan Tablet PC yang cocok untuk digunakan oleh para pemula

  14. Randomized controlled trial of changes in dietary carbohydrate/fat ratio and simple vs complex carbohydrates on body weight and blood lipids: the CARMEN study. The Carbohydrate Ratio Management in European National diets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saris, W H; Astrup, A; Prentice, A M; Zunft, H J; Formiguera, X; Verboeket-van de Venne, W P; Raben, A; Poppitt, S D; Seppelt, B; Johnston, S; Vasilaras, T H; Keogh, G F

    2000-10-01

    To investigate the long-term effects of changes in dietary carbohydrate/fat ratio and simple vs complex carbohydrates. Randomized controlled multicentre trial (CARMEN), in which subjects were allocated for 6 months either to a seasonal control group (no intervention) or to one of three experimental groups: a control diet group (dietary intervention typical of the average national intake); a low-fat high simple carbohydrate group; or a low-fat high complex carbohydrate group. Three hundred and ninety eight moderately obese adults. The change in body weight was the primary outcome; changes in body composition and blood lipids were secondary outcomes. Body weight loss in the low-fat high simple carbohydrate and low-fat high complex carbohydrate groups was 0.9 kg (P Fat mass changed by -1.3kg (Plow-fat high simple carbohydrate, low-fat high complex carbohydrate and control diet groups, respectively. Changes in blood lipids did not differ significantly between the dietary treatment groups. Our findings suggest that reduction of fat intake results in a modest but significant reduction in body weight and body fatness. The concomitant increase in either simple or complex carbohydrates did not indicate significant differences in weight change. No adverse effects on blood lipids were observed. These findings underline the importance of this dietary change and its potential impact on the public health implications of obesity.

  15. [A cohort study on the correlation between birth weight, simple obesity, blood lipids, blood glucose and blood pressure from childhood to adolescence].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hua, Qi; Tan, Jing; Liu, Zhao-hui; Liu, Rong-kun; Yang, Zheng

    2007-11-01

    To determine the correlation between birth weight and simple obesity, blood lipids, blood glucose and blood pressure from childhood to adolescence. A vertical sectional survey on 193 children aged 7 - 11 years was performed in 1996. A questionnaire consisting of items on environmental factors and lifestyle, physical examination and biochemical assessment was conducted at baseline and the 9th year of follow-up. The incidence of obesity and over-weight in childhood in high (6.1%) and low birth-weight group (5.6%) was higher than that in normal birth-weight group (2.8%), but did not reach statistic significance; The levels of body mass index in adolescence in high and low birth-weight group were significantly higher than that in normal birth-weight group (P = 0.002 and 0.009, respectively), and the incidence of obesity and over-weight in adolescence was significantly higher in high (33.3%) and low birth-weight group (38.9%) than that in normal birth-weight group (16.2%, P = 0.025 and 0.020, respectively). There were no significant differences in the levels of blood glucose, blood lipids and blood pressure between different birth weight groups (all, P > 0.05). Intrauterine growth is linked to physical growth during childhood and adolescence. Nutritional guidance in pregnant phase may help to control the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescent.

  16. A Weight-Aware Recommendation Algorithm for Mobile Multimedia Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro M. P. Rosa

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In the last years, information flood is becoming a common reality, and the general user, hit by thousands of possible interesting information, has great difficulties identifying the best ones, that can guide him in his/her daily choices, like concerts, restaurants, sport gatherings, or culture events. The current growth of mobile smartphones and tablets with embedded GPS receiver, Internet access, camera, and accelerometer offer new opportunities to mobile ubiquitous multimedia applications that helps gathering the best information out of an always growing list of possibly good ones. This paper presents a mobile recommendation system for events, based on few weighted context-awareness data-fusion algorithms to combine several multimedia sources. A demonstrative deployment were utilized relevance like location data, user habits and user sharing statistics, and data-fusion algorithms like the classical CombSUM and CombMNZ, simple, and weighted. Still, the developed methodology is generic, and can be extended to other relevance, both direct (background noise volume and indirect (local temperature extrapolated by GPS coordinates in a Web service and other data-fusion techniques. To experiment, demonstrate, and evaluate the performance of different algorithms, the proposed system was created and deployed into a working mobile application providing real time awareness-based information of local events and news.

  17. Stochastic weighted particle methods for population balance equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patterson, Robert I.A.; Wagner, Wolfgang; Kraft, Markus

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Weight transfer functions for Monte Carlo simulation of coagulation. → Efficient support for single-particle growth processes. → Comparisons to analytic solutions and soot formation problems. → Better numerical accuracy for less common particles. - Abstract: A class of coagulation weight transfer functions is constructed, each member of which leads to a stochastic particle algorithm for the numerical treatment of population balance equations. These algorithms are based on systems of weighted computational particles and the weight transfer functions are constructed such that the number of computational particles does not change during coagulation events. The algorithms also facilitate the simulation of physical processes that change single particles, such as growth, or other surface reactions. Four members of the algorithm family have been numerically validated by comparison to analytic solutions to simple problems. Numerical experiments have been performed for complex laminar premixed flame systems in which members of the class of stochastic weighted particle methods were compared to each other and to a direct simulation algorithm. Two of the weighted algorithms have been shown to offer performance advantages over the direct simulation algorithm in situations where interest is focused on the larger particles in a system. The extent of this advantage depends on the particular system and on the quantities of interest.

  18. Improved hybridization of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) algorithm with Fuzzy Multiple Attribute Decision Making - Simple Additive Weighting (FMADM-SAW)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaiwani, B. E.; Zarlis, M.; Efendi, S.

    2018-03-01

    In this research, the improvement of hybridization algorithm of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) with Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS) in selecting the best bank chief inspector based on several qualitative and quantitative criteria with various priorities. To improve the performance of the above research, FAHP algorithm hybridization with Fuzzy Multiple Attribute Decision Making - Simple Additive Weighting (FMADM-SAW) algorithm was adopted, which applied FAHP algorithm to the weighting process and SAW for the ranking process to determine the promotion of employee at a government institution. The result of improvement of the average value of Efficiency Rate (ER) is 85.24%, which means that this research has succeeded in improving the previous research that is equal to 77.82%. Keywords: Ranking and Selection, Fuzzy AHP, Fuzzy TOPSIS, FMADM-SAW.

  19. A simple Bayesian approach to quantifying confidence level of adverse event incidence proportion in small samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Fang

    2016-01-01

    In both clinical development and post-marketing of a new therapy or a new treatment, incidence of an adverse event (AE) is always a concern. When sample sizes are small, large sample-based inferential approaches on an AE incidence proportion in a certain time period no longer apply. In this brief discussion, we introduce a simple Bayesian framework to quantify, in small sample studies and the rare AE case, (1) the confidence level that the incidence proportion of a particular AE p is over or below a threshold, (2) the lower or upper bounds on p with a certain level of confidence, and (3) the minimum required number of patients with an AE before we can be certain that p surpasses a specific threshold, or the maximum allowable number of patients with an AE after which we can no longer be certain that p is below a certain threshold, given a certain confidence level. The method is easy to understand and implement; the interpretation of the results is intuitive. This article also demonstrates the usefulness of simple Bayesian concepts when it comes to answering practical questions.

  20. Simple probabilistic method for relative risk evaluation of nuclear terrorism events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Songbai; Wu Jun

    2006-01-01

    On the basis of the event-tree and probability analysis methods, a probabilistic method of nuclear terrorism risk was built, and the risk of terrorism events was analyzed. With the statistical data for and hypothetical data for relative events, the relative probabilities of the four kinds of nuclear terrorism events were obtained, as well as the relative risks of these four kinds of nuclear terrorism events were calculated by using this probabilistic method. The illustrated case show that the descending sequence of damages from the four kinds of nuclear terrorism events for single event is as following: nuclear explosive and improvised nuclear explosive, nuclear facility attacked, and 'dirty bomb'. Under the hypothetical condition, the descending sequence of possibilities for the four kinds of nuclear terrorism events is as following: 'dirty bomb', nuclear facility attacked, improvised nuclear explosive and nuclear explosive, but the descending sequence of risks is as following: 'dirty bomb', improvised nuclear explosive, nuclear facility attacked, and nuclear explosive . (authors)

  1. Unwinding the hairball graph: Pruning algorithms for weighted complex networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dianati, Navid

    2016-01-01

    Empirical networks of weighted dyadic relations often contain "noisy" edges that alter the global characteristics of the network and obfuscate the most important structures therein. Graph pruning is the process of identifying the most significant edges according to a generative null model and extracting the subgraph consisting of those edges. Here, we focus on integer-weighted graphs commonly arising when weights count the occurrences of an "event" relating the nodes. We introduce a simple and intuitive null model related to the configuration model of network generation and derive two significance filters from it: the marginal likelihood filter (MLF) and the global likelihood filter (GLF). The former is a fast algorithm assigning a significance score to each edge based on the marginal distribution of edge weights, whereas the latter is an ensemble approach which takes into account the correlations among edges. We apply these filters to the network of air traffic volume between US airports and recover a geographically faithful representation of the graph. Furthermore, compared with thresholding based on edge weight, we show that our filters extract a larger and significantly sparser giant component.

  2. A simple multiprocessor management system for event-parallel computing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bracker, S.; Gounder, K.; Hendrix, K.; Summers, D.

    1996-01-01

    Offline software using Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) sockets to distribute particle physics events to multiple UNIX/RISC workstations is described. A modular, building block approach was taken that allowed tailoring to solve specific tasks efficiently and simply as they arose. The modest, initial cost was having to learn about sockets for interprocess communication. This multiprocessor management software has been used to control the reconstruction of eight billion raw data events from Fermilab Experiment E791

  3. A Simple Tiltmeter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dix, M. G.; Harrison, D. R.; Edwards, T. M.

    1982-01-01

    Bubble vial with external aluminum-foil electrodes is sensing element for simple indicating tiltmeter. To measure bubble displacement, bridge circuit detects difference in capacitance between two sensing electrodes and reference electrode. Tiltmeter was developed for experiment on forecasting seismic events by changes in Earth's magnetic field.

  4. Differentiation between simple cyst and hepatic hemangioma utilizing T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging with gradient-echo (b-FFE) technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burim, Carolina Valente; D'Ippolito, Giuseppe; Pecci Neto, Luiz; Torlai, Fabiola Goda; Tiferes, Dario Ariel

    2008-01-01

    Objective: to establish the role of MRI T2-weighted sequences in the differentiation between simple cysts and hepatic hemangiomas. Materials and methods: a double-blinded, prospective, observational, cross sectional study evaluated 52 patients with 91 hepatic lesions (34 simple cysts and 57 hemangiomas) submitted to abdominal magnetic resonance imaging. The combined analysis of all sequences was considered as the golden-standard. TSE sequences with long echo trains and b-FFE sequences were subjectively analyzed by two independent observers for differentiating cysts from hemangiomas. The kappa test (κ) was utilized in the analysis of the methods accuracy and inter- and intra-observer agreement (p * ). Results: cysts and hemangiomas dimensions ranged respectively between 0.5 and 6.5 cm (mean 1.89 cm), and 0.8 and 11 cm (mean = 2.62 cm). The analysis of the sequences with long-TE and the golden-standard demonstrated a non-statistically significant agreement (k: 0.00-0.10). The agreement between the evaluation of the b-FFE sequence and the golden-standard ranged from substantial (κ: 0.62-0.71) to almost perfect (κ: 0.86) for both observers. The inter- and intra-observer agreement for the b-FFE sequence ranged from substantial (κ: 0.62-0.70) to almost perfect (κ: 0.85-0.91). Conclusion: T2-weighted images acquired with the b-FFE technique present a high accuracy and reproducibility in the differentiation between cysts and hepatic hemangiomas. (author)

  5. Transport package response to severe thermal events, part 2: legal weight truck cask

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greiner, M.; Faulkner, R.J.; Jin, Y.Y.

    1998-01-01

    The response of intact and damaged versions of the GA-4 Legal Weight Truck Cask to a range of severe thermal events is simulated using finite element computer analysis. The minimum fire durations that cause the containment seals and fuel cladding to reach their respective temperature limits are evaluated for a range of hydrocarbon fire temperatures. Containment seals reach their temperature limit in shorter duration fires as compared to the cladding, for both an undamaged package and a cask whose impact limiter is destroyed moments before the fire begins. However, if the neutron shield is destroyed, the cladding reaches its limit first in high temperature fires. A margin of safety exists between the conditions of the IAEA regulatory fire test and all of the performance envelopes calculated in this work. (author)

  6. Multi-Criteria Decision Making For Determining A Simple Model of Supplier Selection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harwati

    2017-06-01

    Supplier selection is a decision with many criteria. Supplier selection model usually involves more than five main criteria and more than 10 sub-criteria. In fact many model includes more than 20 criteria. Too many criteria involved in supplier selection models sometimes make it difficult to apply in many companies. This research focuses on designing supplier selection that easy and simple to be applied in the company. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used to weighting criteria. The analysis results there are four criteria that are easy and simple can be used to select suppliers: Price (weight 0.4) shipment (weight 0.3), quality (weight 0.2) and services (weight 0.1). A real case simulation shows that simple model provides the same decision with a more complex model.

  7. A Simple Ensemble Simulation Technique for Assessment of Future Variations in Specific High-Impact Weather Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taniguchi, Kenji

    2018-04-01

    To investigate future variations in high-impact weather events, numerous samples are required. For the detailed assessment in a specific region, a high spatial resolution is also required. A simple ensemble simulation technique is proposed in this paper. In the proposed technique, new ensemble members were generated from one basic state vector and two perturbation vectors, which were obtained by lagged average forecasting simulations. Sensitivity experiments with different numbers of ensemble members, different simulation lengths, and different perturbation magnitudes were performed. Experimental application to a global warming study was also implemented for a typhoon event. Ensemble-mean results and ensemble spreads of total precipitation, atmospheric conditions showed similar characteristics across the sensitivity experiments. The frequencies of the maximum total and hourly precipitation also showed similar distributions. These results indicate the robustness of the proposed technique. On the other hand, considerable ensemble spread was found in each ensemble experiment. In addition, the results of the application to a global warming study showed possible variations in the future. These results indicate that the proposed technique is useful for investigating various meteorological phenomena and the impacts of global warming. The results of the ensemble simulations also enable the stochastic evaluation of differences in high-impact weather events. In addition, the impacts of a spectral nudging technique were also examined. The tracks of a typhoon were quite different between cases with and without spectral nudging; however, the ranges of the tracks among ensemble members were comparable. It indicates that spectral nudging does not necessarily suppress ensemble spread.

  8. Simple Electromagnetic Analysis in Cryptography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zdenek Martinasek

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available The article describes the main principle and methods of simple electromagnetic analysis and thus provides an overview of simple electromagnetic analysis.The introductions chapters describe specific SPA attack used visual inspection of EM traces, template based attack and collision attack.After reading the article, the reader is sufficiently informed of any context of SEMA.Another aim of the article is the practical realization of SEMA which is focused on AES implementation.The visual inspection of EM trace of AES is performed step by step and the result is the determination of secret key Hamming weight.On the resulting EM trace, the Hamming weight of the secret key 1 to 8 was clearly visible.This method allows reduction from the number of possible keys for following brute force attack.

  9. Weighted approximation with varying weight

    CERN Document Server

    Totik, Vilmos

    1994-01-01

    A new construction is given for approximating a logarithmic potential by a discrete one. This yields a new approach to approximation with weighted polynomials of the form w"n"(" "= uppercase)P"n"(" "= uppercase). The new technique settles several open problems, and it leads to a simple proof for the strong asymptotics on some L p(uppercase) extremal problems on the real line with exponential weights, which, for the case p=2, are equivalent to power- type asymptotics for the leading coefficients of the corresponding orthogonal polynomials. The method is also modified toyield (in a sense) uniformly good approximation on the whole support. This allows one to deduce strong asymptotics in some L p(uppercase) extremal problems with varying weights. Applications are given, relating to fast decreasing polynomials, asymptotic behavior of orthogonal polynomials and multipoint Pade approximation. The approach is potential-theoretic, but the text is self-contained.

  10. Perancangan Sistem Pendukung Keputusan Seleksi Penerimaan Karyawan Dengan Metode Simple Additive Weighting (SAW (Studi Kasus Toko Markas Hobby

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dadi Rosadi

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Selection process for new employees at the Markas Hobby is still done manually, the application file new candidates will be evaluated by comparing the file contents with the specified criteria. Selection of the files that meet the criteria then continued with the interview process. The series of processes followed by a series written the tests, including psychological tests, tests of academic potential and so on. Statements this thesis aims to build a Decision Support System Selection Recruitment of new uses Simple Additive weighting method (SAW. This method was chosen because it can determine the weight values for each attribute, and then proceed with the ranking process that will select the best alternative from several alternatives, In this case, the alternative is entitled to be accepted as a new employee in accordance with criteria specified. In developing this application writer use the method of RUP (Rational Unified Process, with Descriptive Research Methodology and Action Research Methodology. While the system implementation using PHP programming language and MySQL as the database. The decision support system may help section Recruitment in making decisions for the recruitment process at Markas Hobby more easily and quickly.

  11. Soundscapes, events, resistance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Mubi Brighenti

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Put it bluntly, a soundscape is the sonic counterpart, or component, of landscape. From such minimal assumption, some interesting consequences follow: just as landscape is far from being a simple stage-set upon which events take place, soundscape, too, is itself evental, i.e., it consists of events. Not only because its nature, far from being acoustics is always ‘psychoacoustics’, as Murray Schafer (1977/1994 first argued. Processes of environmental perception are of course there.

  12. A Monte Carlo study on event-by-event transverse momentum fluctuation at RHIC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Mingmei

    2005-01-01

    The experimental observation on the multiplicity dependence of event-by-event transverse momentum fluctuation in relativistic heavy ion collisions is studied using Monte Carlo simulation. It is found that the Monte Carlo generator HIJING is unable to describe the experimental phenomenon well. A simple Monte Carlo model is proposed, which can recover the data and thus shed some light on the dynamical origin of the multiplicity dependence of event-by-event transverse momentum fluctuation. (authors)

  13. Digital event recorder capable of simple computations and with ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    C.W. Way-Jones·. Department of Physics and Electronics, Rhodes University, ... In sensitive or critical experiments it is frequently neces- sary to have ..... while decreasing their size and cost. ... A cheap method or recording behavioural events,.

  14. Event Coverage Detection and Event Source Determination in Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhangbing Zhou

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available With the advent of the Internet of Underwater Things, smart things are deployed in the ocean space and establish underwater wireless sensor networks for the monitoring of vast and dynamic underwater environments. When events are found to have possibly occurred, accurate event coverage should be detected, and potential event sources should be determined for the enactment of prompt and proper responses. To address this challenge, a technique that detects event coverage and determines event sources is developed in this article. Specifically, the occurrence of possible events corresponds to a set of neighboring sensor nodes whose sensory data may deviate from a normal sensing range in a collective fashion. An appropriate sensor node is selected as the relay node for gathering and routing sensory data to sink node(s. When sensory data are collected at sink node(s, the event coverage is detected and represented as a weighted graph, where the vertices in this graph correspond to sensor nodes and the weight specified upon the edges reflects the extent of sensory data deviating from a normal sensing range. Event sources are determined, which correspond to the barycenters in this graph. The results of the experiments show that our technique is more energy efficient, especially when the network topology is relatively steady.

  15. Decision Support System to Choose Digital Single Lens Camera with Simple Additive Weighting Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tri Pina Putri

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available One of the technologies that evolve today is Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR camera. The number of products makes users have difficulties to choose the appropriate camera based on their criteria. Users may utilize several ways to help them choosing the intended camera such as using magazine, internet, and other media. This paper discusses about a web based decision support system to choose cameras by using SAW (Simple Additive Weighting method in order to make the decision process more effective and efficient. This system is expected to give recommendations about the camera which is appropriate with the user’s need and criteria based on the cost, the resolution, the feature, the ISO, and the censor. The system was implemented by using PHP and MySQL. Based on the result of questionnaire distributed to 20 respondents, 60% respondents agree that this decision support system can help users to choose the appropriate camera DSLR in accordance with the user’s need, 60% of respondents agree that this decision support system is more effective to choose DSLR camera and 75% of respondents agree that this system is more efficient. In addition, 60.55% of respondents agree that this system has met 5 Es Usability Framework.

  16. LENGTH-WEIGHT RELATIONSHIP AND CONDITION FACTOR OF ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Data Collection and Analysis. The measurements of length (cm), weight (g) and the condition factor of individual fish sampled were recorded. The relationship between length and weight of the fish was examined by simple linear regression using WINKS software. The variations in the length-weight represented by 'b' were.

  17. Event Displays for the Visualization of CMS Events

    CERN Document Server

    Jones, Christopher Duncan

    2010-01-01

    During the last year the CMS experiment engaged in consolidation of its existing event display programs. The core of the new system is based on the Fireworks event display program which was by-design directly integrated with the CMS Event Data Model (EDM) and the light version of the software framework (FWLite). The Event Visualization Environment (EVE) of the ROOT framework is used to manage a consistent set of 3D and 2D views, selection, user-feedback and user-interaction with the graphics windows; several EVE components were developed by CMS in collaboration with the ROOT project. In event display operation simple plugins are registered into the system to perform conversion from EDM collections into their visual representations which are then managed by the application. Full event navigation and filtering as well as collection-level filtering is supported. The same data-extraction principle can also be applied when Fireworks will eventually operate as a service within the full software framework.

  18. Event Display for the Visualization of CMS Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bauerdick, L. A. T.; Eulisse, G.; Jones, C. D.; Kovalskyi, D.; McCauley, T.; Mrak Tadel, A.; Muelmenstaedt, J.; Osborne, I.; Tadel, M.; Tu, Y.; Yagil, A.

    2011-12-01

    During the last year the CMS experiment engaged in consolidation of its existing event display programs. The core of the new system is based on the Fireworks event display program which was by-design directly integrated with the CMS Event Data Model (EDM) and the light version of the software framework (FWLite). The Event Visualization Environment (EVE) of the ROOT framework is used to manage a consistent set of 3D and 2D views, selection, user-feedback and user-interaction with the graphics windows; several EVE components were developed by CMS in collaboration with the ROOT project. In event display operation simple plugins are registered into the system to perform conversion from EDM collections into their visual representations which are then managed by the application. Full event navigation and filtering as well as collection-level filtering is supported. The same data-extraction principle can also be applied when Fireworks will eventually operate as a service within the full software framework.

  19. Event Display for the Visualization of CMS Events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bauerdick, L A T; Eulisse, G; Jones, C D; McCauley, T; Osborne, I; Kovalskyi, D; Tadel, A Mrak; Muelmenstaedt, J; Tadel, M; Tu, Y; Yagil, A

    2011-01-01

    During the last year the CMS experiment engaged in consolidation of its existing event display programs. The core of the new system is based on the Fireworks event display program which was by-design directly integrated with the CMS Event Data Model (EDM) and the light version of the software framework (FWLite). The Event Visualization Environment (EVE) of the ROOT framework is used to manage a consistent set of 3D and 2D views, selection, user-feedback and user-interaction with the graphics windows; several EVE components were developed by CMS in collaboration with the ROOT project. In event display operation simple plugins are registered into the system to perform conversion from EDM collections into their visual representations which are then managed by the application. Full event navigation and filtering as well as collection-level filtering is supported. The same data-extraction principle can also be applied when Fireworks will eventually operate as a service within the full software framework.

  20. Simple Lie algebras and Dynkin diagrams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buccella, F.

    1983-01-01

    The following theorem is studied: in a simple Lie algebra of rank p there are p positive roots such that all the other n-3p/2 positive roots are linear combinations of them with integer non negative coefficients. Dykin diagrams are built by representing the simple roots with circles and drawing a junction between the roots. Five exceptional algebras are studied, focusing on triple junction algebra, angular momentum algebra, weights of the representation, antisymmetric tensors, and subalgebras

  1. Verge and Foliot Clock Escapement: A Simple Dynamical System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denny, Mark

    2010-01-01

    The earliest mechanical clocks appeared in Europe in the 13th century. From about 1250 CE to 1670 CE, these simple clocks consisted of a weight suspended from a rope or chain that was wrapped around a horizontal axle. To tell time, the weight must fall with a slow uniform speed, but, under the action of gravity alone, such a suspended weight would…

  2. Polyhedral Computations for the Simple Graph Partitioning Problem

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Michael Malmros

    The simple graph partitioning problem is to partition an edge-weighted graph into mutually disjoint subgraphs, each containing no more than b nodes, such that the sum of the weights of all edges in the subgraphs is maximal. In this paper we present a branch-and-cut algorithm for the problem that ...

  3. Using container weights to determine irrigation needs: A simple method

    Science.gov (United States)

    R. Kasten Dumroese; Mark E. Montville; Jeremiah R. Pinto

    2015-01-01

    Proper irrigation can reduce water use, water waste, and incidence of disease. Knowing when to irrigate plants in container nurseries can be determined by weighing containers. This simple method is quantifiable, which is a benefit when more than one worker is responsible for irrigation. Irrigation is necessary when the container weighs some target as a proportion of...

  4. A Simple Engineering Analysis of Solar Particle Event High Energy Tails and Their Impact on Vehicle Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singleterry, Robert C., Jr.; Walker, Steven A.; Clowdsley, Martha S.

    2016-01-01

    The mathematical models for Solar Particle Event (SPE) high energy tails are constructed with several di erent algorithms. Since limited measured data exist above energies around 400 MeV, this paper arbitrarily de nes the high energy tail as any proton with an energy above 400 MeV. In order to better understand the importance of accurately modeling the high energy tail for SPE spectra, the contribution to astronaut whole body e ective dose equivalent of the high energy portions of three di erent SPE models has been evaluated. To ensure completeness of this analysis, simple and complex geometries were used. This analysis showed that the high energy tail of certain SPEs can be relevant to astronaut exposure and hence safety. Therefore, models of high energy tails for SPEs should be well analyzed and based on data if possible.

  5. Chi-square tests for comparing weighted histograms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gagunashvili, N.D.

    2010-01-01

    Weighted histograms in Monte Carlo simulations are often used for the estimation of probability density functions. They are obtained as a result of random experiments with random events that have weights. In this paper, the bin contents of a weighted histogram are considered as a sum of random variables with a random number of terms. Generalizations of the classical chi-square test for comparing weighted histograms are proposed. Numerical examples illustrate an application of the tests for the histograms with different statistics of events and different weighted functions. The proposed tests can be used for the comparison of experimental data histograms with simulated data histograms as well as for the two simulated data histograms.

  6. Regression Equations for Birth Weight Estimation using ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In this study, Birth Weight has been estimated from anthropometric measurements of hand and foot. Linear regression equations were formed from each of the measured variables. These simple equations can be used to estimate Birth Weight of new born babies, in order to identify those with low birth weight and referred to ...

  7. Extending the Matrix Element Method beyond the Born approximation: calculating event weights at next-to-leading order accuracy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martini, Till; Uwer, Peter

    2015-01-01

    In this article we illustrate how event weights for jet events can be calculated efficiently at next-to-leading order (NLO) accuracy in QCD. This is a crucial prerequisite for the application of the Matrix Element Method in NLO. We modify the recombination procedure used in jet algorithms, to allow a factorisation of the phase space for the real corrections into resolved and unresolved regions. Using an appropriate infrared regulator the latter can be integrated numerically. As illustration, we reproduce differential distributions at NLO for two sample processes. As further application and proof of concept, we apply the Matrix Element Method in NLO accuracy to the mass determination of top quarks produced in e"+e"− annihilation. This analysis is relevant for a future Linear Collider. We observe a significant shift in the extracted mass depending on whether the Matrix Element Method is used in leading or next-to-leading order.

  8. Extreme Energy Events Monitoring report

    CERN Document Server

    Baimukhamedova, Nigina

    2015-01-01

    Following paper reflects the progress I made on Summer Student Program within Extreme Energy Events Monitor project I was working on. During 8 week period I managed to build a simple detector system that is capable of triggering events similar to explosions (sudden change in sound levels) and measuring approximate location of the event. Source codes are available upon request and settings described further.

  9. Extending the Matrix Element Method beyond the Born approximation: calculating event weights at next-to-leading order accuracy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martini, Till; Uwer, Peter [Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Physik,Newtonstraße 15, 12489 Berlin (Germany)

    2015-09-14

    In this article we illustrate how event weights for jet events can be calculated efficiently at next-to-leading order (NLO) accuracy in QCD. This is a crucial prerequisite for the application of the Matrix Element Method in NLO. We modify the recombination procedure used in jet algorithms, to allow a factorisation of the phase space for the real corrections into resolved and unresolved regions. Using an appropriate infrared regulator the latter can be integrated numerically. As illustration, we reproduce differential distributions at NLO for two sample processes. As further application and proof of concept, we apply the Matrix Element Method in NLO accuracy to the mass determination of top quarks produced in e{sup +}e{sup −} annihilation. This analysis is relevant for a future Linear Collider. We observe a significant shift in the extracted mass depending on whether the Matrix Element Method is used in leading or next-to-leading order.

  10. b-tree facets for the simple graph partitioning polytope

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Michael Malmros

    2004-01-01

    The simple graph partitioning problem is to partition an edge-weighted graph into mutually disjoint subgraphs, each consisting of no more than b nodes, such that the sum of the weights of all edges in the subgraphs is maximal. In this paper we introduce a large class of facet defining inequalities...... for the simple graph partitioning polytopes P_n(b), b >= 3, associated with the complete graph on n nodes. These inequalities are induced by a graph configuration which is built upon trees of cardinality b. We provide a closed-form theorem that states all necessary and sufficient conditions for the facet...... defining property of the inequalities. Udgivelsesdato: JUN...

  11. Practicable group testing method to evaluate weight/weight GMO content in maize grains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mano, Junichi; Yanaka, Yuka; Ikezu, Yoko; Onishi, Mari; Futo, Satoshi; Minegishi, Yasutaka; Ninomiya, Kenji; Yotsuyanagi, Yuichi; Spiegelhalter, Frank; Akiyama, Hiroshi; Teshima, Reiko; Hino, Akihiro; Naito, Shigehiro; Koiwa, Tomohiro; Takabatake, Reona; Furui, Satoshi; Kitta, Kazumi

    2011-07-13

    Because of the increasing use of maize hybrids with genetically modified (GM) stacked events, the established and commonly used bulk sample methods for PCR quantification of GM maize in non-GM maize are prone to overestimate the GM organism (GMO) content, compared to the actual weight/weight percentage of GM maize in the grain sample. As an alternative method, we designed and assessed a group testing strategy in which the GMO content is statistically evaluated based on qualitative analyses of multiple small pools, consisting of 20 maize kernels each. This approach enables the GMO content evaluation on a weight/weight basis, irrespective of the presence of stacked-event kernels. To enhance the method's user-friendliness in routine application, we devised an easy-to-use PCR-based qualitative analytical method comprising a sample preparation step in which 20 maize kernels are ground in a lysis buffer and a subsequent PCR assay in which the lysate is directly used as a DNA template. This method was validated in a multilaboratory collaborative trial.

  12. ORIONR: A simple and effective method for systemic analysis of clinical events and precursors occurring in hospital practice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Debouck, F.; Petit, H.; Ravinet, L.; Rieger, E.; Noel, G.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose. - Morbi-mortality review is now recommended by the French Health Authority (Haute Autorite de sante [HAS]) in all hospital settings. It could be completed by Comites de retour d'experience (CREX), making systemic analysis of event precursors which may potentially result in medical damage. As commonly captured by their current practice, medical teams may not favour systemic analysis of events occurring in their setting. They require an easy-to-use method, more or less intuitive and easy-to-learn. It is the reason why ORION R has been set up. Methods. - ORION R is based on experience acquired in aeronautics which is the main precursor in risk management since aircraft crashes are considered as unacceptable even though the mortality from aircraft crashes is extremely low compared to the mortality from medical errors in hospital settings. The systemic analysis is divided in six steps: (i) collecting data, (ii) rebuilding the chronology of facts, (iii) identifying the gaps, (iv) identifying contributing and influential factors, (v) proposing actions to put in place, (vi) writing the analysis report. When identifying contributing and influential factors, four kinds of factors favouring the event are considered: technical domain, working environment, organisation and procedures, human factors. Although they are essentials, human factors are not always considered correctly. The systemic analysis is done by a pilot, chosen among people trained to use the method, querying information from all categories of people acting in the setting. Results. - ORION R is now used in more than 400 French hospital settings for systemic analysis of either morbi-mortality cases or event precursors. It is used, in particular, in 145 radiotherapy centres for supporting CREX. Conclusion. - As very simple to use and quasi-intuitive, ORION R is an asset to reach the objectives defined by HAS: to set up effective morbi-mortality reviews (RMM) and CREX for improving the quality of care in

  13. Green tea for weight loss and weight maintenance in overweight or obese adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jurgens, Tannis M; Whelan, Anne Marie; Killian, Lara; Doucette, Steve; Kirk, Sara; Foy, Elizabeth

    2012-12-12

    enough to allow pooling of results and MD in weight loss ranged from -0.2 kg to -3.5 kg (1030 participants) in favour of green tea preparations. Meta-analysis of studies measuring change in body mass index (BMI) conducted outside Japan showed a MD in BMI of -0.2 kg/m(2) (95% CI -0.5 to 0.1; P = 0.21; I(2) = 38%; 222 participants). Differences among the eight studies conducted in Japan did not allow pooling of results and showed a reduction in BMI ranging from no effect to -1.3 kg/m(2) (1030 participants), in favour of green tea preparations over control. Meta-analysis of five studies conducted outside Japan and measuring waist circumference reported a MD of -0.2 cm (95% CI -1.4 to 0.9; P = 0.70; I(2) = 58%; 404 participants). Differences among the eight studies conducted in Japan did not allow pooling of results and showed effects on waist circumference ranging from a gain of 1 cm to a loss of 3.3 cm (1030 participants). Meta-analysis for three weight loss studies, conducted outside Japan, with waist-to-hip ratio data (144 participants) yielded no significant change (MD 0; 95% CI -0.02 to 0.01). Analysis of two studies conducted to determine if green tea could help to maintain weight after a period of weight loss (184 participants) showed a change in weight loss of 0.6 to -1.6 kg, a change in BMI from 0.2 to -0.5 kg/m(2) and a change in waist circumference from 0.3 to -1.7 cm. In the eight studies that recorded adverse events, four reported adverse events that were mild to moderate, with the exception of two (green tea preparations group) that required hospitalisation (reported as not associated with the intervention). Nine studies reported on compliance/adherence, one study assessed attitude towards eating as part of the health-related quality of life outcome. No studies reported on patient satisfaction, morbidity or cost. Green tea preparations appear to induce a small, statistically non-significant weight loss in overweight or obese adults. Because the amount of

  14. A weight-loss program adapted to the menstrual cycle increases weight loss in healthy, overweight, premenopausal women

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Geiker, Nina R W; Ritz, Christian; Pedersen, Sue D

    2016-01-01

    compared with the effect of simple energy restriction. DESIGN: A total of 60 healthy, overweight, premenopausal women were included in a 6-mo weight-loss program in which each subject consumed a diet of 1600 kcal/d. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a combined diet and exercise program...... that was tailored to metabolic changes of the menstrual cycle (Menstralean) or to undergo simple energy restriction (control). RESULTS: Thirty-one women (19 Menstralean and 12 control women) completed the study [mean ± SD body mass index (in kg/m(2)): 32.0 ± 5.2]. Both groups lost weight during the study....... CONCLUSION: A differentiated diet and exercise program that is tailored to counteract food cravings and metabolic changes throughout the menstrual cycle may increase weight loss above that achieved with a traditional diet and exercise program in women who can comply with the program. This trial...

  15. A (Small) Improvement of Event-B?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hallerstede, Stefan

    Event-B and the Rodin tool use a number of simple techniques that make the modelling method around them effective in practical applications. We present two of these techniques, anticipation and witnesses. It is interesting how a couple of very simple techniques are so important for the method...

  16. Trigonometric bases for matrix weighted Lp-spaces

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Morten

    2010-01-01

    We give a complete characterization of 2π-periodic matrix weights W for which the vector-valued trigonometric system forms a Schauder basis for the matrix weighted space Lp(T;W). Then trigonometric quasi-greedy bases for Lp(T;W) are considered. Quasi-greedy bases are systems for which the simple...

  17. Are T2-weighted images necessary in renal mass characterization?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dann, Phoebe; Thakur, Ravi; Chin, Deanne; Krinsky, Glenn; Israel, Gary M.

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To determine what role T2-weighted images play in characterizing renal masses. Methods: Forty-four pathologically proven renal masses (34 renal cell carcinomas, 8 oncocytomas, 1 metanephric adenoma, 1 angiomyolipoma without macroscopic fat) and 38 simple renal cysts were evaluated with T1- and T2-weighted images at 1.5 T. Two independent and blinded readers initially characterized all masses using only the T1-weighed images (in- and opposed-phase chemical shift, unenhanced frequency-selective fat-suppressed, gadolinium-enhanced frequency-selective fat-suppressed and subtraction images) and placed each mass into one of three categories: nonsurgical, in need of follow-up, or surgical. The masses were then re-evaluated with the addition of the T2-weighted images. It was determined if the T2-weighted images changed the initial classification. Results: Forty-three of the 44 (98%) pathologically proven renal masses were characterized as a surgical mass using only the T1-weighted images. The remaining renal mass (a renal cell carcinoma) was characterized as a mass in which follow-up exams would be suggested. Thirty-eight of 38 (100%) simple renal cysts were correctly characterized using only the T1-weighted images. The T2-weighted images did not change the initial interpretation of the T1-weighted images in any of the cases. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that T2-weighted images are not necessary in the evaluation of all renal masses and are specifically not necessary in the differentiation of solid and cystic renal neoplasms from simple renal cysts

  18. 13 Comparative Effects of Cassava Starch and Simple Sugar in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Arc. Usman A. Jalam

    Abstract. Comparative effects of simple laboratory quality sugar and cassava starch on grade C35 concrete were studied in the laboratory. The simple white sugar was used at concentrations of 0 to 1% by weight of cement in concrete cured at 3, 7, 14 and 28 days using ordinary Portland cement. Cassava starch of the same ...

  19. CONFUSION IN SIMPLE STATE / YALIN DURUM KARMAŞASI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kerime ÜSTÜNOVA

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available The simple state which is shown with zero form unit in Turkish is a type of state incorporating language units that are at position of subject. Therefore only the language units that assume "noun” and “pronoun” functions are able to stay in simple state. Even if they are of noun origin, because adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and exclamations can not enter into noun state inflection, they do not show the characteristic of simple state. However the language units having assumed the function of a noun may only enter into simple state inflection if they undertake the function of indicating the work, event, rendering and one who performs the action, establishing a connection with the verb.

  20. [ORION®: a simple and effective method for systemic analysis of clinical events and precursors occurring in hospital practice].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Debouck, F; Rieger, E; Petit, H; Noël, G; Ravinet, L

    2012-05-01

    Morbimortality review is now recommended by the French Health Authority (Haute Autorité de santé [HAS]) in all hospital settings. It could be completed by Comités de retour d'expérience (CREX), making systemic analysis of event precursors which may potentially result in medical damage. As commonly captured by their current practice, medical teams may not favour systemic analysis of events occurring in their setting. They require an easy-to-use method, more or less intuitive and easy-to-learn. It is the reason why ORION(®) has been set up. ORION(®) is based on experience acquired in aeronautics which is the main precursor in risk management since aircraft crashes are considered as unacceptable even though the mortality from aircraft crashes is extremely low compared to the mortality from medical errors in hospital settings. The systemic analysis is divided in six steps: (i) collecting data, (ii) rebuilding the chronology of facts, (iii) identifying the gaps, (iv) identifying contributing and influential factors, (v) proposing actions to put in place, (vi) writing the analysis report. When identifying contributing and influential factors, four kinds of factors favouring the event are considered: technical domain, working environment, organisation and procedures, human factors. Although they are essentials, human factors are not always considered correctly. The systemic analysis is done by a pilot, chosen among people trained to use the method, querying information from all categories of people acting in the setting. ORION(®) is now used in more than 400 French hospital settings for systemic analysis of either morbimortality cases or event precursors. It is used, in particular, in 145 radiotherapy centres for supporting CREX. As very simple to use and quasi-intuitive, ORION(®) is an asset to reach the objectives defined by HAS: to set up effective morbi-mortality reviews (RMM) and CREX for improving the quality of care in hospital settings. By helping the

  1. Comparison of simple additive weighting (SAW) and composite performance index (CPI) methods in employee remuneration determination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karlitasari, L.; Suhartini, D.; Benny

    2017-01-01

    The process of determining the employee remuneration for PT Sepatu Mas Idaman currently are still using Microsoft Excel-based spreadsheet where in the spreadsheet there is the value of criterias that must be calculated for every employee. This can give the effect of doubt during the assesment process, therefore resulting in the process to take much longer time. The process of employee remuneration determination is conducted by the assesment team based on some criterias that have been predetermined. The criteria used in the assessment process are namely the ability to work, human relations, job responsibility, discipline, creativity, work, achievement of targets, and absence. To ease the determination of employee remuneration to be more efficient and effective, the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method is used. SAW method can help in decision making for a certain case, and the calculation that generates the greatest value will be chosen as the best alternative. Other than SAW, also by using another method was the CPI method which is one of the calculating method in decision making based on performance index. Where SAW method was more faster by 89-93% compared to CPI method. Therefore it is expected that this application can be an evaluation material for the need of training and development for employee performances to be more optimal.

  2. Impact on weight and physical function of intensive medical weight loss in older adults with stage II and III obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ard, Jamy D; Cook, Miranda; Rushing, Julia; Frain, Annette; Beavers, Kristen; Miller, Gary; Miller, Michael E; Nicklas, Barb

    2016-09-01

    A 6-month pilot trial compared two strategies for weight loss in older adults with body mass indexes (BMIs) ≥35 kg/m(2) to assess weight loss response, safety, and impact on physical function. Twenty-eight volunteers were randomized to a balanced deficit diet (BDD) (500 kcal/day below estimated energy needs) or an intensive, low-calorie, meal replacement diet (ILCD, 960 kcal/day). Behavioral interventions and physical activity prescriptions were similar for both groups. Primary outcomes were changes in body weight and adverse event frequency; secondary outcomes included measures of physical function and body composition. ILCD average weight change was -19.1 ± 2.2 kg or 15.9 ± 4.6% of initial body weight compared with -9.1 ± 2.7 kg or 7.2 ± 1.9% for BDD. ILCD lost more fat mass (-7.7 kg, 95% CI [-11.9 to -3.5]) but had similar loss of lean mass (-1.7 kg, 95% CI [-4.1 to 0.6]) compared with BDD. There were no significant differences in change in physical function or adverse event frequency. Compared with a traditional BDD intervention, older adults who have severe obesity treated with intensive medical weight loss had greater weight loss and decreases in fat mass without a higher frequency of adverse events. In the short term, however, this did not translate into greater improvements in physical function. © 2016 The Obesity Society.

  3. Limitations of red noise in analysing Dansgaard-Oeschger events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Braun

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available During the last glacial period, climate records from the North Atlantic region exhibit a pronounced spectral component corresponding to a period of about 1470 years, which has attracted much attention. This spectral peak is closely related to the recurrence pattern of Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO events. In previous studies a red noise random process, more precisely a first-order autoregressive (AR1 process, was used to evaluate the statistical significance of this peak, with a reported significance of more than 99%. Here we use a simple mechanistic two-state model of DO events, which itself was derived from a much more sophisticated ocean-atmosphere model of intermediate complexity, to numerically evaluate the spectral properties of random (i.e., solely noise-driven events. This way we find that the power spectral density of random DO events differs fundamentally from a simple red noise random process. These results question the applicability of linear spectral analysis for estimating the statistical significance of highly non-linear processes such as DO events. More precisely, to enhance our scientific understanding about the trigger of DO events, we must not consider simple "straw men" as, for example, the AR1 random process, but rather test against realistic alternative descriptions.

  4. Weighted straight skeletons in the plane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biedl, Therese; Held, Martin; Huber, Stefan; Kaaser, Dominik; Palfrader, Peter

    2015-02-01

    We investigate weighted straight skeletons from a geometric, graph-theoretical, and combinatorial point of view. We start with a thorough definition and shed light on some ambiguity issues in the procedural definition. We investigate the geometry, combinatorics, and topology of faces and the roof model, and we discuss in which cases a weighted straight skeleton is connected. Finally, we show that the weighted straight skeleton of even a simple polygon may be non-planar and may contain cycles, and we discuss under which restrictions on the weights and/or the input polygon the weighted straight skeleton still behaves similar to its unweighted counterpart. In particular, we obtain a non-procedural description and a linear-time construction algorithm for the straight skeleton of strictly convex polygons with arbitrary weights.

  5. Source mechanism of small long-period events at Mount St. Helens in July 2005 using template matching, phase-weighted stacking, and full-waveform inversion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matoza, Robin S.; Chouet, Bernard A.; Dawson, Phillip B.; Shearer, Peter M.; Haney, Matthew M.; Waite, Gregory P.; Moran, Seth C.; Mikesell, T. Dylan

    2015-01-01

    Long-period (LP, 0.5-5 Hz) seismicity, observed at volcanoes worldwide, is a recognized signature of unrest and eruption. Cyclic LP “drumbeating” was the characteristic seismicity accompanying the sustained dome-building phase of the 2004–2008 eruption of Mount St. Helens (MSH), WA. However, together with the LP drumbeating was a near-continuous, randomly occurring series of tiny LP seismic events (LP “subevents”), which may hold important additional information on the mechanism of seismogenesis at restless volcanoes. We employ template matching, phase-weighted stacking, and full-waveform inversion to image the source mechanism of one multiplet of these LP subevents at MSH in July 2005. The signal-to-noise ratios of the individual events are too low to produce reliable waveform-inversion results, but the events are repetitive and can be stacked. We apply network-based template matching to 8 days of continuous velocity waveform data from 29 June to 7 July 2005 using a master event to detect 822 network triggers. We stack waveforms for 359 high-quality triggers at each station and component, using a combination of linear and phase-weighted stacking to produce clean stacks for use in waveform inversion. The derived source mechanism pointsto the volumetric oscillation (~10 m3) of a subhorizontal crack located at shallow depth (~30 m) in an area to the south of Crater Glacier in the southern portion of the breached MSH crater. A possible excitation mechanism is the sudden condensation of metastable steam from a shallow pressurized hydrothermal system as it encounters cool meteoric water in the outer parts of the edifice, perhaps supplied from snow melt.

  6. SISTEM PENDUKUNG KEPUTUSAN MENENTUKAN LOKASI CAFE BARU SUNCAFE SEBAGAI DESTINASI WISATA KULINER DI KABUPATEN PRINGSEWU MENGGUNAKAN METODE SIMPLE ADDITIVE WEIGHTING (SAW

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arif Hidayat

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available District Pringsewu is growing districts that continue to make the development of various sectors, one of the tourism sector. Culinary tourism in the District Pringsewu growing quite rapidly, has a lot of standing places that sell a lot of food choices, from street vendors to modern eating places like cafes. Many cafe in the district of Pringsewu would be a separate issue in determining the appropriate location for the new cafe location Suncafe, for it needed a system that could help determine the location of a new cafe. The criteria used in making this decision support system include building area, spacious parking, accessibility, security, distance to the city center, the price of the location, and comfort. Decision support system is made using a simple additive weighting method (SAW is looking for a weighted sum of the performance of each alternative. While the implementation of the program for decision support system is made by using Delphi 7. Obtained big 3 ranking the final results to determine the location of a new cafe, namely 1. Subdistrict of Pagelaran with a value of 80, 2. Subdistrict of Gadingrejo with a value of 79, and 3. Subdistrict of Adiluwih with a value of 78.55.

  7. Solution of a simple inelastic scattering problem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knudson, S.K.

    1975-01-01

    Simple examples of elastic scattering, typically from square wells, serve as important pedagogical tools in discussion of the concepts and processes involved in elastic scattering events. An analytic solution of a model inelastic scattering system is presented here to serve in this role for inelastic events. The model and its solution are simple enough to be of pedagogical utility, but also retain enough of the important physical features to include most of the special characteristics of inelastic systems. The specific model chosen is the collision of an atom with a harmonic oscillator, interacting via a repulsive square well potential. Pedagogically important features of inelastic scattering, including its multistate character, convergence behavior, and dependence on an ''inelastic potential'' are emphasized as the solution is determined. Results are presented for various energies and strengths of inelastic scattering, which show that the model is capable of providing an elementary representation of vibrationally inelastic scattering

  8. Aripiprazole treatment of irritability associated with autistic disorder and the relationship between prior antipsychotic exposure, adverse events, and weight change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mankoski, Raymond; Stockton, Gwen; Manos, George; Marler, Sabrina; McQuade, Robert; Forbes, Robert A; Marcus, Ronald

    2013-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of prior antipsychotic exposure (PAE) on safety and tolerability outcomes in pediatric subjects receiving aripiprazole treatment. This study was a post-hoc analysis of pooled data from two 8-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies evaluating aripiprazole for the treatment of irritability in pediatric subjects with autistic disorder, aged 6-17 years. Subjects were stratified by PAE; adverse events (AEs), and changes in weight, and metabolic measures were evaluated. For subjects receiving aripiprazole, regardless of PAE, baseline weight, age, gender, and symptom severity were evaluated in a regression model predicting body weight change. Of 316 randomized subjects, 259 (82.0%) were antipsychotic naïve (AN) and 57 (18.0%) had a PAE. Aripiprazole-treated AN subjects were more likely than PAE subjects to report somnolence (11.9% vs. 2.8%), sedation (22.7% vs. 11.1%), or fatigue (17.0% vs. 13.9%). Rates of extrapyramidal disorder and drooling, but not akathisia or tremor, were marginally higher in AN subjects. Overall, 10.8% of aripiprazole-treated AN subjects had at least one AE leading to discontinuation compared with 8.3% of aripiprazole-treated PAE subjects. AN subjects receiving aripiprazole had a larger change in weight from baseline to endpoint compared with those receiving placebo (1.9 vs. 0.7 kg; treatment difference 1.2 kg, 95% CI: 0.5, 1.9) than PAE subjects receiving aripiprazole compared with subjects receiving placebo (0.4 vs. -0.4 kg; treatment difference 0.9 kg, 95% CI: -0.6, 2.4). Regression analysis identified that younger subjects with higher baseline weight z-score were at highest risk for weight gain. There were no significant changes in metabolic measures compared with placebo in either group. Weight gain was more pronounced in AN subjects and more likely to occur in younger subjects with a higher baseline weight z-score. AN subjects were more likely to experience AEs related

  9. Publicizing female athletes' weights: implications for female psychology undergraduates acting as spectators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holm-Denoma, Jill; Smith, April; Waesche, Matthew

    2014-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of including female athletes' weights in athletic event programs on female spectators' body image, eating disorder symptoms, self-esteem, and affective state and to investigate whether the magnitude of the athletes' reported weights had differential effects on female spectators (i.e., do female spectators who view heavier athletes respond differently than those who view less heavy athletes?). We used an experimental design to examine hypotheses derived from competing theories to determine whether exposure to female athletes of varying weight would adversely or beneficially impact female undergraduates (N = 152) who served as athletic event spectators. Analyses indicated that in this simulated study, female spectators' body image, eating disorder symptoms, self-esteem, and affective states were not impacted by the presence or by the magnitude of female athletes' weights in athletic event programs. The results imply that including athletes' weights in game-day programs at women's athletic events does not affect female spectators on an individual level.

  10. Bessel Weighted Asymmetries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Avakian, Harut [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Gamberg, Leonard [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States); Rossi, Patrizia [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Prokudin, Alexei [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)

    2016-05-01

    We review the concept of Bessel weighted asymmetries for semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering and focus on the cross section in Fourier space, conjugate to the outgoing hadron’s transverse momentum, where convolutions of transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions and fragmentation functions become simple products. Individual asymmetric terms in the cross section can be projected out by means of a generalized set of weights involving Bessel functions. The procedure is applied to studies of the double longitudinal spin asymmetry in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering using a new dedicated Monte Carlo generator which includes quark intrinsic transverse momentum within the generalized parton model. We observe a few percent systematic offset of the Bessel-weighted asymmetry obtained from Monte Carlo extraction compared to input model calculations, which is due to the limitations imposed by the energy and momentum conservation at the given energy and hard scale Q2. We find that the Bessel weighting technique provides a powerful and reliable tool to study the Fourier transform of TMDs with controlled systematics due to experimental acceptances and resolutions with different TMD model inputs.

  11. Adapting machine learning techniques to censored time-to-event health record data: A general-purpose approach using inverse probability of censoring weighting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vock, David M; Wolfson, Julian; Bandyopadhyay, Sunayan; Adomavicius, Gediminas; Johnson, Paul E; Vazquez-Benitez, Gabriela; O'Connor, Patrick J

    2016-06-01

    Models for predicting the probability of experiencing various health outcomes or adverse events over a certain time frame (e.g., having a heart attack in the next 5years) based on individual patient characteristics are important tools for managing patient care. Electronic health data (EHD) are appealing sources of training data because they provide access to large amounts of rich individual-level data from present-day patient populations. However, because EHD are derived by extracting information from administrative and clinical databases, some fraction of subjects will not be under observation for the entire time frame over which one wants to make predictions; this loss to follow-up is often due to disenrollment from the health system. For subjects without complete follow-up, whether or not they experienced the adverse event is unknown, and in statistical terms the event time is said to be right-censored. Most machine learning approaches to the problem have been relatively ad hoc; for example, common approaches for handling observations in which the event status is unknown include (1) discarding those observations, (2) treating them as non-events, (3) splitting those observations into two observations: one where the event occurs and one where the event does not. In this paper, we present a general-purpose approach to account for right-censored outcomes using inverse probability of censoring weighting (IPCW). We illustrate how IPCW can easily be incorporated into a number of existing machine learning algorithms used to mine big health care data including Bayesian networks, k-nearest neighbors, decision trees, and generalized additive models. We then show that our approach leads to better calibrated predictions than the three ad hoc approaches when applied to predicting the 5-year risk of experiencing a cardiovascular adverse event, using EHD from a large U.S. Midwestern healthcare system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Modified Weighted Kaplan-Meier Estimator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Shafiq

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available In many medical studies majority of the study subjects do not reach to the event of interest during the study period. In such situations survival probabilities can be estimated for censored observation by Kaplan Meier estimator. However in case of heavy censoring these estimates are biased and over estimate the survival probabilities. For heavy censoring a new method was proposed (Bahrawar Jan, 2005 to estimate the survival probabilities by weighting the censored observations by non-censoring rate. But the main defect in this weighted method is that it gives zero weight to the last censored observation. To over come this difficulty a new weight is proposed which also gives a non-zero weight to the last censored observation.

  13. Use of the Hadoop structured storage tools for the ATLAS EventIndex event catalogue

    CERN Document Server

    Favareto, Andrea; The ATLAS collaboration; Cardenas Zarate, Simon Ernesto; Cranshaw, Jack; Fernandez Casani, Alvaro; Gallas, Elizabeth; Gonzalez de la Hoz, Santiago; Hrivnac, Julius; Malon, David; Prokoshin, Fedor; Salt, Jose; Sanchez, Javier; Toebbicke, Rainer; Yuan, Ruijun; Garcia Montoro, Carlos

    2015-01-01

    The ATLAS experiment collects billions of events per year of data-taking, and processes them to make them available for physics analysis in several different formats. An even larger amount of events is in addition simulated according to physics and detector models and then reconstructed and analysed to be compared to real events. The EventIndex is a catalogue of all events in each production stage; it includes for each event a few identification parameters, some basic non-mutable information coming from the online system, and the references to the files that contain the event in each format (plus the internal pointers to the event within each file for quick retrieval). Each EventIndex record is logically simple but the system has to hold many tens of billions of records, all equally important. The Hadoop technology was selected at the start of the EventIndex project development in 2012 and proved to be robust and flexible to accommodate this kind of information; both the insertion times and query response tim...

  14. Structure and growth of weighted networks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riccaboni, Massimo [Department of Computer and Management Sciences, University of Trento, Trento (Italy); Schiavo, Stefano [Department of Economics, University of Trento, Trento (Italy)], E-mail: massimo.riccaboni@unitn.it, E-mail: stefano.schiavo@unitn.it

    2010-02-15

    We develop a simple theoretical framework for the evolution of weighted networks that is consistent with a number of stylized features of real-world data. In our framework, the Barabasi-Albert model of network evolution is extended by assuming that link weights evolve according to a geometric Brownian motion. Our model is verified by means of simulations and real-world trade data. We show that the model correctly predicts the intensity and growth distribution of links, the size-variance relationship of the growth of link weights, the relationship between the degree and strength of nodes, and the scale-free structure of the network.

  15. Role of Molecular Weight Distribution on Charge Transport in Semiconducting Polymers

    KAUST Repository

    Himmelberger, Scott

    2014-10-28

    © 2014 American Chemical Society. Model semiconducting polymer blends of well-controlled molecular weight distributions are fabricated and demonstrated to be a simple method to control intermolecular disorder without affecting intramolecular order or degree of aggregation. Mobility measurements exhibit that even small amounts of low molecular weight material are detrimental to charge transport. Trends in charge carrier mobility can be reproduced by a simple analytical model which indicates that carriers have no preference for high or low molecular weight chains and that charge transport is limited by interchain hopping. These results quantify the role of long polymer tie-chains and demonstrate the need for controlled polydispersity for achieving high carrier mobilities.

  16. An Interactive Signed Distance Approach for Multiple Criteria Group Decision-Making Based on Simple Additive Weighting Method with Incomplete Preference Information Defined by Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Sets

    OpenAIRE

    Ting-Yu Chen

    2014-01-01

    Interval type-2 fuzzy sets (T2FSs) with interval membership grades are suitable for dealing with imprecision or uncertainties in many real-world problems. In the Interval type-2 fuzzy context, the aim of this paper is to develop an interactive signed distance-based simple additive weighting (SAW) method for solving multiple criteria group decision-making problems with linguistic ratings and incomplete preference information. This paper first formulates a group decision-making problem with unc...

  17. Energy economy in the actomyosin interaction: lessons from simple models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehman, Steven L

    2010-01-01

    The energy economy of the actomyosin interaction in skeletal muscle is both scientifically fascinating and practically important. This chapter demonstrates how simple cross-bridge models have guided research regarding the energy economy of skeletal muscle. Parameter variation on a very simple two-state strain-dependent model shows that early events in the actomyosin interaction strongly influence energy efficiency, and late events determine maximum shortening velocity. Addition of a weakly-bound state preceding force production allows weak coupling of cross-bridge mechanics and ATP turnover, so that a simple three-state model can simulate the velocity-dependence of ATP turnover. Consideration of the limitations of this model leads to a review of recent evidence regarding the relationship between ligand binding states, conformational states, and macromolecular structures of myosin cross-bridges. Investigation of the fine structure of the actomyosin interaction during the working stroke continues to inform fundamental research regarding the energy economy of striated muscle.

  18. A simple method for detecting tumor in T2-weighted MRI brain images. An image-based analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lau, Phooi-Yee; Ozawa, Shinji

    2006-01-01

    The objective of this paper is to present a decision support system which uses a computer-based procedure to detect tumor blocks or lesions in digitized medical images. The authors developed a simple method with a low computation effort to detect tumors on T2-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) brain images, focusing on the connection between the spatial pixel value and tumor properties from four different perspectives: cases having minuscule differences between two images using a fixed block-based method, tumor shape and size using the edge and binary images, tumor properties based on texture values using spatial pixel intensity distribution controlled by a global discriminate value, and the occurrence of content-specific tumor pixel for threshold images. Measurements of the following medical datasets were performed: different time interval images, and different brain disease images on single and multiple slice images. Experimental results have revealed that our proposed technique incurred an overall error smaller than those in other proposed methods. In particular, the proposed method allowed decrements of false alarm and missed alarm errors, which demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed technique. In this paper, we also present a prototype system, known as PCB, to evaluate the performance of the proposed methods by actual experiments, comparing the detection accuracy and system performance. (author)

  19. Weighted conditional least-squares estimation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Booth, J.G.

    1987-01-01

    A two-stage estimation procedure is proposed that generalizes the concept of conditional least squares. The method is instead based upon the minimization of a weighted sum of squares, where the weights are inverses of estimated conditional variance terms. Some general conditions are given under which the estimators are consistent and jointly asymptotically normal. More specific details are given for ergodic Markov processes with stationary transition probabilities. A comparison is made with the ordinary conditional least-squares estimators for two simple branching processes with immigration. The relationship between weighted conditional least squares and other, more well-known, estimators is also investigated. In particular, it is shown that in many cases estimated generalized least-squares estimators can be obtained using the weighted conditional least-squares approach. Applications to stochastic compartmental models, and linear models with nested error structures are considered

  20. Association between body weight and dimensional shell traits of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The results of regression models revealed that live weight of A. achatina was best predicted with multiple linear regression models, while with live weight of A. marginata was best predicted with simple linear regression model and multiple linear regression models. A test of accuracy of the linear regression models showed ...

  1. Genetic test feedback with weight control advice: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meisel Susanne F

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Genetic testing for risk of weight gain is already available over the internet despite uncertain benefits and concerns about adverse emotional or behavioral effects. Few studies have assessed the effect of adding genetic test feedback to weight control advice, even though one of the proposed applications of genetic testing is to stimulate preventive action. This study will investigate the motivational effect of adding genetic test feedback to simple weight control advice in a situation where weight gain is relatively common. Methods/design First-year university students (n = 800 will be randomized to receive either 1 their personal genetic test result for a gene (FTO related to weight gain susceptibility in addition to a leaflet with simple weight control advice (‘Feedback + Advice’ group, FA, or 2 only the leaflet containing simple weight control advice (‘Advice Only’ group, AO. Motivation to avoid weight gain and active use of weight control strategies will be assessed one month after receipt of the leaflet with or without genetic test feedback. Weight and body fat will be measured at baseline and eight months follow-up. We will also assess short-term psychological reactions to the genetic test result. In addition, we will explore interactions between feedback condition and gene test status. Discussion We hope to provide a first indication of the clinical utility of weight-related genetic test feedback in the prevention context. Trial registration Current controlled trials ISRCTN91178663

  2. Weight and height prediction of immobilized patients

    OpenAIRE

    Rabito,Estela Iraci; Vannucchi,Gabriela Bergamini; Suen,Vivian Marques Miguel; Castilho Neto,Laércio Lopes; Marchini,Júlio Sérgio

    2006-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To confirm the adequacy of the formula suggested in the literature and/or to develop appropriate equations for the Brazilian population of immobilized patients based on simple anthropometric measurements. METHODS: Hospitalized patients were submitted to anthropometry and methods to estimate weight and height of bedridden patients were developed by multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Three hundred sixty eight persons were evaluated at two hospital centers and five weight-predicting...

  3. Bayesian decision theory : A simple toy problem

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Erp, H.R.N.; Linger, R.O.; van Gelder, P.H.A.J.M.

    2016-01-01

    We give here a comparison of the expected outcome theory, the expected utility theory, and the Bayesian decision theory, by way of a simple numerical toy problem in which we look at the investment willingness to avert a high impact low probability event. It will be found that for this toy problem

  4. Approximating maximum weight cycle covers in directed graphs with weights zero and one

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bläser, Markus; Manthey, Bodo

    2005-01-01

    A cycle cover of a graph is a spanning subgraph each node of which is part of exactly one simple cycle. A $k$-cycle cover is a cycle cover where each cycle has length at least $k$. Given a complete directed graph with edge weights zero and one, Max-$k$-DCC(0, 1) is the problem of finding a k-cycle

  5. Benefit of Doubt Approach to Case Weighting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wittrup, Jesper; Bogetoft, Peter

    The implementation of an efficient and reliable case weighting system (CWS) is currently considered essential for running an efficient judiciary. However, traditional models for establishing case weights are time-consuming and expensive. Furthermore, since such case weights are often viewed...... as indications of the relative " importance " of different types of court cases, they are bound to raise controversy. The most elaborate weighting system is likely to have its critics who question whether the established weights are fair. To address these issues, we suggest a new " benefit of the doubt...... between 150 and 250 minutes, or as simple ordinal rankings, e.g., case type B requires more time than case type A. The use of partial weight information and a benefit of the doubt approach reduces the need for detailed time-studies and prolonged " negotiations " among stakeholders. Moreover, most...

  6. Multivariate Prediction Equations for HbA1c Lowering, Weight Change, and Hypoglycemic Events Associated with Insulin Rescue Medication in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Informing Economic Modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willis, Michael; Asseburg, Christian; Nilsson, Andreas; Johnsson, Kristina; Kartman, Bernt

    2017-03-01

    Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is chronic and progressive and the cost-effectiveness of new treatment interventions must be established over long time horizons. Given the limited durability of drugs, assumptions regarding downstream rescue medication can drive results. Especially for insulin, for which treatment effects and adverse events are known to depend on patient characteristics, this can be problematic for health economic evaluation involving modeling. To estimate parsimonious multivariate equations of treatment effects and hypoglycemic event risks for use in parameterizing insulin rescue therapy in model-based cost-effectiveness analysis. Clinical evidence for insulin use in T2DM was identified in PubMed and from published reviews and meta-analyses. Study and patient characteristics and treatment effects and adverse event rates were extracted and the data used to estimate parsimonious treatment effect and hypoglycemic event risk equations using multivariate regression analysis. Data from 91 studies featuring 171 usable study arms were identified, mostly for premix and basal insulin types. Multivariate prediction equations for glycated hemoglobin A 1c lowering and weight change were estimated separately for insulin-naive and insulin-experienced patients. Goodness of fit (R 2 ) for both outcomes were generally good, ranging from 0.44 to 0.84. Multivariate prediction equations for symptomatic, nocturnal, and severe hypoglycemic events were also estimated, though considerable heterogeneity in definitions limits their usefulness. Parsimonious and robust multivariate prediction equations were estimated for glycated hemoglobin A 1c and weight change, separately for insulin-naive and insulin-experienced patients. Using these in economic simulation modeling in T2DM can improve realism and flexibility in modeling insulin rescue medication. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All

  7. Simple sequence repeat (SSR)-based genetic variability among ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The objective of this study was to compare if simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers could correctly identify peanut genotypes with difference in specific leaf weight (SLW) and relative water content (RWC). Four peanut genotypes and two water regimes (FC and 1/3 available water; 1/3 AW) were arranged in factorial ...

  8. Simple Extraction and Molecular Weight Characterization of Fucoidan From Indonesian Sargassum SP.

    OpenAIRE

    Junaidi, Lukman

    2013-01-01

    Fucoidan is a complex polysaccharide compounds found in brown algae. Fucoidan exhibits various biological properties for disease prevention. There are various methods used to extract fucoidan from brown algae, such as using ethanol, acetone, HCl and microwave. This research aims to extract and characterize fucoidan from Sargassum sp. using simple methods with the variables on extracting solutions, temperature and time of extraction. Extraction solution used were water and HCl. Ttemperature us...

  9. Energy-weighted moments in the problems of fragmentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuz'min, V.A.

    1986-01-01

    The problem of fragmentation of simple nuclear states on the complex ones is reduced to real symmetrical matrix eigenvectors and eigenvalue problem. Based on spectral decomposition of this matrix the simple and economical from computing point of view algorithm to calculate energetically-weighted strength function moments is obtained. This permitted one to investigate the sensitivity of solving the fragmentation problem to reducing the basis of complex states. It is shown that the full width of strength function is determined only by the complex states connected directly with the simple ones

  10. A simple algorithm for computing positively weighted straight skeletons of monotone polygons☆

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biedl, Therese; Held, Martin; Huber, Stefan; Kaaser, Dominik; Palfrader, Peter

    2015-01-01

    We study the characteristics of straight skeletons of monotone polygonal chains and use them to devise an algorithm for computing positively weighted straight skeletons of monotone polygons. Our algorithm runs in O(nlog⁡n) time and O(n) space, where n denotes the number of vertices of the polygon. PMID:25648376

  11. A simple algorithm for computing positively weighted straight skeletons of monotone polygons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biedl, Therese; Held, Martin; Huber, Stefan; Kaaser, Dominik; Palfrader, Peter

    2015-02-01

    We study the characteristics of straight skeletons of monotone polygonal chains and use them to devise an algorithm for computing positively weighted straight skeletons of monotone polygons. Our algorithm runs in [Formula: see text] time and [Formula: see text] space, where n denotes the number of vertices of the polygon.

  12. Focus on astronomical predictable events

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jacobsen, Aase Roland

    2006-01-01

    At the Steno Museum Planetarium we have for many occasions used a countdown clock to get focus om astronomical events. A countdown clock can provide actuality to predictable events, for example The Venus Transit, Opportunity landing on Mars and The Solar Eclipse. The movement of the clock attracs...... the public and makes a point of interest in a small exhibit area. A countdown clock can be simple, but it is possible to expand the concept to an eye-catching part of a museum....

  13. Buffer of Events as a Markovian Process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berdugo, J.; Casaus, J.; Mana, C.

    2001-01-01

    In Particle and Asro-Particle Physics experiments, the events which get trough the detectors are read and processes on-line before they are stored for a more detailed processing and future Physics analysis. Since the events are read and, usually, processed sequentially, the time involved in these operations can lead to a significant lose of events which is, to some extent, reduced by using buffers. We present an estimate of the optimum buffer size and the fraction of events lost for a simple experimental condition which serves as an introductory example to the use of Markow Chains.(Author)

  14. Buffer of Events as a Markovian Process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berdugo, J.; Casaus, J.; Mana, C.

    2001-07-01

    In Particle and Asro-Particle Physics experiments, the events which get trough the detectors are read and processes on-line before they are stored for a more detailed processing and future Physics analysis. Since the events are read and, usually, processed sequentially, the time involved in these operations can lead to a significant lose of events which is, to some extent, reduced by using buffers. We present an estimate of the optimum buffer size and the fraction of events lost for a simple experimental condition which serves as an introductory example to the use of Markow Chains.(Author)

  15. Inverse probability of treatment-weighted competing risks analysis: an application on long-term risk of urinary adverse events after prostate cancer treatments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolch, Charlotte A; Chu, Haitao; Jarosek, Stephanie; Cole, Stephen R; Elliott, Sean; Virnig, Beth

    2017-07-10

    To illustrate the 10-year risks of urinary adverse events (UAEs) among men diagnosed with prostate cancer and treated with different types of therapy, accounting for the competing risk of death. Prostate cancer is the second most common malignancy among adult males in the United States. Few studies have reported the long-term post-treatment risk of UAEs and those that have, have not appropriately accounted for competing deaths. This paper conducts an inverse probability of treatment (IPT) weighted competing risks analysis to estimate the effects of different prostate cancer treatments on the risk of UAE, using a matched-cohort of prostate cancer/non-cancer control patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Medicare database. Study dataset included men age 66 years or older that are 83% white and had a median follow-up time of 4.14 years. Patients that underwent combination radical prostatectomy and external beam radiotherapy experienced the highest risk of UAE (IPT-weighted competing risks: HR 3.65 with 95% CI (3.28, 4.07); 10-yr. cumulative incidence = 36.5%). Findings suggest that IPT-weighted competing risks analysis provides an accurate estimator of the cumulative incidence of UAE taking into account the competing deaths as well as measured confounding bias.

  16. Combining forecast weights: Why and how?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Yip Chee; Kok-Haur, Ng; Hock-Eam, Lim

    2012-09-01

    This paper proposes a procedure called forecast weight averaging which is a specific combination of forecast weights obtained from different methods of constructing forecast weights for the purpose of improving the accuracy of pseudo out of sample forecasting. It is found that under certain specified conditions, forecast weight averaging can lower the mean squared forecast error obtained from model averaging. In addition, we show that in a linear and homoskedastic environment, this superior predictive ability of forecast weight averaging holds true irrespective whether the coefficients are tested by t statistic or z statistic provided the significant level is within the 10% range. By theoretical proofs and simulation study, we have shown that model averaging like, variance model averaging, simple model averaging and standard error model averaging, each produces mean squared forecast error larger than that of forecast weight averaging. Finally, this result also holds true marginally when applied to business and economic empirical data sets, Gross Domestic Product (GDP growth rate), Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Average Lending Rate (ALR) of Malaysia.

  17. A simple weighted scoring system to guide surgical decision-making in patients with parapneumonic pleural effusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Che-Chia; Chen, Tzu-Ping; Yeh, Chi-Hsiao; Huang, Pin-Fu; Wang, Yao-Chang; Yin, Shun-Ying

    2016-11-01

    The selection of ideal candidates for surgical intervention among patients with parapneumonic pleural effusion remains challenging. In this retrospective study, we sought to identify the main predictors of surgical treatment and devise a simple scoring system to guide surgical decision-making. Between 2005 and 2014, we identified 276 patients with parapneumonic pleural effusion. Patients in the training set (n=201) were divided into two groups according to their treatment modality (non-surgery vs. surgery). Using multivariable logistic regression analysis, we devised a scoring system to guide surgical decision-making. The score was subsequently validated in an independent set of 75 patients. A white blood cell count >13,500/µL, pleuritic pain, loculations, and split pleura sign were identified as independent predictors of surgical treatment. A weighted score based on these factors was devised, as follows: white blood cell count >13,500/µL (one point), pleuritic pain (one point), loculations (two points), and split pleura sign (three points). A score >4 was associated with a surgical approach with a sensitivity of 93.4%, a specificity of 82.4%, and an area under curve (AUC) of 0.879 (95% confidence interval: 0.828-0.930). In the validation set, a sensitivity of 94.3% and a specificity of 79.6% were found (AUC=0.869). The proposed scoring system reliably identifies patients with parapneumonic pleural effusion who are candidates for surgery. Pending independent external validation, our score may inform the appropriate use of surgical interventions in this clinical setting.

  18. OBSERVATION ON INCREASE IN WEIGHT OF LOW BIRTH WEIGHT (LBW BABIES BY IMPLEMENTING KANGAROO MOTHER CARE (KMC TECHNIQUE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Purnendu Kumar Singh

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC is a practical technique for nursing of low birth weight babies by direct skin to contact with the mother. This study was undertaken to observe and record the effect of KMC with focus on increase in weight of at term low birth weight (LBW babies weighing less than 2000 grams. The study was conducted over thirty six month’s period from July 2011 to June 2014. The method of care consisted of skin to skin contact between the mother and the infant along with exclusive breast milk. Upon implementation of KMC babies under observation showed satisfactory gain in weight of average 25grams per day and an average hospital stay of 10 days. KMC aims towards achieving good weight gain in LBW babies. It is a simple hassle free technique which can be implemented at all levels of health care.

  19. SPE dose prediction using locally weighted regression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hines, J. W.; Townsend, L. W.; Nichols, T. F.

    2005-01-01

    When astronauts are outside Earth's protective magnetosphere, they are subject to large radiation doses resulting from solar particle events. The total dose received from a major solar particle event in deep space could cause severe radiation poisoning. The dose is usually received over a 20-40 h time interval but the event's effects may be reduced with an early warning system. This paper presents a method to predict the total dose early in the event. It uses a locally weighted regression model, which is easier to train, and provides predictions as accurate as the neural network models that were used previously. (authors)

  20. Treatment of Obesity: Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolfe, Bruce M.; Kvach, Elizaveta; Eckel, Robert H.

    2016-01-01

    This review focuses on the mechanisms underlying, and indications for, bariatric surgery in the reduction of cardiovascular disease (CVD) as well as other expected benefits of this intervention. The fundamental basis for bariatric surgery for the purpose of accomplishing weight loss is the determination that severe obesity is a disease associated with multiple adverse effects on health which can be reversed or improved by successful weight loss in patients who have been unable to sustain weight loss by non-surgical means. An explanation of possible indications for weight loss surgery as well as specific bariatric surgical procedures is presented, along with review of the safety literature of such procedures. Procedures that are less invasive or those that involve less gastrointestinal rearrangement accomplish considerably less weight loss but have substantially lower perioperative and longer-term risk. The ultimate benefit of weight reduction relates to the reduction of the co-morbidities, quality of life and all-cause mortality. With weight loss being the underlying justification for bariatric surgery in ameliorating CVD risk, current evidence-based research is discussed concerning body fat distribution, dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, inflammation, obstructive sleep apnea and others. The rationale for bariatric surgery reducing CVD events is discussed and juxtaposed with impacts on all-cause mortalities. Given the improvement of established obesity-related CVD risk factors following weight loss, it is reasonable to expect a reduction of CVD events and related mortality following weight loss in populations with obesity. The quality of the current evidence is reviewed and future research opportunities and summaries are stated. PMID:27230645

  1. Particle production in very-high-energy cosmic-ray emulsion chamber events: Usual and unusual events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Costa, C.G.S.; Halzen, F.; Salles, C.

    1995-01-01

    We show that a simple scaling model of very forward particle production, consistent with accelerator and air shower data, can describe the overall features of the very-high-energy interactions recorded with emulsion chambers. The rapidity and transverse momentum distribution of the secondaries are quantitatively reproduced. This is somewhat surprising after numerous claims that the same data implied large scaling violations or new dynamics. Interestingly, we cannot describe some of the Centauro events, suggesting that these events are anomalous independently of their well-advertised unusual features such as the absence of neutral secondaries

  2. Maintained intentional weight loss reduces cardiovascular outcomes: results from the Sibutramine Cardiovascular OUTcomes (SCOUT) trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caterson, I D; Finer, N; Coutinho, W; Van Gaal, L F; Maggioni, A P; Torp-Pedersen, C; Sharma, A M; Legler, U F; Shepherd, G M; Rode, R A; Perdok, R J; Renz, C L; James, W P T

    2012-06-01

    The Sibutramine Cardiovascular OUTcomes trial showed that sibutramine produced greater mean weight loss than placebo but increased cardiovascular morbidity but not mortality. The relationship between 12-month weight loss and subsequent cardiovascular outcomes is explored. Overweight/obese subjects (N = 10 744), ≥55 years with cardiovascular disease and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus, received sibutramine plus weight management during a 6-week Lead-in Period before randomization to continue sibutramine (N = 4906) or to receive placebo (N = 4898). The primary endpoint was the time from randomization to first occurrence of a primary outcome event (non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, resuscitated cardiac arrest or cardiovascular death). For the total population, mean weight change during Lead-in Period (sibutramine) was -2.54 kg. Post-randomization, mean total weight change to Month 12 was -4.18 kg (sibutramine) or -1.87 kg (placebo). Degree of weight loss during Lead-in Period or through Month 12 was associated with a progressive reduction in risk for the total population in primary outcome events and cardiovascular mortality over the 5-year assessment. Although more events occurred in the randomized sibutramine group, on an average, a modest weight loss of approximately 3 kg achieved in the Lead-in Period appeared to offset this increased event rate. Moderate weight loss (3-10 kg) reduced cardiovascular deaths in those with severe, moderate or mild cardiovascular disease. Modest weight loss over short-term (6 weeks) and longer-term (6-12 months) periods is associated with reduction in subsequent cardiovascular mortality for the following 4-5 years even in those with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. While the sibutramine group experienced more primary outcome events than the placebo group, greater weight loss reduced overall risk of these occurring in both groups. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  3. Estimation Of Body Weight From Linear Body Measurements In Two ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The prediction of body weight from body girth, keel length and thigh length was studied using one hundred Ross and one hundred Anak Titan broilers. Data were collected on the birds from day-old to 9 weeks of age. Body measurement was regressed against body weight at 9 weeks of age using simple linear and ...

  4. A quantitative discussion on the assessment of power supply technologies: DEA (data envelopment analysis) and SAW (simple additive weighting) as complementary methods for the “Grammar”

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shakouri, Hamed G.; Nabaee, Mahdis; Aliakbarisani, Sajad

    2014-01-01

    The growing concern about the negative effects of fossil fuels on the environment, and the limited resources of them have forced more intensive use of other energy sources. In absence of sufficient economically feasible renewable energies, nuclear power may play essential role in this field. Recently, the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power and fossil fuels regarding their efficiencies have been attracted researchers' interest. This paper discusses on the findings from “A Grammar for assessing the performance of power supply systems: comparing nuclear energy to fossil energy” (Diaz-Maurin F, Giampietro M. 2013). Although the “Grammar” is a very valuable approach, it can be accomplished by using helpful quantitative methods. In this discussion, we apply quantitative decision-making approaches to compare the same fossil fuel (coal) power plants with nuclear power plants. Economic variables are also taken into consideration. The DEA (data envelopment analysis) and SAW (simple additive weighting) are the methods applied. Results confirm the results of the reference paper in most cases and show that the fossil fuel power plants with CCS (carbon capture and storage) are slightly more efficient than nuclear power plants. However, selection of input and output variables is disputable. Assuming job creation as a desired output can change the ranking results. - Highlights: • A numeric decision making approach is proposed to facilitate assessment of technologies introduced as a “Grammar”. • Two different methods are chosen (SAW and DEA) since the results obtained for ranking may differ with different methods. • We propose to use the original fractional objective function of DEA with equal weightings applied for the attributes. • Proper combinations of both input and output attributes including economic variables are discussed. • The attributes for assessment of the technologies differ from different viewpoints. Labor force and costs are simple

  5. A simple idea for reducing the cost and weight of plaster-cast orthoses Uma ideia simples para diminuir custo e peso das talas gessadas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    André Esmanhotto

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To reduce the cost and weight of plaster molded orthosis (increasing patient comfort, keeping the same resistance. METHODS: 22 plaster orthosis were analysed, 11 with conventional shape and 11 with pyramidal shape. It was compared, in theory (mathematcally and practice, the change of weight (and consequently cost and flexion resistance between conventional shape and pyramidal shape. RESULTS: Theorical analysis: weight and cost decrease of 26.7%-38.9%, according to the layers disposition of the cast. Laboratorial analysis: cast´s weight decrease of 34.5% (p = 0.000005 and resistance increase of 26.7% (p = 0.03. CONCLUSION: plaster molded orthosis made in a pyramidal shape, have a statistically significant decrease of weight (and consequently cost and statistically significant increase of resistance if compared with traditional shape. OBJETIVO: Diminuir o custo e o peso (aumentando o conforto para o paciente das talas gessadas, mantendo resistência semelhante. MÉTODOS: Foram analisadas 22 talas de gesso, 11 com formato convencional e 11 com formato piramidal. Foi feita comparação, teórica (matemática e prática, entre as talas convencionais e as piramidais quanto à mudança de peso (e consequentemente de custo e à resistência à flexão. RESULTADOS: Análise matemática – diminuição peso e custo entre 26,7% e 38,9%, variando conforme a disposição das camadas da tala. Análise prática – diminuição do peso em 34,5% (p = 0,000005 e resistência aumentada em 26,7% (p = 0,03. CONCLUSÃO: A tala gessada com formato piramidal apresenta diminuição estatisticamente significativa de peso (e consequentemente de custo, com aumento estatisticamente significativo da resistência, se comparada à tala de formato convencional.

  6. Calculating Quenching Weights

    CERN Document Server

    Salgado, C A; Salgado, Carlos A.; Wiedemann, Urs Achim

    2003-01-01

    We calculate the probability (``quenching weight'') that a hard parton radiates an additional energy fraction due to scattering in spatially extended QCD matter. This study is based on an exact treatment of finite in-medium path length, it includes the case of a dynamically expanding medium, and it extends to the angular dependence of the medium-induced gluon radiation pattern. All calculations are done in the multiple soft scattering approximation (Baier-Dokshitzer-Mueller-Peign\\'e-Schiff--Zakharov ``BDMPS-Z''-formalism) and in the single hard scattering approximation (N=1 opacity approximation). By comparison, we establish a simple relation between transport coefficient, Debye screening mass and opacity, for which both approximations lead to comparable results. Together with this paper, a CPU-inexpensive numerical subroutine for calculating quenching weights is provided electronically. To illustrate its applications, we discuss the suppression of hadronic transverse momentum spectra in nucleus-nucleus colli...

  7. Asymmetric network connectivity using weighted harmonic averages

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison, Greg; Mahadevan, L.

    2011-02-01

    We propose a non-metric measure of the "closeness" felt between two nodes in an undirected, weighted graph using a simple weighted harmonic average of connectivity, that is a real-valued Generalized Erdös Number (GEN). While our measure is developed with a collaborative network in mind, the approach can be of use in a variety of artificial and real-world networks. We are able to distinguish between network topologies that standard distance metrics view as identical, and use our measure to study some simple analytically tractable networks. We show how this might be used to look at asymmetry in authorship networks such as those that inspired the integer Erdös numbers in mathematical coauthorships. We also show the utility of our approach to devise a ratings scheme that we apply to the data from the NetFlix prize, and find a significant improvement using our method over a baseline.

  8. The Role of Energy Flux in Weight Management

    OpenAIRE

    Clemens Drenowatz; Klaus Greier

    2017-01-01

    Excess body weight has been identified as one of the leading threats to public health. In addition to health concerns at the individual level, the increased medical costs put a significant burden on the health care system. Even though an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure is ultimately responsible for changes in body weight and body composition such a simple opposition does not reflect the complex interaction of various contributors to energy balance. The limited understan...

  9. Spatial weighting of Doppler reactivity feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carew, J.F.; Diamond, D.J.; Todosow, M.

    1977-12-01

    The spatial weighting of the local Doppler feedback implicit in the determination of the core Doppler feedback reactivity has been investigated. Using a detailed planar PDQ7-II PWR model with local fuel-temperature feedback, the core Doppler spatial weight factor, S, has been determined for various control patterns and power levels. Assuming power-squared weighting of the local Doppler feedback, a simple analytic expression for S has been derived and, based on comparison with the PDQ7-II results, provides a convenient and accurate representation of the Doppler spatial weight factor. The sensitivity of these results to variations in the fuel rod heat transfer coefficients, fuel loading and the magnitude of the Doppler coefficient has also been evaluated. The dependence of the local Doppler coefficient on moderator temperature, boron concentration and control rod density has been determined and found to be weak. Selected comparisons with vendor analyses have been made and indicate general agreement

  10. Improving EEG signal peak detection using feature weight learning ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Therefore, we aimed to develop a general procedure for eye event-related applications based on feature weight learning (FWL), through the use of a neural network with random weights (NNRW) as the classifier. The FWL is performed using a particle swarm optimization algorithm, applied to the well-studied Dumpala, Acir, ...

  11. "Take Me through the History of Your Weight": Using Qualitative Interviews to Create Personalized Weight Trajectories to Understand the Development of Obesity in Patients Preparing for Bariatric Surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lynch, Amanda I; McGowan, Elizabeth; Zalesin, Kerstyn C

    2018-03-15

    Obesity can develop during any life stage. Understanding the contexts within which obesity develops can inform our understanding of the disease and help tailor interventions specific to life stages. Using life-course theory as a guiding framework, this study aimed to explain the development of obesity in bariatric surgery patients by creating personalized weight trajectories. Qualitative methods using semistructured interviews were used to uncover participants' experiences with and explanations for the development of obesity. A grounded theory approach using the constant comparative method was used to analyze transcripts for categories and themes. Thirty pre-bariatric surgery patients (24 women, 6 men) were recruited from a bariatric surgery center; 25 participants were available for follow-up. Participants were interviewed before surgery and at 6 and 12 months postsurgery. Four weight history groups were created based on patterns of weight changes from adolescence through adulthood: Always Heavy, Late Peak, Steady Progression, and Weight Cycling. Participants' explanations for weight changes centered around themes of transitions and life-course events or stressors. Differences in the weight history groups could be explained by the timing of transitions, life events, and responses to stress. The development of obesity does not follow the same pattern for all individuals. Weight gain patterns can be explained by the timing of life-course events, stressors, and the type and effects of environmental transitions. Weight management counseling should include strategies tailored to an individual's current life-stage and circumstance, but also acknowledge previous responses to transitions and stressors. Copyright © 2018 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Maintained intentional weight loss reduces cardiovascular outcomes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Caterson, I D; Finer, N; Coutinho, W

    2012-01-01

    Aim: The Sibutramine Cardiovascular OUTcomes trial showed that sibutramine produced greater mean weight loss than placebo but increased cardiovascular morbidity but not mortality. The relationship between 12-month weight loss and subsequent cardiovascular outcomes is explored. Methods: Overweight....../obese subjects (N = 10 744), =55 years with cardiovascular disease and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus, received sibutramine plus weight management during a 6-week Lead-in Period before randomization to continue sibutramine (N = 4906) or to receive placebo (N = 4898). The primary endpoint was the time from...... randomization to first occurrence of a primary outcome event (non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, resuscitated cardiac arrest or cardiovascular death). Results: For the total population, mean weight change during Lead-in Period (sibutramine) was -2.54 kg. Post-randomization, mean total weight...

  13. A Simple Refraction Experiment for Probing Diffusion in Ternary Mixtures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coutinho, Cecil A.; Mankidy, Bijith D.; Gupta, Vinay K.

    2010-01-01

    Diffusion is a fundamental phenomenon that is vital in many chemical processes such as mass transport in living cells, corrosion, and separations. We describe a simple undergraduate-level experiment based on Weiner's Method to probe diffusion in a ternary aqueous mixture of small molecular-weight molecules. As an illustration, the experiment…

  14. Client-Side Event Processing for Personalized Web Advertisement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stühmer, Roland; Anicic, Darko; Sen, Sinan; Ma, Jun; Schmidt, Kay-Uwe; Stojanovic, Nenad

    The market for Web advertisement is continuously growing and correspondingly, the number of approaches that can be used for realizing Web advertisement are increasing. However, current approaches fail to generate very personalized ads for a current Web user that is visiting a particular Web content. They mainly try to develop a profile based on the content of that Web page or on a long-term user's profile, by not taking into account current user's preferences. We argue that by discovering a user's interest from his current Web behavior we can support the process of ad generation, especially the relevance of an ad for the user. In this paper we present the conceptual architecture and implementation of such an approach. The approach is based on the extraction of simple events from the user interaction with a Web page and their combination in order to discover the user's interests. We use semantic technologies in order to build such an interpretation out of many simple events. We present results from preliminary evaluation studies. The main contribution of the paper is a very efficient, semantic-based client-side architecture for generating and combining Web events. The architecture ensures the agility of the whole advertisement system, by complexly processing events on the client. In general, this work contributes to the realization of new, event-driven applications for the (Semantic) Web.

  15. A track-event theory of cell survival

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Besserer, Juergen; Schneider, Uwe [Zuerich Univ. (Switzerland). Inst. of Physics; Radiotherapy Hirslanden, Zuerich (Switzerland)

    2015-09-01

    When fractionation schemes for hypofractionation and stereotactic body radiotherapy are considered, a reliable cell survival model at high dose is needed for calculating doses of similar biological effectiveness. In this work a simple model for cell survival which is valid also at high dose is developed from Poisson statistics. An event is defined by two double strand breaks (DSB) on the same or different chromosomes. An event is always lethal due to direct lethal damage or lethal binary misrepair by the formation of chromosome aberrations. Two different mechanisms can produce events: one-track events (OTE) or two-track-events (TTE). The target for an OTE is always a lethal event, the target for an TTE is one DSB. At least two TTEs on the same or different chromosomes are necessary to produce an event. Both, the OTE and the TTE are statistically independent. From the stochastic nature of cell kill which is described by the Poisson distribution the cell survival probability was derived. It was shown that a solution based on Poisson statistics exists for cell survival. It exhibits exponential cell survival at high dose and a finite gradient of cell survival at vanishing dose, which is in agreement with experimental cell studies. The model fits the experimental data nearly as well as the three-parameter formula of Hug-Kellerer and is only based on two free parameters. It is shown that the LQ formalism is an approximation of the model derived in this work. It could be also shown that the derived model predicts a fractionated cell survival experiment better than the LQ-model. It was shown that cell survival can be described with a simple analytical formula on the basis of Poisson statistics. This solution represents in the limit of large dose the typical exponential behavior and predicts cell survival after fractionated dose application better than the LQ-model.

  16. A track-event theory of cell survival

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Besserer, Juergen; Schneider, Uwe

    2015-01-01

    When fractionation schemes for hypofractionation and stereotactic body radiotherapy are considered, a reliable cell survival model at high dose is needed for calculating doses of similar biological effectiveness. In this work a simple model for cell survival which is valid also at high dose is developed from Poisson statistics. An event is defined by two double strand breaks (DSB) on the same or different chromosomes. An event is always lethal due to direct lethal damage or lethal binary misrepair by the formation of chromosome aberrations. Two different mechanisms can produce events: one-track events (OTE) or two-track-events (TTE). The target for an OTE is always a lethal event, the target for an TTE is one DSB. At least two TTEs on the same or different chromosomes are necessary to produce an event. Both, the OTE and the TTE are statistically independent. From the stochastic nature of cell kill which is described by the Poisson distribution the cell survival probability was derived. It was shown that a solution based on Poisson statistics exists for cell survival. It exhibits exponential cell survival at high dose and a finite gradient of cell survival at vanishing dose, which is in agreement with experimental cell studies. The model fits the experimental data nearly as well as the three-parameter formula of Hug-Kellerer and is only based on two free parameters. It is shown that the LQ formalism is an approximation of the model derived in this work. It could be also shown that the derived model predicts a fractionated cell survival experiment better than the LQ-model. It was shown that cell survival can be described with a simple analytical formula on the basis of Poisson statistics. This solution represents in the limit of large dose the typical exponential behavior and predicts cell survival after fractionated dose application better than the LQ-model.

  17. Relating Solar Energetic Particle Event Fluences to Peak Intensities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahler, Stephen W.; Ling, Alan G.

    2018-02-01

    Recently we (Kahler and Ling, Solar Phys. 292, 59, 2017: KL) have shown that time-intensity profiles [I(t)] of 14 large solar energetic particle (SEP) events can be fitted with a simple two-parameter fit, the modified Weibull function, which is characterized by shape and scaling parameters [α and β]. We now look for a simple correlation between an event peak energy intensity [Ip] and the time integral of I(t) over the event duration: the fluence [F]. We first ask how the ratio of F/Ip varies for the fits of the 14 KL events and then examine that ratio for three separate published statistical studies of SEP events in which both F and Ip were measured for comparisons of those parameters with various solar-flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) parameters. The three studies included SEP energies from a 4 - 13 MeV band to E > 100 MeV. Within each group of SEP events, we find a very robust correlation (CC > 0.90) in log-log plots of F versus Ip over four decades of Ip. The ratio increases from western to eastern longitudes. From the value of Ip for a given event, F can be estimated to within a standard deviation of a factor of {≤} 2. Log-log plots of two studies are consistent with slopes of unity, but the third study shows plot slopes of { 10 MeV to {>} 100 MeV. This difference is not explained.

  18. SPE dose prediction using locally weighted regression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hines, J. W.; Townsend, L. W.; Nichols, T. F.

    2005-01-01

    When astronauts are outside earth's protective magnetosphere, they are subject to large radiation doses resulting from solar particle events (SPEs). The total dose received from a major SPE in deep space could cause severe radiation poisoning. The dose is usually received over a 20-40 h time interval but the event's effects may be mitigated with an early warning system. This paper presents a method to predict the total dose early in the event. It uses a locally weighted regression model, which is easier to train and provides predictions as accurate as neural network models previously used. (authors)

  19. Pharmaceutical supply chain risk assessment in Iran using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and simple additive weighting (SAW) methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaberidoost, Mona; Olfat, Laya; Hosseini, Alireza; Kebriaeezadeh, Abbas; Abdollahi, Mohammad; Alaeddini, Mahdi; Dinarvand, Rassoul

    2015-01-01

    Pharmaceutical supply chain is a significant component of the health system in supplying medicines, particularly in countries where main drugs are provided by local pharmaceutical companies. No previous studies exist assessing risks and disruptions in pharmaceutical companies while assessing the pharmaceutical supply chain. Any risks affecting the pharmaceutical companies could disrupt supply medicines and health system efficiency. The goal of this study was the risk assessment in pharmaceutical industry in Iran considering process's priority, hazard and probability of risks. The study was carried out in 4 phases; risk identification through literature review, risk identification in Iranian pharmaceutical companies through interview with experts, risk analysis through a questionnaire and consultation with experts using group analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method and rating scale (RS) and risk evaluation of simple additive weighting (SAW) method. In total, 86 main risks were identified in the pharmaceutical supply chain with perspective of pharmaceutical companies classified in 11 classes. The majority of risks described in this study were related to the financial and economic category. Also financial management was found to be the most important factor for consideration. Although pharmaceutical industry and supply chain were affected by current political conditions in Iran during the study time, but half of total risks in the pharmaceutical supply chain were found to be internal risks which could be fixed by companies, internally. Likewise, political status and related risks forced companies to focus more on financial and supply management resulting in less attention to quality management.

  20. A Fourier analysis of extreme events

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikosch, Thomas Valentin; Zhao, Yuwei

    2014-01-01

    The extremogram is an asymptotic correlogram for extreme events constructed from a regularly varying stationary sequence. In this paper, we define a frequency domain analog of the correlogram: a periodogram generated from a suitable sequence of indicator functions of rare events. We derive basic ...... properties of the periodogram such as the asymptotic independence at the Fourier frequencies and use this property to show that weighted versions of the periodogram are consistent estimators of a spectral density derived from the extremogram....

  1. Simple procedure for evaluating earthquake response spectra of large-event motions based on site amplification factors derived from smaller-event records

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dan, Kazuo; Miyakoshi, Jun-ichi; Yashiro, Kazuhiko.

    1996-01-01

    A primitive procedure was proposed for evaluating earthquake response spectra of large-event motions to make use of records from smaller events. The result of the regression analysis of the response spectra was utilized to obtain the site amplification factors in the proposed procedure, and the formulation of the seismic-source term in the regression analysis was examined. A linear form of the moment magnitude, Mw, is good for scaling the source term of moderate earthquakes with Mw of 5.5 to 7.0, while a quadratic form of Mw and the ω-square source-spectrum model is appropriate for scaling the source term of smaller and greater earthquakes, respectively. (author). 52 refs

  2. Simple techniques for improving deep neural network outcomes on commodity hardware

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colina, Nicholas Christopher A.; Perez, Carlos E.; Paraan, Francis N. C.

    2017-08-01

    We benchmark improvements in the performance of deep neural networks (DNN) on the MNIST data test upon imple-menting two simple modifications to the algorithm that have little overhead computational cost. First is GPU parallelization on a commodity graphics card, and second is initializing the DNN with random orthogonal weight matrices prior to optimization. Eigenspectra analysis of the weight matrices reveal that the initially orthogonal matrices remain nearly orthogonal after training. The probability distributions from which these orthogonal matrices are drawn are also shown to significantly affect the performance of these deep neural networks.

  3. Exponential smoothing weighted correlations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pozzi, F.; Di Matteo, T.; Aste, T.

    2012-06-01

    In many practical applications, correlation matrices might be affected by the "curse of dimensionality" and by an excessive sensitiveness to outliers and remote observations. These shortcomings can cause problems of statistical robustness especially accentuated when a system of dynamic correlations over a running window is concerned. These drawbacks can be partially mitigated by assigning a structure of weights to observational events. In this paper, we discuss Pearson's ρ and Kendall's τ correlation matrices, weighted with an exponential smoothing, computed on moving windows using a data-set of daily returns for 300 NYSE highly capitalized companies in the period between 2001 and 2003. Criteria for jointly determining optimal weights together with the optimal length of the running window are proposed. We find that the exponential smoothing can provide more robust and reliable dynamic measures and we discuss that a careful choice of the parameters can reduce the autocorrelation of dynamic correlations whilst keeping significance and robustness of the measure. Weighted correlations are found to be smoother and recovering faster from market turbulence than their unweighted counterparts, helping also to discriminate more effectively genuine from spurious correlations.

  4. A system for automatically recording weight changes in sapling trees

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harold F. Haupt; Bud L. Jeffers

    1967-01-01

    Describes an accurate and simple system for taking continuous weight records of sapling-size trees. Measurements obtained using this system have helped in describing the mechanism of interception storage in tree crowns during snowfall.

  5. Why Rules Matter in Complex Event Processing...and Vice Versa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vincent, Paul

    Many commercial and research CEP solutions are moving beyond simple stream query languages to more complete definitions of "process" and thence to "decisions" and "actions". And as capabilities increase in event processing capabilities, there is an increasing realization that the humble "rule" is as relevant to the event cloud as it is to specific services. Less obvious is how much event processing has to offer the process and rule execution and management technologies. Does event processing change the way we should manage businesses, processes and services, together with their embedded (and hopefully managed) rulesets?

  6. Bessel-Weighted Asymmetries in Semi Inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boer, D.; Gamberg, L.; Musch, B.U.; Prokudin, A.

    2011-01-01

    The concept of weighted asymmetries is revisited for semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering. We consider the cross section in Fourier space, conjugate to the outgoing hadron's transverse momentum, where convolutions of transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions and fragmentation functions become simple products. Individual asymmetric terms in the cross section can be projected out by means of a generalized set of weights involving Bessel functions. Advantages of employing these Bessel weights are that they suppress (divergent) contributions from high transverse momentum and that soft factors cancel in (Bessel-) weighted asymmetries. Also, the resulting compact expressions immediately connect to previous work on evolution equations for transverse momentum dependent parton distribution and fragmentation functions and to quantities accessible in lattice QCD. Bessel weighted asymmetries are thus model independent observables that augment the description and our understanding of correlations of spin and momentum in nucleon structure.

  7. Identification of events with a secondary vertex in the experiment EXCHARM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonyushkina, A.Yu.; Ivanov, V.V.; Potrebenikov, Yu.K.; Progulova, T.B.; Tatishvili, G.T.

    1996-01-01

    A simple algorithm for identifying events with secondary vertices (signal events) is suggested. The differences R x , R y between the largest and the smallest impact parameters D i of the tracks belonging to each of the events analyzed are used in establishing the identification criteria for signal and background events. An effective method for identifying the tracks associated with a particular secondary vertex in an event is developed. The method is based on the differences between the asymmetries exhibited by the sets D i for individual signal events and background events. The algorithm has been tested using simulated data. 12 refs., 7 figs

  8. Iso-risk air no decompression limits after scoring marginal decompression sickness cases as non-events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, F Gregory; Swingler, Ashleigh J; Gerth, Wayne A; Howle, Laurens E

    2018-01-01

    Decompression sickness (DCS) in humans is associated with reductions in ambient pressure that occur during diving, aviation, or certain manned spaceflight operations. Its signs and symptoms can include, but are not limited to, joint pain, radiating abdominal pain, paresthesia, dyspnea, general malaise, cognitive dysfunction, cardiopulmonary dysfunction, and death. Probabilistic models of DCS allow the probability of DCS incidence and time of occurrence during or after a given hyperbaric or hypobaric exposure to be predicted based on how the gas contents or gas bubble volumes vary in hypothetical tissue compartments during the exposure. These models are calibrated using data containing the pressure and respired gas histories of actual exposures, some of which resulted in DCS, some of which did not, and others in which the diagnosis of DCS was not clear. The latter are referred to as marginal DCS cases. In earlier works, a marginal DCS event was typically weighted as 0.1, with a full DCS event being weighted as 1.0, and a non-event being weighted as 0.0. Recent work has shown that marginal DCS events should be weighted as 0.0 when calibrating gas content models. We confirm this indication in the present work by showing that such models have improved performance when calibrated to data with marginal DCS events coded as non-events. Further, we investigate the ramifications of derating marginal events on model-prescribed air diving no-stop limits. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Psychosocial risk factors, weight changes and risk of obesity: the Copenhagen City Heart Study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iversen, Louise Bagger; Strandberg-Larsen, Katrine; Prescott, Eva

    2012-01-01

    The aim of the study was to establish the effects of a range of psychosocial factors on weight changes and risk of obesity. The study population consisted of the 4,753 participants in the third (1991-1994) and fourth wave (2001-2003) of the Copenhagen City Heart Study, Denmark. At baseline...... the participants were asked comprehensive questions on major life events, work stress, vital exhaustion, social network, economic hardship, and intake of sleep medication. Weight and height were measured by health professionals. Weight changes and incident obesity was used as outcome measures. The participants...... in the associations between social network, economic hardship and weight gain or obesity. The number of psychosocial risk factors, as an indicator for clustering, was not associated with weight gain or obesity. In conclusion, major life events and vital exhaustion seem to play a role for weight gain and risk...

  10. Creating non-believed memories for recent autobiographical events

    OpenAIRE

    Clark, A; Nash, RA; Fincham, G; Mazzoni, G

    2012-01-01

    A recent study showed that many people spontaneously report vivid memories of events that they do not believe to have occurred [1]. In the present experiment we tested for the first time whether, after powerful false memories have been created, debriefing might leave behind nonbelieved memories for the fake events. In Session 1 participants imitated simple actions, and in Session 2 they saw doctored video-recordings containing clips that falsely suggested they had performed additional (fake) ...

  11. Semi-Inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering and Bessel-Weighted Asymmetries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gamberg, Leonard; Boer, Daniel; Musch, Bernhard; Prokudin, Alexei

    2012-01-01

    We consider the cross section in Fourier space, conjugate to the outgoing hadron's transverse momentum, where convolutions of transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions and fragmentation functions become simple products. Individual asymmetric terms in the cross section can be projected out by means of a generalized set of weights involving Bessel functions. Advantages of employing these Bessel weights are that they suppress (divergent) contributions from high transverse momentum and that soft factors cancel in (Bessel-) weighted asymmetries. Also, the resulting compact expressions immediately connect to previous work on evolution equations for transverse momentum dependent parton distribution and fragmentation functions and to quantities accessible in lattice QCD. Bessel-weighted asymmetries are thus model independent observables that augment the description and our understanding of correlations of spin and momentum in nucleon structure.

  12. Self-organizing weights for Internet AS-graphs and surprisingly simple routing metrics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Scholz, Jan Carsten; Greiner, Martin

    2011-01-01

    The transport capacity of Internet-like communication networks and hence their efficiency may be improved by a factor of 5–10 through the use of highly optimized routing metrics, as demonstrated previously. The numerical determination of such routing metrics can be computationally demanding...... to an extent that prohibits both investigation of and application to very large networks. In an attempt to find a numerically less expensive way of constructing a metric with a comparable performance increase, we propose a local, self-organizing iteration scheme and find two surprisingly simple and efficient...... metrics. The new metrics have negligible computational cost and result in an approximately 5-fold performance increase, providing distinguished competitiveness with the computationally costly counterparts. They are applicable to very large networks and easy to implement in today's Internet routing...

  13. Neuropsychiatric safety with liraglutide 3.0 mg for weight management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    O'Neil, Patrick M; Aroda, V R; Astrup, Arne

    2017-01-01

    with liraglutide 3.0 mg were evaluated post hoc. METHODS: Data from the liraglutide weight-management programme were pooled. Across trials, individuals with a body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2) or ≥27 kg/m(2) with weight-related comorbidities were randomized to once-daily subcutaneous liraglutide 3.0 mg (n = 3384......) or placebo (n = 1941), both with a 500 kcal/day deficit diet plus exercise. Adverse events related to neuropsychiatric safety were collected in all trials. Additionally, in the phase 3a trials, validated mental-health questionnaires were prospectively and systematically administered. RESULTS: In the pooled...... analysis of 5325 randomized and exposed individuals, rates of depression (2.1 versus 2.1 events/100 person-years) and anxiety (1.9 versus 1.7 events/100 person-years) through adverse event reporting were similarly low in the liraglutide group and the placebo group. Nine (0.3%) individuals on liraglutide...

  14. Exaggerated risk: prospect theory and probability weighting in risky choice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kusev, Petko; van Schaik, Paul; Ayton, Peter; Dent, John; Chater, Nick

    2009-11-01

    In 5 experiments, we studied precautionary decisions in which participants decided whether or not to buy insurance with specified cost against an undesirable event with specified probability and cost. We compared the risks taken for precautionary decisions with those taken for equivalent monetary gambles. Fitting these data to Tversky and Kahneman's (1992) prospect theory, we found that the weighting function required to model precautionary decisions differed from that required for monetary gambles. This result indicates a failure of the descriptive invariance axiom of expected utility theory. For precautionary decisions, people overweighted small, medium-sized, and moderately large probabilities-they exaggerated risks. This effect is not anticipated by prospect theory or experience-based decision research (Hertwig, Barron, Weber, & Erev, 2004). We found evidence that exaggerated risk is caused by the accessibility of events in memory: The weighting function varies as a function of the accessibility of events. This suggests that people's experiences of events leak into decisions even when risk information is explicitly provided. Our findings highlight a need to investigate how variation in decision content produces variation in preferences for risk.

  15. Simple traits among diaspore weight/number, plant height and an ability to vegetative propagation

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šerá, Božena

    2008-01-01

    Roč. 50, č. 12 (2008), s. 1563-1569 ISSN 1672-9072 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) 1P05OC049 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60870520 Keywords : comparison * lateral spread * reproduction * seed production * seed weight * strategy * trade-off Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 0.859, year: 2008

  16. Characterization of simple wireless neurostimulators and sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gulick, Daniel W; Towe, Bruce C

    2014-01-01

    A single diode with a wireless power source and electrodes can act as an implantable stimulator or sensor. We have built such devices using RF and ultrasound power coupling. These simple devices could drastically reduce the size, weight, and cost of implants for applications where efficiency is not critical. However, a shortcoming has been a lack of control: any movement of the external power source would change the power coupling, thereby changing the stimulation current or modulating the sensor response. To correct for changes in power and signal coupling, we propose to use harmonic signals from the device. The diode acts as a frequency multiplier, and the harmonics it emits contain information about the drive level and bias. A simplified model suggests that estimation of power, electrode bias, and electrode resistance is possible from information contained in radiated harmonics even in the presence of significant noise. We also built a simple RF-powered stimulator with an onboard voltage limiter.

  17. Prevention of "simple accidents at work" with major consequences

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Kirsten

    2016-01-01

    broadly. This review identifies gaps in the prevention of simple accidents, relating to safety barriers for risk control and the management processes that need to be in place to deliver those risk controls in a continuingly effective state. The article introduces the ‘‘INFO cards’’ as a tool......The concept ‘‘simple accidents’’ is understood as traumatic events with one victim. In the last 10 years many European countries have seen a decline in the number of fatalities, but there still remain many severe accidents at work. In the years 2009–2010 in European countries 2.0–2.4 million...... occupational accidents a year were notified leading to 4500 fatalities and 90,000 permanent disabilities each year. The article looks at the concept ‘‘accident’’ to find similarities and distinctions between major and simple accident characteristics. The purpose is to find to what extent the same kinds...

  18. Event-Based Media Enrichment Using an Adaptive Probabilistic Hypergraph Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xueliang; Wang, Meng; Yin, Bao-Cai; Huet, Benoit; Li, Xuelong

    2015-11-01

    Nowadays, with the continual development of digital capture technologies and social media services, a vast number of media documents are captured and shared online to help attendees record their experience during events. In this paper, we present a method combining semantic inference and multimodal analysis for automatically finding media content to illustrate events using an adaptive probabilistic hypergraph model. In this model, media items are taken as vertices in the weighted hypergraph and the task of enriching media to illustrate events is formulated as a ranking problem. In our method, each hyperedge is constructed using the K-nearest neighbors of a given media document. We also employ a probabilistic representation, which assigns each vertex to a hyperedge in a probabilistic way, to further exploit the correlation among media data. Furthermore, we optimize the hypergraph weights in a regularization framework, which is solved as a second-order cone problem. The approach is initiated by seed media and then used to rank the media documents using a transductive inference process. The results obtained from validating the approach on an event dataset collected from EventMedia demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

  19. Event-by-event gluon multiplicity, energy density, and eccentricities in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schenke, Björn; Tribedy, Prithwish; Venugopalan, Raju

    2012-09-01

    The event-by-event multiplicity distribution, the energy densities and energy density weighted eccentricity moments ɛn (up to n=6) at early times in heavy-ion collisions at both the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) (s=200GeV) and the CERN Large Hardron Collider (LHC) (s=2.76TeV) are computed in the IP-Glasma model. This framework combines the impact parameter dependent saturation model (IP-Sat) for nucleon parton distributions (constrained by HERA deeply inelastic scattering data) with an event-by-event classical Yang-Mills description of early-time gluon fields in heavy-ion collisions. The model produces multiplicity distributions that are convolutions of negative binomial distributions without further assumptions or parameters. In the limit of large dense systems, the n-particle gluon distribution predicted by the Glasma-flux tube model is demonstrated to be nonperturbatively robust. In the general case, the effect of additional geometrical fluctuations is quantified. The eccentricity moments are compared to the MC-KLN model; a noteworthy feature is that fluctuation dominated odd moments are consistently larger than in the MC-KLN model.

  20. Factors Predicting Adverse Events Associated with Pregabalin Administered for Neuropathic Pain Relief

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuko Kanbayashi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND:Pregabalin administration is occasionally abandoned due to adverse events such as somnolence, dizziness, unsteadiness, weight gain and edema. However, the exact causes of these differences in adverse events associated with pregabalin have not been elucidated.

  1. MEMBANGUN SISTEM PENDUKUNG KEPUTUSAN BIRO PERJALANAN HAJI DAN UMRAH DI YOGYAKARTA MENGGUNAKAN METODE SIMPLE ADDITIVE WEIGHTING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Landung Sudarmana

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Biro  perjalanan  haji  dan  umrah  adalah  suatu  bentuk  perusahaan  jasa  yang  bertujuan  untuk membantu calon jama’ah dalam melaksanakan ibadah haji dan umrah. Dalam prosesnya, perusahaan biro perjalanan haji dan umrah akan memberikan penawaran berupa paket perjalanan ibadah haji maupun umrah yang dapat dipilih sendiri oleh calon jama’ah. Banyaknya biro perjalanan haji dan umrah di Yogyakarta menuntut keselektifan calon jama’ah dalam memilih biro perjalanan haji dan umrah yang akan digunakan, agar terhindar dari biro jasa yang tidak profesional yang dapat menimbulkan kerugian bagi calon jama’ah di kemudian hari, seperti penipuan, jama’ah haji ilegal maupun sarana dan prasarana yang tidak layak selama melaksanakan ibadah haji dan umrah. Namun untuk mensurvei satu persatu biro jasa perjalanan haji dan umrah yang ada di Yogyakarta membutuhkan waktu dan tenaga yang tidak sedikit, hal inilah yang menyebabkan kecenderungan calon jama’ah malas untuk melakukannya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk membangun sebuah sistem yang dapat memberikan rekomendasi bagi calon jama’ah dalam memilih biro perjalanan haji dan umrah di Yogyakarta secara online. Sistem ini dirancang berbasis web menggunakan bahasa pemrograman PHP dan MySql sebagai database engine dengan Simple  Additive  Weighting  sebagai  metode  untuk  mencari  alternatif  terbaik  bedasarkan  kriteria- kriteria yang telah ditentukan. Sistem pendukung keputusan ini memiliki tiga hak akses yang berbeda yaitu admin, biro haji dan calon jama’ah haji dan dapat diakses secara online. Admin memiliki hak untuk mengelola seluruh data yaitu data profil biro, data peket perjalanan, data kriteria, data subkriteria dan data rating kecocokan. Biro haji memiliki hak mengelola datanya sendiri dengan cara login dahulu. Calon jama’ah memilki hak melakukan perekomendasian dan melihat informasi profil biro yang sudah terdaftar dalam sistem. Sistem ini telah berjalan dengan baik

  2. The Value of a General Increase in Slaughter Weight for Pigs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjærsgaard, Niels Christian

    of Danish pig production, slaughtering processes and delivery. There have been varying opinions within the industry concerning an improved profit for the slaughterhouses and the farmers when increasing the slaughter weight. The argument for an increased slaughter weight is based on the fact that some...... different weight scenarios, namely the current slaughter weight as well as increases in the slaughter weight of 5, 10 and 15 kg respectively. The model set up in this paper consists of 17 different products and four alternative uses of each pig, but the model can easily be changed to include more products...... to approximately DKK 0.25 for each increase in slaughter weight of 5 kg. The main conclusion is that even relatively simple optimization models can be used to improve the basis of the slaughterhouses considerably for making decisions regarding the value of increased slaughter weight. Prices may vary over time...

  3. Simple measurements on diffusion-weighted MR imaging for assessment of complete response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cai, Pei-Qiang; Wu, Yao-Pan; Xie, Chuan-Miao; Wu, Pei-Hong [Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou (China); Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Guangzhou (China); An, Xin [Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou (China); Department of Medical Oncology, Guangzhou (China); Qiu, Xue; Kong, Ling-Heng; Liu, Guo-Chen; Pan, Zhi-Zhong; Ding, Pei-Rong [Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou (China); Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Department of Colorectal Surgery, Guangzhou (China)

    2014-11-15

    To determine diagnostic performance of simple measurements on diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) for assessment of complete tumour response (CR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) by signal intensity (SI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements. Sixty-five patients with LARC who underwent neoadjuvant CRT and subsequent surgery were included. Patients underwent pre-CRT and post-CRT 3.0 T MRI. Regions of interest of the highest brightness SI were included in the tumour volume on post-CRT DWI to calculate the SI{sub lesion}, rSI, ADC{sub lesion} and rADC; diagnostic performance was compared by using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. In order to validate the accuracy and reproducibility of the current strategy, the same procedure was reproduced in 80 patients with LARC at 1.5 T MRI. Areas under the ROC curve for identification of a CR, based on SI{sub lesion}, rSI, ADC{sub lesion}, and rADC, respectively, were 0.86, 0.94, 0.66, and 0.71 at 3.0 T MRI, and 0.92, 0.91, 0.64, and 0.61 at 1.5 T MRI. Post-CRT DWI SI{sub lesion} and rSI provided high diagnostic performance in assessing CR and were significantly more accurate than ADC{sub lesion}, and rADC at 3.0 T MRI and 1.5 T MRI. (orig.)

  4. Estimating Body Weight of Cattle Using Linear Body Measurements ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The relationships between body weight (BW) and heart girth, body length and height at withers of 116 Indigenous, 72 Friesian, 95 Brahman, 88 Red Dane and 123 Crossbred cattle from 42 smallholder herds in Nharira-Lancashire, Zimbabwe, were investigated. The principal objective was to develop simple models that ...

  5. On the Likely Utility of Hybrid Weights Optimized for Variances in Hybrid Error Covariance Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satterfield, E.; Hodyss, D.; Kuhl, D.; Bishop, C. H.

    2017-12-01

    Because of imperfections in ensemble data assimilation schemes, one cannot assume that the ensemble covariance is equal to the true error covariance of a forecast. Previous work demonstrated how information about the distribution of true error variances given an ensemble sample variance can be revealed from an archive of (observation-minus-forecast, ensemble-variance) data pairs. Here, we derive a simple and intuitively compelling formula to obtain the mean of this distribution of true error variances given an ensemble sample variance from (observation-minus-forecast, ensemble-variance) data pairs produced by a single run of a data assimilation system. This formula takes the form of a Hybrid weighted average of the climatological forecast error variance and the ensemble sample variance. Here, we test the extent to which these readily obtainable weights can be used to rapidly optimize the covariance weights used in Hybrid data assimilation systems that employ weighted averages of static covariance models and flow-dependent ensemble based covariance models. Univariate data assimilation and multi-variate cycling ensemble data assimilation are considered. In both cases, it is found that our computationally efficient formula gives Hybrid weights that closely approximate the optimal weights found through the simple but computationally expensive process of testing every plausible combination of weights.

  6. Reconstructing particle masses in events with displaced vertices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cottin, Giovanna

    2018-03-01

    We propose a simple way to extract particle masses given a displaced vertex signature in event topologies where two long-lived mother particles decay to visible particles and an invisible daughter. The mother could be either charged or neutral and the neutral daughter could correspond to a dark matter particle in different models. The method allows to extract the parent and daughter masses by using on-shell conditions and energy-momentum conservation, in addition to the displaced decay positions of the parents, which allows to solve the kinematic equations fully on an event-by-event basis. We show the validity of the method by means of simulations including detector effects. If displaced events are seen in discovery searches at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), this technique can be applied.

  7. Pediatric hemiplegic migraine: susceptibility weighted and MR perfusion imaging abnormality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Altinok, Deniz; Agarwal, Ajay [Children' s Hospital of Michigan, Department of Radiology, Detroit, MI (United States); Ascadi, Gyula; Luat, Aimee; Tapos, Daniela [Children' s Hospital of Michigan, Department of Neurology, Detroit, MI (United States)

    2010-12-15

    We report on an 11-year-old girl suffering from a typical attack of hemiplegic migraine with characteristic abnormalities in perfusion MR and susceptibility-weighted MR imaging findings. The imaging abnormalities were resolved 48 h after the attack. Susceptibility-weighted MR imaging findings correlated well with the MR perfusion, thus it can be used along with conventional MRI for evaluation of children with complex migraine attacks. Susceptibility-weighted MR imaging might have a diagnostic role in assessing the vascular events in hemiplegic migraine. (orig.)

  8. Pediatric hemiplegic migraine: susceptibility weighted and MR perfusion imaging abnormality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Altinok, Deniz; Agarwal, Ajay; Ascadi, Gyula; Luat, Aimee; Tapos, Daniela

    2010-01-01

    We report on an 11-year-old girl suffering from a typical attack of hemiplegic migraine with characteristic abnormalities in perfusion MR and susceptibility-weighted MR imaging findings. The imaging abnormalities were resolved 48 h after the attack. Susceptibility-weighted MR imaging findings correlated well with the MR perfusion, thus it can be used along with conventional MRI for evaluation of children with complex migraine attacks. Susceptibility-weighted MR imaging might have a diagnostic role in assessing the vascular events in hemiplegic migraine. (orig.)

  9. Adiposity, post-diagnosis weight change, and risk of cardiovascular events among early-stage breast cancer survivors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cespedes Feliciano, Elizabeth M; Kwan, Marilyn L; Kushi, Lawrence H; Weltzien, Erin K; Castillo, Adrienne L; Caan, Bette J

    2017-04-01

    Little research examines whether adiposity or post-diagnosis weight changes influence Cardiovascular disease (CVD) among breast cancer patients for whom effects may differ due to treatment and recovery. We studied Stage I-III breast cancer survivors 18 to  diagnosis and weight and waist circumference (WC) around 24 months post diagnosis. Using Cox models for time to incident coronary artery disease, heart failure, valve abnormality, arrhythmia, stroke, or CVD death, we examined at-diagnosis body mass index (BMI, n = 3109) and post-diagnosis WC (n = 1898) and weight change (n = 1903, stable, ±5 to  diagnosis, 25% of women gained and 14% lost ≥10-lbs; mean (SD) WC was 90 (15) cm. Over a median of 8.28 years, 915 women developed CVD. BMI 25-30-kg/m 2 (vs. BMI diagnosis weight change had no association with CVD. Extreme adiposity and any elevation in WC increased risk of CVD among breast cancer survivors; however, changes in weight in the early post-diagnosis period were not associated with CVD. Survivors with high WC and existing CVD risk factors should be monitored.

  10. Asymptotics of quantum weighted Hurwitz numbers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harnad, J.; Ortmann, Janosch

    2018-06-01

    This work concerns both the semiclassical and zero temperature asymptotics of quantum weighted double Hurwitz numbers. The partition function for quantum weighted double Hurwitz numbers can be interpreted in terms of the energy distribution of a quantum Bose gas with vanishing fugacity. We compute the leading semiclassical term of the partition function for three versions of the quantum weighted Hurwitz numbers, as well as lower order semiclassical corrections. The classical limit is shown to reproduce the simple single and double Hurwitz numbers studied by Okounkov and Pandharipande (2000 Math. Res. Lett. 7 447–53, 2000 Lett. Math. Phys. 53 59–74). The KP-Toda τ-function that serves as generating function for the quantum Hurwitz numbers is shown to have the τ-function of Okounkov and Pandharipande (2000 Math. Res. Lett. 7 447–53, 2000 Lett. Math. Phys. 53 59–74) as its leading term in the classical limit, and, with suitable scaling, the same holds for the partition function, the weights and expectations of Hurwitz numbers. We also compute the zero temperature limit of the partition function and quantum weighted Hurwitz numbers. The KP or Toda τ-function serving as generating function for the quantum Hurwitz numbers are shown to give the one for Belyi curves in the zero temperature limit and, with suitable scaling, the same holds true for the partition function, the weights and the expectations of Hurwitz numbers.

  11. Evaluation of an inverse distance weighting method for patching ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2016-07-03

    Jul 3, 2016 ... 1Agricultural Research Council – Institute for Soil, Climate and Water, .... local influence that diminishes with distance and weights change ..... most excessively high rainfall events are obtained from convective clouds which.

  12. The Design and Construction of a Simple Transmission Electron Microscope for Educational Purposes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hearsey, Paul K.

    This document presents a model for a simple transmission electron microscope for educational purposes. This microscope could demonstrate thermonic emission, particle acceleration, electron deflection, and flourescence. It is designed to be used in high school science courses, particularly physics, taking into account the size, weight, complexity…

  13. Proprioceptive event related potentials: gating and task effects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arnfred, Sidse M

    2005-01-01

    The integration of proprioception with vision, touch or audition is considered basic to the developmental formation of perceptions, conceptual objects and the creation of cognitive schemes. Thus, mapping of proprioceptive information processing is important in cognitive research. A stimulus...... of a brisk change of weight on a hand held load elicit a proprioceptive evoked potential (PEP). Here this is used to examine early and late information processing related to weight discrimination by event related potentials (ERP)....

  14. Determination of viscosity-average molecular weight of chitosan using intrinsic viscosity measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Norzita Yacob; Norhashidah Talip; Maznah Mahmud; Nurul Aizam Idayu Mat Sani; Nor Akma Samsuddin; Norafifah Ahmad Fabillah

    2013-01-01

    Determination of molecular weight by intrinsic viscosity measurement is a simple method for characterization of chitosan. To study the effect of radiation on molecular weight, chitosan was first irradiated using electron beam at different doses prior to measurement. Different concentrations of chitosan were prepared and measurement was done at room temperature. The flow time data was used to calculate the intrinsic viscosity by extrapolating the reduced viscosity to zero concentration. The value of intrinsic viscosity was then recalculated into the viscosity-average molecular weight using Mark-Houwink equation. (Author)

  15. Determination of Viscosity-Average Molecular Weight of Chitosan using Intrinsic Viscosity Measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Norzita Yacob; Norhashidah Talip; Maznah Mahmud

    2011-01-01

    Molecular weight of chitosan can be determined by different techniques such as Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC), Static Light Scattering (SLS) and intrinsic viscosity measurement. Determination of molecular weight by intrinsic viscosity measurement is a simple method for characterization of chitosan. Different concentrations of chitosan were prepared and measurement was done at room temperature. The flow time data was used to calculate the intrinsic viscosity by extrapolating the reduced viscosity to zero concentration. The value of intrinsic viscosity was then recalculated into the viscosity-average molecular weight using Mark-Houwink equation. (author)

  16. Power quality events recognition using a SVM-based method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cerqueira, Augusto Santiago; Ferreira, Danton Diego; Ribeiro, Moises Vidal; Duque, Carlos Augusto [Department of Electrical Circuits, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Campus Universitario, 36036 900, Juiz de Fora MG (Brazil)

    2008-09-15

    In this paper, a novel SVM-based method for power quality event classification is proposed. A simple approach for feature extraction is introduced, based on the subtraction of the fundamental component from the acquired voltage signal. The resulting signal is presented to a support vector machine for event classification. Results from simulation are presented and compared with two other methods, the OTFR and the LCEC. The proposed method shown an improved performance followed by a reasonable computational cost. (author)

  17. Sustained Attention Ability Affects Simple Picture Naming

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suzanne R. Jongman

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Sustained attention has previously been shown as a requirement for language production. However, this is mostly evident for difficult conditions, such as a dual-task situation. The current study provides corroborating evidence that this relationship holds even for simple picture naming. Sustained attention ability, indexed both by participants’ reaction times and individuals’ hit rate (the proportion of correctly detected targets on a digit discrimination task, correlated with picture naming latencies. Individuals with poor sustained attention were consistently slower and their RT distributions were more positively skewed when naming pictures compared to individuals with better sustained attention. Additionally, the need to sustain attention was manipulated by changing the speed of stimulus presentation. Research has suggested that fast event rates tax sustained attention resources to a larger degree than slow event rates. However, in this study the fast event rate did not result in increased difficulty, neither for the picture naming task nor for the sustained attention task. Instead, the results point to a speed-accuracy trade-off in the sustained attention task (lower accuracy but faster responses in the fast than in the slow event rate, and to a benefit for faster rates in the picture naming task (shorter naming latencies with no difference in accuracy. Performance on both tasks was largely comparable, supporting previous findings that sustained attention is called upon during language production.

  18. Simple machines

    CERN Document Server

    Graybill, George

    2007-01-01

    Just how simple are simple machines? With our ready-to-use resource, they are simple to teach and easy to learn! Chocked full of information and activities, we begin with a look at force, motion and work, and examples of simple machines in daily life are given. With this background, we move on to different kinds of simple machines including: Levers, Inclined Planes, Wedges, Screws, Pulleys, and Wheels and Axles. An exploration of some compound machines follows, such as the can opener. Our resource is a real time-saver as all the reading passages, student activities are provided. Presented in s

  19. The CHOP postnatal weight gain, birth weight, and gestational age retinopathy of prematurity risk model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Binenbaum, Gil; Ying, Gui-Shuang; Quinn, Graham E; Huang, Jiayan; Dreiseitl, Stephan; Antigua, Jules; Foroughi, Negar; Abbasi, Soraya

    2012-12-01

    To develop a birth weight (BW), gestational age (GA), and postnatal-weight gain retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) prediction model in a cohort of infants meeting current screening guidelines. Multivariate logistic regression was applied retrospectively to data from infants born with BW less than 1501 g or GA of 30 weeks or less at a single Philadelphia hospital between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2009. In the model, BW, GA, and daily weight gain rate were used repeatedly each week to predict risk of Early Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity type 1 or 2 ROP. If risk was above a cut-point level, examinations would be indicated. Of 524 infants, 20 (4%) had type 1 ROP and received laser treatment; 28 (5%) had type 2 ROP. The model (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia [CHOP]) accurately predicted all infants with type 1 ROP; missed 1 infant with type 2 ROP, who did not require laser treatment; and would have reduced the number of infants requiring examinations by 49%. Raising the cut point to miss one type 1 ROP case would have reduced the need for examinations by 79%. Using daily weight measurements to calculate weight gain rate resulted in slightly higher examination reduction than weekly measurements. The BW-GA-weight gain CHOP ROP model demonstrated accurate ROP risk assessment and a large reduction in the number of ROP examinations compared with current screening guidelines. As a simple logistic equation, it can be calculated by hand or represented as a nomogram for easy clinical use. However, larger studies are needed to achieve a highly precise estimate of sensitivity prior to clinical application.

  20. Event storm detection and identification in communication systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Albaghdadi, Mouayad; Briley, Bruce; Evens, Martha

    2006-01-01

    Event storms are the manifestation of an important class of abnormal behaviors in communication systems. They occur when a large number of nodes throughout the system generate a set of events within a small period of time. It is essential for network management systems to detect every event storm and identify its cause, in order to prevent and repair potential system faults. This paper presents a set of techniques for the effective detection and identification of event storms in communication systems. First, we introduce a new algorithm to synchronize events to a single node in the system. Second, the system's event log is modeled as a normally distributed random process. This is achieved by using data analysis techniques to explore and then model the statistical behavior of the event log. Third, event storm detection is proposed using a simple test statistic combined with an exponential smoothing technique to overcome the non-stationary behavior of event logs. Fourth, the system is divided into non-overlapping regions to locate the main contributing regions of a storm. We show that this technique provides us with a method for event storm identification. Finally, experimental results from a commercially deployed multimedia communication system that uses these techniques demonstrate their effectiveness

  1. Concurrent Bursty Behavior of Social Sensors in Sporting Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeichi, Yuki; Sasahara, Kazutoshi; Suzuki, Reiji; Arita, Takaya

    2015-01-01

    The advent of social media expands our ability to transmit information and connect with others instantly, which enables us to behave as “social sensors.” Here, we studied concurrent bursty behavior of Twitter users during major sporting events to determine their function as social sensors. We show that the degree of concurrent bursts in tweets (posts) and retweets (re-posts) works as a strong indicator of winning or losing a game. More specifically, our simple tweet analysis of Japanese professional baseball games in 2013 revealed that social sensors can immediately react to positive and negative events through bursts of tweets, but that positive events are more likely to induce a subsequent burst of retweets. We confirm that these findings also hold true for tweets related to Major League Baseball games in 2015. Furthermore, we demonstrate active interactions among social sensors by constructing retweet networks during a baseball game. The resulting networks commonly exhibited user clusters depending on the baseball team, with a scale-free connectedness that is indicative of a substantial difference in user popularity as an information source. While previous studies have mainly focused on bursts of tweets as a simple indicator of a real-world event, the temporal correlation between tweets and retweets implies unique aspects of social sensors, offering new insights into human behavior in a highly connected world. PMID:26659028

  2. Topology and weights in a protein domain interaction network--a novel way to predict protein interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wuchty, Stefan

    2006-05-23

    While the analysis of unweighted biological webs as diverse as genetic, protein and metabolic networks allowed spectacular insights in the inner workings of a cell, biological networks are not only determined by their static grid of links. In fact, we expect that the heterogeneity in the utilization of connections has a major impact on the organization of cellular activities as well. We consider a web of interactions between protein domains of the Protein Family database (PFAM), which are weighted by a probability score. We apply metrics that combine the static layout and the weights of the underlying interactions. We observe that unweighted measures as well as their weighted counterparts largely share the same trends in the underlying domain interaction network. However, we only find weak signals that weights and the static grid of interactions are connected entities. Therefore assuming that a protein interaction is governed by a single domain interaction, we observe strong and significant correlations of the highest scoring domain interaction and the confidence of protein interactions in the underlying interactions of yeast and fly. Modeling an interaction between proteins if we find a high scoring protein domain interaction we obtain 1, 428 protein interactions among 361 proteins in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Assessing their quality by a logistic regression method we observe that increasing confidence of predicted interactions is accompanied by high scoring domain interactions and elevated levels of functional similarity and evolutionary conservation. Our results indicate that probability scores are randomly distributed, allowing to treat static grid and weights of domain interactions as separate entities. In particular, these finding confirms earlier observations that a protein interaction is a matter of a single interaction event on domain level. As an immediate application, we show a simple way to predict potential protein interactions

  3. Evaluation of the light weight Juggling system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erev-Yehene Vered

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the training of juggling skills, a highly complex problem of coordination, under tight time and space constraints. This training is achieved with a simple training platform, a light weight juggling platform (LWJ, and is compared to training with real balls. The principle directing the design of the platform is to obtain a simple tool. The simplification, in comparison to real world juggling, is based on the identification of invariant properties in the spatiotemporal coordination of intermediate and expert jugglers. Two classes training solutions were added to the LWJ: An audio-tactile pacing or augmented multimodal environment, and the manipulation of cognitive components of the juggling skills. The transfer to juggling with real balls was evaluated in four different experiments.

  4. Simple, inexpensive computerized rodent activity meters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horton, R M; Karachunski, P I; Kellermann, S A; Conti-Fine, B M

    1995-10-01

    We describe two approaches for using obsolescent computers, either an IBM PC XT or an Apple Macintosh Plus, to accurately quantify spontaneous rodent activity, as revealed by continuous monitoring of the spontaneous usage of running activity wheels. Because such computers can commonly be obtained at little or no expense, and other commonly available materials and inexpensive parts can be used, these meters can be built quite economically. Construction of these meters requires no specialized electronics expertise, and their software requirements are simple. The computer interfaces are potentially of general interest, as they could also be used for monitoring a variety of events in a research setting.

  5. Drawing a Crowd: Graphic Novel Events Are Great Ways to Generate Excitement

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacDonald, Heidi

    2004-01-01

    As graphic novels grow in popularity, with teen readers, libraries are finding the world of comics, manga, and anime a fertile field for inspiring events, as well as a great way to promote libraries to teens in general. These events can range from simple--a reading/signing--to elaborate--workshops, or even a mini convention. All provide a unique…

  6. Comparison of conventional and diffusion-weighted MRI and proton MR spectroscopy in patients with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like events

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abe, K.; Hikita, T.; Sakoda, S. [Department of Neurology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871, Osaka (Japan); Yoshimura, H.; Tanaka, H.; Fujita, N. [Department of Radiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871, Osaka (Japan)

    2004-02-01

    The mechanism of neurological disturbances in patients with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) is controversial. We studied 12 patients with MELAS using conventional and diffusion weighted MRI (DWI) and MR spectroscopy (MRS), to look at the physiopathology of the stroke-like events. Although conventional MRI showed lesions in all patients, DWI was more sensitive. One patient did not show high signal on DWI 48 h after a from stroke-like episode, but MRS demonstrated a lactate peak in left occipital lobe; 2 weeks after the attack, high signal was demonstrated on the right frontal lobe where MRS had shown a lactate peak. Our findings suggest a possible predictive ability of {sup 1}H-MRS, in showing early MELAS lesions and supports the hypothesis that mitochondrial metabolic dysfunction may precedes abnormalities on DWI. (orig.)

  7. Comparison of conventional and diffusion-weighted MRI and proton MR spectroscopy in patients with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abe, K.; Hikita, T.; Sakoda, S.; Yoshimura, H.; Tanaka, H.; Fujita, N.

    2004-01-01

    The mechanism of neurological disturbances in patients with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) is controversial. We studied 12 patients with MELAS using conventional and diffusion weighted MRI (DWI) and MR spectroscopy (MRS), to look at the physiopathology of the stroke-like events. Although conventional MRI showed lesions in all patients, DWI was more sensitive. One patient did not show high signal on DWI 48 h after a from stroke-like episode, but MRS demonstrated a lactate peak in left occipital lobe; 2 weeks after the attack, high signal was demonstrated on the right frontal lobe where MRS had shown a lactate peak. Our findings suggest a possible predictive ability of 1 H-MRS, in showing early MELAS lesions and supports the hypothesis that mitochondrial metabolic dysfunction may precedes abnormalities on DWI. (orig.)

  8. Molecular Formula and Molecular Weight - NBDC NikkajiRDF | LSDB Archive [Life Science Database Archive metadata

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available List Contact us NBDC NikkajiRDF Molecular Formula and Molecular Weight Data detail Data name Molecular Formula and Molecul...- Description of data contents This RDF data includes molecular formula and molecular weight of chemical sub...ikkajiRDF_MFMW.tar.gz File size: 404 MB Simple search URL - Data acquisition method The data was converted from data of molecul...ar formulas and molecular weights in Basic Information ( http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.j... Policy | Contact Us Molecular Formula and Molecular Weight - NBDC NikkajiRDF | LSDB Archive ...

  9. Benefits and risks of weight-loss treatment for older, obese women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rossen LM

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Lauren M Rossen,1,2 Vanessa A Milsom,1,3 Kathryn R Middleton,1,4 Michael J Daniels,5,6 Michael G Perri1,71Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; 2National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, MD, USA; 3Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; 4Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA; 5Department of Statistics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; 6Division of Statistics and Scientific Computation, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; 7College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USABackground: A key issue in the treatment of obesity in older adults is whether the health benefits of weight loss outweigh the potential risks with respect to musculoskeletal injury.Objective: To compare change in weight, improvements in metabolic risk factors, and reported musculoskeletal adverse events in middle-aged (50–59 years and older (65–74 years, obese women.Materials and methods: Participants completed an initial 6-month lifestyle intervention for weight loss, comprised of weekly group sessions, followed by 12 months of extended care with biweekly contacts. Weight and fasting blood samples were assessed at baseline, month 6, and month 18; data regarding adverse events were collected throughout the duration of the study.Results: Both middle-aged (n = 162 and older (n = 56 women achieved significant weight reductions from baseline to month 6 (10.1 ± 0.68 kg and 9.3 ± 0.76 kg, respectively and maintained a large proportion of their losses at month 18 (7.6 ± 0.87 kg and 7.6 ± 1.3 kg, respectively; there were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to weight change. Older women further

  10. Event reconstruction with MarlinReco at the International Linear ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    event reconstruction system, based on the particle flow concept. Version 00-02 contains the following processors: Tracker hit digitisation: For the vertex system there are two different digitisers available. A simple digitiser translates simulated .... of showers in the calorimeter. The Fortran-based simulation and reconstruction.

  11. Diferenciação entre cisto simples e hemangioma hepático utilizando seqüência de ressonância magnética ponderada em T2 com técnica gradiente-eco (B-FFE Differentiation between simple cyst and hepatic hemangioma utilizing T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging with gradient-echo (b-FFE technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carolina Valente Burim

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Estabelecer o valor das seqüências ponderadas em T2 para diferenciar cistos simples de hemangiomas hepáticos. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Estudo prospectivo, observacional, transversal e duplo-cego em 52 pacientes com 91 lesões hepáticas (34 cistos simples e 57 hemangiomas submetidos a ressonância magnética de abdome. A análise conjunta de todas as seqüências realizadas foi considerada o padrão-ouro. Dois observadores independentes avaliaram, subjetivamente, as seqüências TSE com TE longo e B-FFE, procurando diferenciar cistos de hemangiomas. Foram calculadas a eficácia das seqüências e a concordância interobservador e intra-observador por meio do teste kappa (κ (p OBJECTIVE: To establish the role of MRI T2-weighted sequences in the differentiation between simple cysts and hepatic hemangiomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A double-blinded, prospective, observational, cross-sectional study evaluated 52 patients with 91 hepatic lesions (34 simple cysts and 57 hemangiomas submitted to abdominal magnetic resonance imaging. The combined analysis of all sequences was considered as the golden-standard. TSE sequences with long echo trains and b-FFE sequences were subjectively analyzed by two independent observers for differentiating cysts from hemangiomas. The kappa test (κ was utilized in the analysis of the methods accuracy and inter- and intra-observer agreement (p < 0.05*. RESULTS: Cysts and hemangiomas dimensions ranged respectively between 0.5 and 6.5 cm (mean = 1.89 cm, and 0.8 and 11 cm (mean = 2.62 cm. The analysis of the sequences with long-TE and the golden-standard demonstrated a non-statistically significant agreement (κ: 0.00-0.10. The agreement between the evaluation of the b-FFE sequence and the golden-standard ranged from substantial (κ: 0.62-0.71 to almost perfect (κ: 0.86 for both observers. The inter- and intra-observer agreement for the b-FFE sequence ranged from substantial (κ: 0.62-0.70 to almost perfect (κ

  12. Weight-controlled capillary viscometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Digilov, Rafael M.; Reiner, M.

    2005-11-01

    The draining of a water column through a vertical discharge capillary tube is examined with the aid of a force sensor. The change of the mass of the liquid in the column with time is found to be not purely exponential as implied by Poiseuille's law. Using observed residuals associated with a kinetic energy correction, an approximate formula for the mass as a function of time is derived and excellent agreement with experimental data is attained. These results are verified by a viscosity test of distilled water at room temperature. A simple and inexpensive weight-controlled capillary viscometer is proposed that is especially suitable for undergraduate physics and chemistry laboratories.

  13. Matching factorization theorems with an inverse-error weighting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Echevarria, Miguel G.; Kasemets, Tomas; Lansberg, Jean-Philippe; Pisano, Cristian; Signori, Andrea

    2018-06-01

    We propose a new fast method to match factorization theorems applicable in different kinematical regions, such as the transverse-momentum-dependent and the collinear factorization theorems in Quantum Chromodynamics. At variance with well-known approaches relying on their simple addition and subsequent subtraction of double-counted contributions, ours simply builds on their weighting using the theory uncertainties deduced from the factorization theorems themselves. This allows us to estimate the unknown complete matched cross section from an inverse-error-weighted average. The method is simple and provides an evaluation of the theoretical uncertainty of the matched cross section associated with the uncertainties from the power corrections to the factorization theorems (additional uncertainties, such as the nonperturbative ones, should be added for a proper comparison with experimental data). Its usage is illustrated with several basic examples, such as Z boson, W boson, H0 boson and Drell-Yan lepton-pair production in hadronic collisions, and compared to the state-of-the-art Collins-Soper-Sterman subtraction scheme. It is also not limited to the transverse-momentum spectrum, and can straightforwardly be extended to match any (un)polarized cross section differential in other variables, including multi-differential measurements.

  14. [The kangaroo mothers' programme: a simple and cost-effective alternative for protecting the premature newborn or low-birth-weight babies].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lizarazo-Medina, Jenny P; Ospina-Diaz, Juan M; Ariza-Riaño, Nelly E

    2012-06-01

    Describing the efficacy and achievements of the kangaroo mothers' programme (KMP) regarding preterm or low-birth-weight babies' health and development in Hospital San Rafael in Tunja from November 2007 to December 2009. This was a retrospective observational cohort study; 374 infants born prematurely or having low-birth-weight were included to assess household socio-demographic factors, maternal and obstetric history, delivery characteristics and complications and follow-up until 40 weeks post-conception age. There was a high prevalence of teenage pregnancy (17.5 %) and in women older than 35 years (12.6 %), unwanted pregnancy (40.6 %), low quality and poor availability of food in families, complications such as preeclampsia, infection and premature rupture of membranes, 1,969 grams average birth weight, 2,742.9 grams average weight on discharge and 22 grams average weight gain per day. It was found that KMP methodology substantially improved the mothers' psychological aspects and health status and the newborns' prognosis and led to stabilising body temperature and weight gain rate while decreasing risks of complications and nosocomial infection. It also lowered health care costs and shortened hospital stay.

  15. The analysis of relative marks of endocrine function in Children with simple obesity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Deyi; Zhang Chao; Hou Guihua; Wang Haodan

    2002-01-01

    To explore the endocrine function in children with simple obesity, the plasma concentration of BS, TC, TG, GH, TSH, T 3 , T 4 , INS, C-P, GR are detected by RIA in 65 children with simple obesity and 60 normal-weighted children of 8-16 years old. The results show the plasma level of TG, INS increased significantly (P<0.01), and the plasma level of GH decreased significantly (P<0.01), compared with the control group. It suggests that obesity may interfere in endocrine function, obesity may be responsible for the earlier gonadal development and maturity

  16. Proton dose distribution measurements using a MOSFET detector with a simple dose-weighted correction method for LET effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohno, Ryosuke; Hotta, Kenji; Matsuura, Taeko; Matsubara, Kana; Nishioka, Shie; Nishio, Teiji; Kawashima, Mitsuhiko; Ogino, Takashi

    2011-04-04

    We experimentally evaluated the proton beam dose reproducibility, sensitivity, angular dependence and depth-dose relationships for a new Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) detector. The detector was fabricated with a thinner oxide layer and was operated at high-bias voltages. In order to accurately measure dose distributions, we developed a practical method for correcting the MOSFET response to proton beams. The detector was tested by examining lateral dose profiles formed by protons passing through an L-shaped bolus. The dose reproducibility, angular dependence and depth-dose response were evaluated using a 190 MeV proton beam. Depth-output curves produced using the MOSFET detectors were compared with results obtained using an ionization chamber (IC). Since accurate measurements of proton dose distribution require correction for LET effects, we developed a simple dose-weighted correction method. The correction factors were determined as a function of proton penetration depth, or residual range. The residual proton range at each measurement point was calculated using the pencil beam algorithm. Lateral measurements in a phantom were obtained for pristine and SOBP beams. The reproducibility of the MOSFET detector was within 2%, and the angular dependence was less than 9%. The detector exhibited a good response at the Bragg peak (0.74 relative to the IC detector). For dose distributions resulting from protons passing through an L-shaped bolus, the corrected MOSFET dose agreed well with the IC results. Absolute proton dosimetry can be performed using MOSFET detectors to a precision of about 3% (1 sigma). A thinner oxide layer thickness improved the LET in proton dosimetry. By employing correction methods for LET dependence, it is possible to measure absolute proton dose using MOSFET detectors.

  17. Proton dose distribution measurements using a MOSFET detector with a simple dose‐weighted correction method for LET effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hotta, Kenji; Matsuura, Taeko; Matsubara, Kana; Nishioka, Shie; Nishio, Teiji; Kawashima, Mitsuhiko; Ogino, Takashi

    2011-01-01

    We experimentally evaluated the proton beam dose reproducibility, sensitivity, angular dependence and depth‐dose relationships for a new Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) detector. The detector was fabricated with a thinner oxide layer and was operated at high‐bias voltages. In order to accurately measure dose distributions, we developed a practical method for correcting the MOSFET response to proton beams. The detector was tested by examining lateral dose profiles formed by protons passing through an L‐shaped bolus. The dose reproducibility, angular dependence and depth‐dose response were evaluated using a 190 MeV proton beam. Depth‐output curves produced using the MOSFET detectors were compared with results obtained using an ionization chamber (IC). Since accurate measurements of proton dose distribution require correction for LET effects, we developed a simple dose‐weighted correction method. The correction factors were determined as a function of proton penetration depth, or residual range. The residual proton range at each measurement point was calculated using the pencil beam algorithm. Lateral measurements in a phantom were obtained for pristine and SOBP beams. The reproducibility of the MOSFET detector was within 2%, and the angular dependence was less than 9%. The detector exhibited a good response at the Bragg peak (0.74 relative to the IC detector). For dose distributions resulting from protons passing through an L‐shaped bolus, the corrected MOSFET dose agreed well with the IC results. Absolute proton dosimetry can be performed using MOSFET detectors to a precision of about 3% (1 sigma). A thinner oxide layer thickness improved the LET in proton dosimetry. By employing correction methods for LET dependence, it is possible to measure absolute proton dose using MOSFET detectors. PACS number: 87.56.‐v

  18. On discretization of tori of compact simple Lie groups: II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hrivnák, Jiří; Motlochová, Lenka; Patera, Jiří

    2012-01-01

    The discrete orthogonality of special function families, called C- and S-functions, which are derived from the characters of compact simple Lie groups, is described in Hrivnák and Patera (2009 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 42 385208). Here, the results of Hrivnák and Patera are extended to two additional recently discovered families of special functions, called S s - and S l -functions. The main result is an explicit description of their pairwise discrete orthogonality within each family, when the functions are sampled on finite fragments F s M and F l M of a lattice in any dimension n ⩾ 2 and of any density controlled by M, and of the symmetry of the weight lattice of any compact simple Lie group with two different lengths of roots. (paper)

  19. The push-off test: development of a simple, reliable test of upper extremity weight-bearing capability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vincent, Joshua I; MacDermid, Joy C; Michlovitz, Susan L; Rafuse, Richard; Wells-Rowsell, Christina; Wong, Owen; Bisbee, Leslie

    2014-01-01

    Longitudinal clinical measurement study. The push-off test (POT) is a novel and simple measure of upper extremity weight-bearing that can be measured with a grip dynamometer. There are no published studies on the validity and reliability of the POT. The relationship between upper extremity self-report activity/participation and impairment measures remain an unexplored realm. The primary purpose of this study is to estimate the intra and inter-rater reliability and construct validity of the POT. The secondary purpose is to estimate the relationship between upper extremity self-report activity/participation questionnaires and impairment measures. A convenience sample of 22 patients with wrist or elbow injuries were tested for POT, wrist/elbow range of motion (ROM), isometric wrist extension strength (WES) and grip strength; and completed two self-report activity/participation questionnaires: Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and the Hand (DASH) and Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ-26). POT's inter and intra-rater reliability and construct validity was tested. Pearson's correlations were run between the impairment measures and self-report questionnaires to look into the relationship amongst them. The POT demonstrated high inter-rater reliability (ICC affected = 0.97; 95% C.I. 0.93-0.99; ICC unaffected = 0.85; 95% C.I. 0.68-0.94) and intra-rater reliability (ICC affected = 0.96; 95% C.I. 0.92-0.97; ICC unaffected = 0.92; 95% C.I. 0.85-0.97). The POT was correlated moderately with the DASH (r = -0.47; p = 0.03). While examining the relationship between upper extremity self-reported activity/participation questionnaires and impairment measures the strongest correlation was between the DASH and the POT (r = -0.47; p = 0.03) and none of the correlations with the other physical impairment measures reached significance. At-work disability demonstrated insignificant correlations with physical impairments. The POT test provides a reliable and easily

  20. Major rapid weight loss induces changes in cardiac repolarization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vedel-Larsen, Esben; Iepsen, Eva Winning; Lundgren, Julie

    2016-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Obesity is associated with increased all-cause mortality, but weight loss may not decrease cardiovascular events. In fact, very low calorie diets have been linked to arrhythmias and sudden death. The QT interval is the standard marker for cardiac repolarization, but T-wave morphology...... analysis has been suggested as a more sensitive method to identify changes in cardiac repolarization. We examined the effect of a major and rapid weight loss on T-wave morphology. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-six individuals had electrocardiograms (ECG) taken before and after eight weeks of weight loss......A1c (pweight loss induces changes in cardiac repolarization. Monitoring of MCS during calorie restriction makes it possible to detect repolarization changes with higher discriminative power than the QT-interval during major rapid weight...

  1. Holmium laser enucleation versus laparoscopic simple prostatectomy for large adenomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juaneda, R; Thanigasalam, R; Rizk, J; Perrot, E; Theveniaud, P E; Baumert, H

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study is to compare Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate with another minimally invasive technique, the laparoscopic simple prostatectomy. We compared outcomes of a series of 40 patients who underwent laparoscopic simple prostatectomy (n=20) with laser enucleation of the prostate (n=20) for large adenomas (>100 grams) at our institution. Study variables included operative time and catheterization time, hospital stay, pre- and post-operative International Prostate Symptom Score and maximum urinary flow rate, complications and economic evaluation. Statistical analyses were performed using the Student t test and Fisher test. There were no significant differences in patient age, preoperative prostatic size, operating time or specimen weight between the 2 groups. Duration of catheterization (P=.0008) and hospital stay (P.99). Holmium enucleation of the prostate has similar short term functional results and complication rates compared to laparoscopic simple prostatectomy performed in large glands with the advantage of less catheterization time, lower economic costs and a reduced hospital stay. Copyright © 2015 AEU. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  2. Topology and weights in a protein domain interaction network – a novel way to predict protein interactions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wuchty Stefan

    2006-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background While the analysis of unweighted biological webs as diverse as genetic, protein and metabolic networks allowed spectacular insights in the inner workings of a cell, biological networks are not only determined by their static grid of links. In fact, we expect that the heterogeneity in the utilization of connections has a major impact on the organization of cellular activities as well. Results We consider a web of interactions between protein domains of the Protein Family database (PFAM, which are weighted by a probability score. We apply metrics that combine the static layout and the weights of the underlying interactions. We observe that unweighted measures as well as their weighted counterparts largely share the same trends in the underlying domain interaction network. However, we only find weak signals that weights and the static grid of interactions are connected entities. Therefore assuming that a protein interaction is governed by a single domain interaction, we observe strong and significant correlations of the highest scoring domain interaction and the confidence of protein interactions in the underlying interactions of yeast and fly. Modeling an interaction between proteins if we find a high scoring protein domain interaction we obtain 1, 428 protein interactions among 361 proteins in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Assessing their quality by a logistic regression method we observe that increasing confidence of predicted interactions is accompanied by high scoring domain interactions and elevated levels of functional similarity and evolutionary conservation. Conclusion Our results indicate that probability scores are randomly distributed, allowing to treat static grid and weights of domain interactions as separate entities. In particular, these finding confirms earlier observations that a protein interaction is a matter of a single interaction event on domain level. As an immediate application, we

  3. Potentially lethal effects of astrophysical high energy explosive events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zarauza, Dario; Martin, Osmel; Rolando Cardenas

    2007-01-01

    In this work we compare the biological extinction risks posed by different types of high energy explosive events, if they occur at distances close enough to inhabited planets. These events are several kinds of supernovae and gamma ray bursts. We mainly consider the ozone depletion, leaving other effects, as photon retransmission and muon showers, for future work. In order to estimate the damage on ozonosphere, we use a simple analytical model for ozone depletion. We also mention some hints to look for the signatures of these events on Earth biogeochemical record, and evaluate the possibility of applying these results to the astrobiologically interesting sample of stars gathered by Porto de Mello, del Peloso and Ghezzi. (Author)

  4. Toward zero waste events: Reducing contamination in waste streams with volunteer assistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zelenika, Ivana; Moreau, Tara; Zhao, Jiaying

    2018-03-22

    Public festivals and events generate a tremendous amount of waste, especially when they involve food and drink. To reduce contamination across waste streams, we evaluated three types of interventions at a public event. In a randomized control trial, we examined the impact of volunteer staff assistance, bin tops, and sample 3D items with bin tops, on the amount of contamination and the weight of the organics, recyclable containers, paper, and garbage bins at a public event. The event was the annual Apple Festival held at the University of British Columbia, which was attended by around 10,000 visitors. We found that contamination was the lowest in the volunteer staff condition among all conditions. Specifically, volunteer staff reduced contamination by 96.1% on average in the organics bin, 96.9% in the recyclable containers bin, 97.0% in the paper bin, and 84.9% in the garbage bin. Our interventions did not influence the weight of the materials in the bins. This finding highlights the impact of volunteers on reducing contamination in waste streams at events, and provides suggestions and implications for waste management for event organizers to minimize contamination in all waste streams to achieve zero waste goals. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  5. Detecting Seismic Events Using a Supervised Hidden Markov Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burks, L.; Forrest, R.; Ray, J.; Young, C.

    2017-12-01

    We explore the use of supervised hidden Markov models (HMMs) to detect seismic events in streaming seismogram data. Current methods for seismic event detection include simple triggering algorithms, such as STA/LTA and the Z-statistic, which can lead to large numbers of false positives that must be investigated by an analyst. The hypothesis of this study is that more advanced detection methods, such as HMMs, may decreases false positives while maintaining accuracy similar to current methods. We train a binary HMM classifier using 2 weeks of 3-component waveform data from the International Monitoring System (IMS) that was carefully reviewed by an expert analyst to pick all seismic events. Using an ensemble of simple and discrete features, such as the triggering of STA/LTA, the HMM predicts the time at which transition occurs from noise to signal. Compared to the STA/LTA detection algorithm, the HMM detects more true events, but the false positive rate remains unacceptably high. Future work to potentially decrease the false positive rate may include using continuous features, a Gaussian HMM, and multi-class HMMs to distinguish between types of seismic waves (e.g., P-waves and S-waves). Acknowledgement: Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA-0003525.SAND No: SAND2017-8154 A

  6. A randomized, placebo-controlled study of zonisamide to prevent olanzapine-associated weight gain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McElroy, Susan L; Winstanley, Erin; Mori, Nicole; Martens, Brian; McCoy, Jessica; Moeller, Dianna; Guerdjikova, Anna I; Keck, Paul E

    2012-04-01

    Weight gain is commonly observed with olanzapine treatment. Zonisamide is an antiepileptic drug associated with weight loss. This study examined the effectiveness of zonisamide in preventing weight gain in 42 patients beginning olanzapine for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Each patient had a body mass index of 22 mg/kg or greater and was randomized to taking olanzapine with either zonisamide (n = 20) or placebo (n = 22) for 16 weeks. The primary outcome measure was change in body weight in kilograms from baseline. In the primary analysis using longitudinal regression, patients who received zonisamide had a significantly slower rate of weight gain and increase in body mass index than those who received placebo. The patients treated with zonisamide gained a mean (SD) of 0.9 (3.3) kg, whereas those treated with placebo gained a mean (SD) of 5.0 (5.5) kg; P = 0.01. None of the patients in the zonisamide group, compared with 7 patients (33%) in the placebo group, gained 7% of body weight or greater from baseline (Fisher exact test, P = 0.009). The zonisamide group, however, reported significantly more cognitive impairment as an adverse event than the placebo group (25% vs 0, respectively; P = 0.02). Zonisamide was effective for mitigating weight gain in patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia initiating treatment with olanzapine but was associated with cognitive impairment as an adverse event.

  7. Sistem Pendukung Keputusan Evaluasi Pemilihan Pemenang Pengadaan Aset dengan Metode Simple Additive Weighting (SAW)

    OpenAIRE

    Fajar Nugraha; Bayu Surarso; Beta Noranita

    2014-01-01

    Procurement of assets by auction requires a decision support in selecting the winning bidder so that decision makers can pick and choose the winner of the auction. This study aims to develop a Decision Support System (DSS), which serves as an aid in decision mak ing in the process  of  evaluating  the  winning  bidder  acquisitions.  In order to  achieve  the  purpose  of  SPK  well  then helped  by  using  one  of  the methods in decision-making that is the method of Simple Additive weightin...

  8. Measurement of the top quark mass using neutrino φ weighting method in dilepton events at CDF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bellettini, G.; Budagov, Yu.; Chlachidze, G.; Glagolev, V.; Prakoshyn, F.; Sisakyan, A.; Suslov, I.; Giokaris, N.; Velev, G.

    2005-01-01

    We report on a measurement of the top quark mass in the dilepton channel of tt bar events from pp bar collisions at √s = 1.96 TeV. The integrated luminosity of the data sample is 340 pb -1 . 33 events were reconstructed according to the tt bar hypothesis and fitted as a superposition of signal and background. Using the background constrained fit (with 11.6 ± 2.1 events expected from background) M top = 169.8 ± 9.3 9.2 (stat.) GeV/c 2 is measured. The estimate of systematic error is ± 3.8 GeV/c 2

  9. A note on multi-criteria inventory classification using weighted linear optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rezaei Jafar

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Recently, Ramanathan (R., Ramanathan, ABC inventory classification with multiple-criteria using weighted linear optimization, Computer and Operations Research, 33(3 (2006 695-700 introduced a simple DEA-like model to classify inventory items on the basis of multiple criteria. However, the classification results produced by Ramanathan are not consistent with the domination concept encouraged some researchers to extend his model. In this paper, we produce the correct results and compare them to the original results and those of the extended models. We also improve this model to rank items with an optimal score of 1 using a cross-efficiency technique. The classification results are considerably different from the original results. Despite the fact that the correct results are obtained in this paper, there is no significant difference between the original model and its extensions, while the original model is more simple and suitable for the situations in which decision-maker cannot assign specific weights to individual criteria.

  10. Declarative Event-Based Workflow as Distributed Dynamic Condition Response Graphs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hildebrandt, Thomas; Mukkamala, Raghava Rao

    2010-01-01

    We present Dynamic Condition Response Graphs (DCR Graphs) as a declarative, event-based process model inspired by the workflow language employed by our industrial partner and conservatively generalizing prime event structures. A dynamic condition response graph is a directed graph with nodes repr...... exemplify the use of distributed DCR Graphs on a simple workflow taken from a field study at a Danish hospital, pointing out their flexibility compared to imperative workflow models. Finally we provide a mapping from DCR Graphs to Buchi-automata....

  11. A model for measuring the environmental sustainability of events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boggia, Antonio; Massei, Gianluca; Paolotti, Luisa; Rocchi, Lucia; Schiavi, Federico

    2018-01-15

    Like all human activities, events can generate significant pressures on environmental resources, unless they are well-managed and monitored. Therefore, it is becoming more and more important to develop models that can measure their environmental sustainability. Although increasing attention is being paid to this sector, there is currently no standard protocol or method to assess the eco-sustainability of events. This article presents an innovative assessment procedure to measure the environmental sustainability of events. It is based on several indicators, combined by means of a multi-criteria approach and aggregated into a final index, which we called METER (Measuring Events Through Environmental Research). The METER index uses nine major operational categories, divided in sub-categories and detailed items, which cover all the main aspects concerning environmental sustainability of an event and are evaluated for all its phases, i.e. planning, organisation, implementation, post event. The index is fairly analytical, and is thus able to represent the numerous aspects to be taken into consideration in the environmental assessment of an event. At the same time, it is simple to apply and user-friendly, thanks to its graphics and effective communication of the web platform within it is implemented. Moreover, METER is based on a participatory approach using the bottom-up model and on the principle of subsidiarity. All official international documents regarding sustainable development now require subsidiarity. However, it is not being currently applied as part of any certification or with any evaluation tool. Therefore, although the index is still a prototype, it represents an innovation in the field of environmental management. A simple exemplary case is presented, about a European Spring School held at University of Perugia (Italy) in 2014, in which the application of METER showed a sustainability assessment score of 638 points out of 1000, with an excellent management

  12. Multiple Event Localization in a Sparse Acoustic Sensor Network Using UAVs as Data Mules

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-01

    the events to arrive in different orders at the sensors. Consequently , simple rules to group the ToAs from an event at different sensors, such as...a Microhard radio to forward the ToAs to the mule-UAV. Two Procerus Unicorn UAVs were used with different payloads. The imaging- UAV was equipped

  13. Amiodarone-induced hyperthyroidism during massive weight loss following gastric bypass.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bourron, Olivier; Ciangura, Cécile; Bouillot, Jean-Luc; Massias, Laurent; Poitou, Christine; Oppert, Jean-Michel

    2007-11-01

    Gastric bypass is increasingly used in morbidly obese patients to achieve significant reduction of body weight and fat mass and concurrent improvement in co-morbidities. We report the case of a 53-year-old male patient (141 kg, BMI 50 kg/m2), successfully treated by amiodarone for supraventricular arrythmia, who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP). 6 months after surgery, he had lost 45% of his preoperative weight (44.8% of weight loss was lean mass) and developed amiodarone-induced subclinical hyperthyroidism. We hypothesize the following sequence of events: weight loss after RYGBP, therefore fat loss, decrease in distribution volume of amiodarone inducing iodine overload and hyperthyroidism, reinforcing weight loss and particularly loss of lean mass. This report emphasizes the importance of careful monitoring of weight and body composition changes after RYGBP. In this situation, checking thyroid status is recommended, especially when there is a history of thyroid disease or potentially toxic thyroid medication.

  14. Celestial delights the best astronomical events through 2020

    CERN Document Server

    Reddy, Francis

    2012-01-01

    Celestial Delights is the essential 'TV Guide' for the sky. Through extensive graphics integrated with an eight-year-long calendar of sky events, it provides a look at "don't miss" sky events, mostly for naked-eye and binocular observing. It is organized by ease of observation – lunar phases and the brighter planets come first, with solar eclipses, the aurora, and comets coming later. This third edition also includes a hefty dose of sky lore, astronomical history, and clear overviews of current science. It provides a handy reference to upcoming naked-eye events, with information broken out in clear and simple diagrams and tables that are cross-referenced against a detailed almanac for each year covered. This book puts a variety of information all in one place, presents it in a friendly way that does not require prior in-depth astronomical knowledge, and provides the context and historical background for understanding events that astronomy software or web sites lack.

  15. A Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Lowers Weight by Modulating the Structure of Gut Microbiota

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Zhao

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available In addition to improving glucose metabolism, liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, has weight-loss effects. The underlying mechanisms are not completely understood. This study was performed to explore whether liraglutide could lower weight by modulating the composition of the gut microbiota in simple obese and diabetic obese rats. In our study, Wistar and Goto-Kakizaki (GK rats were randomly treated with liraglutide or normal saline for 12 weeks. The biochemical parameters and metabolic hormones were measured. Hepatic glucose production and lipid metabolism were also assessed with isotope tracers. Changes in gut microbiota were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Both glucose and lipid metabolism were significantly improved by liraglutide. Liraglutide lowered body weight independent of glycemia status. The abundance and diversity of gut microbiota were considerably decreased by liraglutide. Liraglutide also decreased obesity-related microbial phenotypes and increased lean-related phenotypes. In conclusion, liraglutide can prevent weight gain by modulating the gut microbiota composition in both simple obese and diabetic obese subjects.

  16. Simple Sugar Intake and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Epidemiological and Mechanistic Insight

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Carlos Laguna

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Sugar intake has dramatically increased during the last few decades. Specifically, there has been a clear trend towards higher consumption of fructose and high fructose corn syrup, which are the most common added sugars in processed food, soft drinks and other sweetened beverages. Although still controversial, this rising trend in simple sugar consumption has been positively associated with weight gain and obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Interestingly, all of these metabolic alterations have also been related to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. The purpose of this review is to discuss the evidence coming from epidemiological studies and data from animal models relating the consumption of simple sugars, and specifically fructose, with an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and to gain insight into the putative molecular mechanisms involved.

  17. Distributed Event Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks for Disaster Management

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bahrepour, M.; Meratnia, Nirvana; Poel, Mannes; Taghikhaki, Zahra; Havinga, Paul J.M.

    2010-01-01

    Recently, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have become mature enough to go beyond being simple fine-grained continuous monitoring platforms and become one of the enabling technologies for disaster early-warning systems. Event detection functionality of WSNs can be of great help and importance for

  18. Analysis of unprotected overcooling events in the Integral Fast Reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vilim, R.B.

    1989-01-01

    Simple analytic models are developed for predicting the response of a metal fueled, liquid-metal cooled reactor to unprotected overcooling events in the balance of plant. All overcooling initiators are shown to fall into two categories. The first category contains these events for which there is no final equilibrium state of constant overcooling, as in the case for a large steam leak. These events are analyzed using a non-flow control mass approach. The second category contains those events which will eventually equilibrate, such as a loss of feedwater heaters. A steady flow control volume analysis shows that these latter events ultimately affect the plant through the feedwater inlet to the steam generator. The models developed for analyzing these two categories provide upper bounds for the reactor's passive response to overcooling accident initiators. Calculation of these bounds for a prototypic plant indicate that failure limits -- eutectic melting, sodium boiling, fuel pin failure -- are not exceeded in any overcooling event. 2 refs

  19. $\\gamma$-$\\gamma$ and $\\gamma$-p events at high energies

    CERN Document Server

    Schuler, Gerhard A.; Gerhard A Schuler; Torbjorn Sjostrand

    1994-01-01

    A real photon has a complicated nature, whereby it may remain unresolved or fluctuate into a vector meson or a perturbative q-qbar pair. Based on this picture, we previously presented a model for gamma-p events that is based on the presence of three main event classes: direct, VMD and anomalous. In gamma-gamma events, a natural generalization gives three-by-three combinations of the nature of the two incoming photons, and thus six distinct event classes. The properties of these classes are constrained by the choices already made, in the gamma-p model, of cut-off procedures and other aspects. It is therefore possible to predict the energy-dependence of the cross section for each of the six components separately. The total cross section thus obtained is in good agreement with data, and also gives support to the idea that a simple factorized ansatz with a pomeron and a reggeon term can be a good approximation. Event properties undergo a logical evolution from p-p to gamma-p to gamma-gamma events, with larger cha...

  20. The determination of weight loss in grain fragments. Report of the Tropical Development and Research Institute (L70)

    OpenAIRE

    Rowley, J.Q.

    1985-01-01

    An experiment was designed (a) to examine the weight losses caused by Sitophilus feeding on maize cultures which contained different proportions (0%, 5% and 15%) of broken grains and (b) to assess and compare the efficiency of different weight loss assessment methods on the different cultures. The weight loss assessment methods examined were the Count and Weigh, the Converted Percentage Damage, the Simple and Multiple Thousand Grain Mass (TGM) methods and the Standard Volume Weight (SVW) meth...

  1. Association of nutritional status-related indices and chemotherapy-induced adverse events in gastric cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seo, Seung Hee; Kim, Sung-Eun; Kang, Yoon-Koo; Ryoo, Baek-Yeol; Ryu, Min-Hee; Jeong, Jae Ho; Kang, Shin Sook; Yang, Mihi; Lee, Jung Eun; Sung, Mi-Kyung

    2016-11-18

    Malnutrition in gastrectomized patients receiving chemotherapy is associated with the susceptibility to chemotherapy-related adverse events. This study evaluated pre-operative nutritional status-related indices associated with adverse events in post-operation gastric cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Medical records of 234 gastrectomized patients under adjuvant tegafur/gimeracil/oteracil chemotherapy with extended lymph node dissection were analyzed. Nutritional status assessment included Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), body weight, body mass index, serum albumin concentration, and Nutrition Risk Index (NRI). Chemotherapy-originated adverse events were determined using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. PG-SGA indicated 59% of the patients were malnourished, and 27.8% of the patients revealed serious malnutrition with PG-SGA score of ≥9. Fifteen % of patients lost ≥10% of the initial body weight, 14.5% of the patients had hypoalbuminemia (cancer patients.

  2. Thromboembolic events associated with single balloon-, double balloon-, and stent-assisted coil embolization of asymptomatic unruptured cerebral aneurysms: evaluation with diffusion-weighted MR imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takigawa, Tomoji; Suzuki, Kensuke; Sugiura, Yoshiki; Suzuki, Ryotaro; Takano, Issei; Shimizu, Nobuyuki; Tanaka, Yoshihiro; Hyodo, Akio

    2014-01-01

    The introduction of the balloon remodeling and stent-assisted technique has revolutionized the approach to coil embolization for wide-neck aneurysms. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of thromboembolic events associated with single balloon-assisted, double balloon-assisted, and stent-assisted coil embolization for asymptomatic unruptured aneurysms. A retrospective review was undertaken by 119 patients undergoing coiling with an adjunctive technique for unruptured saccular aneurysms (64 single balloon, 12 double balloon, 43 stent assisted). All underwent diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) within 24 h after the procedure. DWI showed hyperintense lesions in 48 (40 %) patients, and ten (21 %) of these patients incurred neurological deterioration (permanent, two; transient, eight). Hyperintense lesions were detected significantly more often in procedures with the double balloon-assisted technique (7/12, 58 %) than with the single balloon-assisted technique (16/64, 25 %, p = 0.05). Occurrence of new lesions was significantly higher with the use of stent-assisted technique (25/43, 58 %) than with the single balloon-assisted technique (p = 0.001). Symptomatic ischemic rates were similar between the three groups. The increased number of microcatheters was significantly related to the DWI abnormalities (two microcatheters, 15/63 (23.8 %); three microcatheters, 20/41 (48.8 %) (p = 0.008); four microcatheters, 12/15 (80 %) (p = 0.001)). Thromboembolic events detected on DWI related to coil embolization for unruptured aneurysms are relatively common, especially in association with the double balloon-assisted and stent-assisted techniques. Furthermore, the number of microcatheters is highly correlated with DWI abnormalities. The high rate of thromboembolic events suggests the need for evaluation of platelet reactivity and the addition or change of antiplatelet agents. (orig.)

  3. Analyses of Design Extended Condition Events for the Prototype Gen-IV SFR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Chiwoong; Jeong, Taekyung; Lee, Kwilim; Jeong, Jaeho; Ha, Kwiseok

    2015-01-01

    In this study, the sensitivity tests are conducted. In the case of the UTOP event, a sensitivity test for the reactivity insertion amount and rate were conducted. This analysis can give a requirement for margin of control rod stop system (CRSS). For example, the CRSS in the PRISM designed based on the 0.4 $ reactivity insertion, which is analyzed with safety analysis of UTOP event. Moreover, the sensitivity tests for weighting factor in the core radial expansion reactivity feedback model were also carried out for all ATWS events. Currently, the reactivity feedback model for the PGSFR is not validated yet. However, the reactivity feedback models in the MARS-LMR are validating with various plant-based data including EBR-II SHRT. The ATWS events for the PGSFR classified in the design extended condition including UTOP, ULOF, and ULOHS are analyzed with MARS-LMR. In this study, the sensitivity tests for reactivity insertion amount and rate in the UTOP event are conducted. The reactivity insertion amount is obviously an influential parameter. The reactivity insertion amount can give a requirement for design of the CRSS, therefore, this sensitivity result is very important to the CRSS. In addition, sensitivity tests for the weighting factor in the radial expansion reactivity model are carried out. The weighting factor for a grid plate, W GP , which means contribution of feedback in the grid plate is changed for all unprotected events. The grid plate expansion is governed by a core inlet temperature. As the W GP is increased, the power in the UTOP and the ULOF is increased, however, the power in the ULOHS is decreased. The higher power during transient means lower reactivity feedback and smaller expansion. Thus, the core outlet temperature rise is dominant in the UTOP and ULOF events, however, the core inlet temperature rise is dominant in the ULOHS. Therefore, the grid plate expansion in the ULOHS is predominant

  4. A model-based approach to operational event groups ranking

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simic, Zdenko [European Commission Joint Research Centre, Petten (Netherlands). Inst. for Energy and Transport; Maqua, Michael [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit mbH (GRS), Koeln (Germany); Wattrelos, Didier [Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire (IRSN), Fontenay-aux-Roses (France)

    2014-04-15

    The operational experience (OE) feedback provides improvements in all industrial activities. Identification of the most important and valuable groups of events within accumulated experience is important in order to focus on a detailed investigation of events. The paper describes the new ranking method and compares it with three others. Methods have been described and applied to OE events utilised by nuclear power plants in France and Germany for twenty years. The results show that different ranking methods only roughly agree on which of the event groups are the most important ones. In the new ranking method the analytical hierarchy process is applied in order to assure consistent and comprehensive weighting determination for ranking indexes. The proposed method allows a transparent and flexible event groups ranking and identification of the most important OE for further more detailed investigation in order to complete the feedback. (orig.)

  5. A pilot study of a weight management program with food provision in schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jean-Baptiste, Michel; Tek, Cenk; Liskov, Ellen; Chakunta, Umesh Rao; Nicholls, Sarah; Hassan, Akm Q; Brownell, Kelly D; Wexler, Bruce E

    2007-11-01

    Obesity is a serious medical problem that disproportionately affects people with severe mental illness. Behavioral strategies aimed at lifestyle modification have proven effective for weight loss in general population but have not been studied adequately among persons with schizophrenia. We have conducted a randomized controlled pilot trial of an established weight loss program, modified for this specific population, and supplemented with a novel food replacement program, as well as practical, community based teaching of shopping and preparing healthy food. The program not only arrested weight gain, and produced meaningful weight loss, but also weight loss continued 6 months after the intervention is completed. Cognitive impairment had no bearing to the extent a participant benefited from the program. As a conclusion, well designed simple behavioral programs can produce lasting weight loss for patients with schizophrenia and comorbid obesity, improve metabolic indices, and possibly decrease significant medical risks associated with obesity.

  6. The dynamic relationship between cerebellar Purkinje cell simple spikes and the spikelet number of complex spikes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burroughs, Amelia; Wise, Andrew K; Xiao, Jianqiang; Houghton, Conor; Tang, Tianyu; Suh, Colleen Y; Lang, Eric J; Apps, Richard; Cerminara, Nadia L

    2017-01-01

    Purkinje cells are the sole output of the cerebellar cortex and fire two distinct types of action potential: simple spikes and complex spikes. Previous studies have mainly considered complex spikes as unitary events, even though the waveform is composed of varying numbers of spikelets. The extent to which differences in spikelet number affect simple spike activity (and vice versa) remains unclear. We found that complex spikes with greater numbers of spikelets are preceded by higher simple spike firing rates but, following the complex spike, simple spikes are reduced in a manner that is graded with spikelet number. This dynamic interaction has important implications for cerebellar information processing, and suggests that complex spike spikelet number may maintain Purkinje cells within their operational range. Purkinje cells are central to cerebellar function because they form the sole output of the cerebellar cortex. They exhibit two distinct types of action potential: simple spikes and complex spikes. It is widely accepted that interaction between these two types of impulse is central to cerebellar cortical information processing. Previous investigations of the interactions between simple spikes and complex spikes have mainly considered complex spikes as unitary events. However, complex spikes are composed of an initial large spike followed by a number of secondary components, termed spikelets. The number of spikelets within individual complex spikes is highly variable and the extent to which differences in complex spike spikelet number affects simple spike activity (and vice versa) remains poorly understood. In anaesthetized adult rats, we have found that Purkinje cells recorded from the posterior lobe vermis and hemisphere have high simple spike firing frequencies that precede complex spikes with greater numbers of spikelets. This finding was also evident in a small sample of Purkinje cells recorded from the posterior lobe hemisphere in awake cats. In addition

  7. BIRTH WEIGHT : A COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J P SRIVASTAVA

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available India has a dubious distinction of belonging to the top bracket of countries with a very high under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR of above 96/1000 live births. The U5MR considered the single most significant basic indicator of health status of a community, is proportional to the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR which in turn is contributed to directly and indirectly by the incidence of low Birth Weight (LB W.About 25 million LB W are born each year consisting 17% of all live births,nearly 95% of them in developing countries. About 26% of newborns are LBW in India, and indeed over 16% in those countries with very high U5MR.Both preterm and small-for-dates almost equally make up this category of vulnerable infants predisposed to asphyxia, feeding problems, anemia and growth failure. Considering the close relationship of birth weight with perinatal and infant morbidity as well as mortality, it is crucial to identify the liigh risk groups of low birth weight babies as early as possible.Unfortunately, in a community where 80% of newborns never get to have their weight measured, this itself is a tall order. In our society, the cry of the newborn is greeted with anxious queries about the sex of the baby and not his well­being and potential for healthy survival. The basic concept of the importance of birth weight is missing even among educated families. Indeed, it is as if the weighing machine has no place in the requirements at childbirth. In the absence of this basic facility, field workers and TBAs must report to other means to identify babies at risk. Mid-arm circumference, thigh circumference, foot length, and skin-fold thickness etc. are measurements that have been correlated satisfactorily with the baby’s weight. Simple tools like coloured strips have been developed and these show promise of applicability in field situation for identification of LB W by TBAs for early referral.

  8. BIRTH WEIGHT : A COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J P SRIVASTAVA

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available India has a dubious distinction of belonging to the top bracket of countries with a very high under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR of above 96/1000 live births. The U5MR considered the single most significant basic indicator of health status of a community, is proportional to the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR which in turn is contributed to directly and indirectly by the incidence of low Birth Weight (LB W.About 25 million LB W are born each year consisting 17% of all live births,nearly 95% of them in developing countries. About 26% of newborns are LBW in India, and indeed over 16% in those countries with very high U5MR.Both preterm and small-for-dates almost equally make up this category of vulnerable infants predisposed to asphyxia, feeding problems, anemia and growth failure.Considering the close relationship of birth weight with perinatal and infant morbidity as well as mortality, it is crucial to identify the liigh risk groups of low birth weight babies as early as possible.Unfortunately, in a community where 80% of newborns never get to have their weight measured, this itself is a tall order. In our society, the cry of the newborn is greeted with anxious queries about the sex of the baby and not his well­being and potential for healthy survival. The basic concept of the importance of birth weight is missing even among educated families. Indeed, it is as if the weighing machine has no place in the requirements at childbirth. In the absence of this basic facility, field workers and TBAs must report to other means to identify babies at risk. Mid-arm circumference, thigh circumference, foot length, and skin-fold thickness etc. are measurements that have been correlated satisfactorily with the baby’s weight. Simple tools like coloured strips have been developed and these show promise of applicability in field situation for identification of LB W by TBAs for early referral.

  9. Creating personalized memories from social events: community-based support for multi-camera recordings of school concerts

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R.L. Guimarães (Rodrigo); P.S. Cesar Garcia (Pablo Santiago); D.C.A. Bulterman (Dick); V. Zsombori; I. Kegel

    2011-01-01

    htmlabstractThe wide availability of relatively high-quality cameras makes it easy for many users to capture video fragments of social events such as concerts, sports events or community gatherings. The wide availability of simple sharing tools makes it nearly as easy to upload individual fragments

  10. Motion of flux transfer events: a test of the Cooling model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. C. Fear

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available The simple model of reconnected field line motion developed by Cooling et al. (2001 has been used in several recent case studies to explain the motion of flux transfer events across the magnetopause. We examine 213 FTEs observed by all four Cluster spacecraft under a variety of IMF conditions between November 2002 and June 2003, when the spacecraft tetrahedron separation was ~5000 km. Observed velocities were calculated from multi-spacecraft timing analysis, and compared with the velocities predicted by the Cooling model in order to check the validity of the model. After excluding three categories of FTEs (events with poorly defined velocities, a significant velocity component out of the magnetopause surface, or a scale size of less than 5000 km, we were left with a sample of 118 events. 78% of these events were consistent in both direction of motion and speed with one of the two model de Hoffmann-Teller (dHT velocities calculated from the Cooling model (to within 30° and a factor of two in the speed. We also examined the plasma signatures of several magnetosheath FTEs; the electron signatures confirm the hemisphere of connection indicated by the model in most cases. This indicates that although the model is a simple one, it is a useful tool for identifying the source regions of FTEs.

  11. BIOIMPEDANCE VECTOR ANALYSIS AS A TOOL FOR DETERMINATION AND ADJUSTMENT OF DRY WEIGHT IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

    OpenAIRE

    Ximena Atilano; José Luis.Miguel; Jorge Martínez; Rafael Sánchez; Rafael Selgas

    2012-01-01

    The hemodialysis (HD) patient is fluid overloaded, even when there is no apparent edema. Due to this, is vital to know the dry weight. No clinical or laboratory parameters are reliable, simple and accessible for this purpose. The bioelectrical impedance has been applied to estimate body fluids and dry weight. The purpose was to use the bioelectrical vector analysis (BIVA) as a tool to adjust the intensity of ultrafiltration and achievement of dry weight in HD patients. We performed monthly me...

  12. Simple purification for E. coli putrescine aminopropyl-transferase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gavagan, J.E.; Anton, D.L.

    1986-01-01

    Putrescine aminopropyltransferase transfers an aminopropyl group from decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine to putrescine forming spermidine. They have recently developed a rapid assay based on the separation of the spermidine product from the unreacted [ 14 C-met] labeled decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine substrate by charcoal adsorption. Using this assay they have developed a simple protocol for the purification of putrescine aminopropyltransferase from E. coli HT 527. The procedure involves ammonium sulfate fractionation, phenyl Sepharose chromatography, and FPLC. The enzyme is greater than 80% pure as judged by SDS-PAGE and has an apparent subunit molecular weight of 35,000. The kinetics of this enzyme are being reinvestigated

  13. The Associative Structure of Memory for Multi-Element Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    The hippocampus is thought to be an associative memory “convergence zone,” binding together the multimodal elements of an experienced event into a single engram. This predicts a degree of dependency between the retrieval of the different elements comprising an event. We present data from a series of studies designed to address this prediction. Participants vividly imagined a series of person–location–object events, and memory for these events was assessed across multiple trials of cued retrieval. Consistent with the prediction, a significant level of dependency was found between the retrieval of different elements from the same event. Furthermore, the level of dependency was sensitive both to retrieval task, with higher dependency during cued recall than cued recognition, and to subjective confidence. We propose a simple model, in which events are stored as multiple pairwise associations between individual event elements, and dependency is captured by a common factor that varies across events. This factor may relate to between-events modulation of the strength of encoding, or to a process of within-event “pattern completion” at retrieval. The model predicts the quantitative pattern of dependency in the data when changes in the level of guessing with retrieval task and confidence are taken into account. Thus, we find direct behavioral support for the idea that memory for complex multimodal events depends on the pairwise associations of their constituent elements and that retrieval of the various elements corresponding to the same event reflects a common factor that varies from event to event. PMID:23915127

  14. Simple Kidney Cysts

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Solitary Kidney Your Kidneys & How They Work Simple Kidney Cysts What are simple kidney cysts? Simple kidney cysts are abnormal, fluid-filled ... that form in the kidneys. What are the kidneys and what do they do? The kidneys are ...

  15. Big Data Tools as Applied to ATLAS Event Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vukotic, I.; Gardner, R. W.; Bryant, L. A.

    2017-10-01

    Big Data technologies have proven to be very useful for storage, processing and visualization of derived metrics associated with ATLAS distributed computing (ADC) services. Logfiles, database records, and metadata from a diversity of systems have been aggregated and indexed to create an analytics platform for ATLAS ADC operations analysis. Dashboards, wide area data access cost metrics, user analysis patterns, and resource utilization efficiency charts are produced flexibly through queries against a powerful analytics cluster. Here we explore whether these techniques and associated analytics ecosystem can be applied to add new modes of open, quick, and pervasive access to ATLAS event data. Such modes would simplify access and broaden the reach of ATLAS public data to new communities of users. An ability to efficiently store, filter, search and deliver ATLAS data at the event and/or sub-event level in a widely supported format would enable or significantly simplify usage of machine learning environments and tools like Spark, Jupyter, R, SciPy, Caffe, TensorFlow, etc. Machine learning challenges such as the Higgs Boson Machine Learning Challenge, the Tracking challenge, Event viewers (VP1, ATLANTIS, ATLASrift), and still to be developed educational and outreach tools would be able to access the data through a simple REST API. In this preliminary investigation we focus on derived xAOD data sets. These are much smaller than the primary xAODs having containers, variables, and events of interest to a particular analysis. Being encouraged with the performance of Elasticsearch for the ADC analytics platform, we developed an algorithm for indexing derived xAOD event data. We have made an appropriate document mapping and have imported a full set of standard model W/Z datasets. We compare the disk space efficiency of this approach to that of standard ROOT files, the performance in simple cut flow type of data analysis, and will present preliminary results on its scaling

  16. Algorithms for the prediction of retinopathy of prematurity based on postnatal weight gain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Binenbaum, Gil

    2013-06-01

    Current ROP screening guidelines represent a simple risk model with two dichotomized factors, birth weight and gestational age at birth. Pioneering work has shown that tracking postnatal weight gain, a surrogate for low insulin-like growth factor 1, may capture the influence of many other ROP risk factors and improve risk prediction. Models including weight gain, such as WINROP, ROPScore, and CHOP ROP, have demonstrated accurate ROP risk assessment and a potentially large reduction in ROP examinations, compared to current guidelines. However, there is a need for larger studies, and generalizability is limited in countries with developing neonatal care systems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Fitting and Reconstruction of Thirteen Simple Coronal Mass Ejections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Haddad, Nada; Nieves-Chinchilla, Teresa; Savani, Neel P.; Lugaz, Noé; Roussev, Ilia I.

    2018-05-01

    Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are the main drivers of geomagnetic disturbances, but the effects of their interaction with Earth's magnetic field depend on their magnetic configuration and orientation. Fitting and reconstruction techniques have been developed to determine important geometrical and physical CME properties, such as the orientation of the CME axis, the CME size, and its magnetic flux. In many instances, there is disagreement between different methods but also between fitting from in situ measurements and reconstruction based on remote imaging. This could be due to the geometrical or physical assumptions of the models, but also to the fact that the magnetic field inside CMEs is only measured at one point in space as the CME passes over a spacecraft. In this article we compare three methods that are based on different assumptions for measurements by the Wind spacecraft for 13 CMEs from 1997 to 2015. These CMEs are selected from the interplanetary coronal mass ejections catalog on https://wind.nasa.gov/ICMEindex.php https://wind.nasa.gov/ICMEindex.php" TargetType="URL"/> because of their simplicity in terms of: 1) slow expansion speed throughout the CME and 2) weak asymmetry in the magnetic field profile. This makes these 13 events ideal candidates for comparing codes that do not include expansion or distortion. We find that for these simple events, the codes are in relatively good agreement in terms of the CME axis orientation for six of the 13 events. Using the Grad-Shafranov technique, we can determine the shape of the cross-section, which is assumed to be circular for the other two models, a force-free fitting and a circular-cylindrical non force-free fitting. Five of the events are found to have a clear circular cross-section, even when this is not a precondition of the reconstruction. We make an initial attempt at evaluating the adequacy of the different assumptions for these simple CMEs. The conclusion of this work strongly suggests that attempts

  18. TUF assessment of an abnormal load rejection event at Darlington NGS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liauw, W.K.; Liu, W.S.

    1997-01-01

    The main purpose of reactor system code development is to support plant operation and to assist in safety analysis. To illustrate the operational support activities of the TUF code, the assessment of a simple case of abnormal load rejection event at Darlington NGS is described. The main assessment of this event examines the flow conditions at the steam generators and the possible impact on the turbine. This assessment demonstrates the TUF capability in the operational support analysis for CANDU reactors. (author)

  19. SISTEM PENDUKUNG KEPUTUSAN UNTUK PEMILIHAN JURUSAN MENGGUNAKAN FUZZY MULTIPLE ATRIBUTE DECISION MAKING DENGAN METODE SIMPLE ADDITIVE WEIGHTING STUDI KASUS PADA SMA ISLAM SULTAN AGUNG 1 SEMARANG

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dian Novita Handayani

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Problems that occur between major discrepancy with talent and competence are often experienced by high school students, therefore the role of decision support system for the selection of major is needed, so that teachers and students can assist in providing the appropriate department. The data collection process begins with the system requirements, system design, system creation process and the testing process. System design starts from designing the Unified Modeling Language (UML, Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD and the design of the table. The process of ranking the major alternative use traditional methods of Simple Additive Weighting (SAW, which consists of a criteria subjects value, the value of attendance, the value of talent, values of Psikotest and quota of class. The final result in the form of majors recommendation from the calculation of the most high-ranking criteria. Recommended majors are expected to be the right advice for decision makers to make decisions majors, where the results showed that with this system have recommended majors conformity with the competence and talents of students by 74%.

  20. Measurement of the top quark mass using dilepton events and a neutrino weighting algorithm with the DOe experiment at the Tevatron (Run II)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meyer, J.

    2007-07-01

    Several measurements of the top quark mass in the dilepton final states with the DOe experiment are presented. The theoretical and experimental properties of the top quark are described together with a brief introduction of the Standard Model of particle physics and the physics of hadron collisions. An overview over the experimental setup is given. The Tevatron at Fermilab is presently the highest-energy hadron collider in the world with a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. There are two main experiments called CDF and DOe, A description of the components of the multipurpose DOe detector is given. The reconstruction of simulated events and data events is explained and the criteria for the identification of electrons, muons, jets, and missing transverse energy is given. The kinematics in the dilepton final state is underconstraint. Therefore, the top quark mass is extracted by the so-called Neutrino Weighting method. This method is introduced and several different approaches are described, compared, and enhanced. Results for the international summer conferences 2006 and winter 2007 are presented. The top quark mass measurement for the combination of all three dilepton channels with a dataset of 1.05 1/fb yields: mtop=172.5{+-}5.5 (stat.) {+-} 5.8 (syst.) GeV. This result is presently the most precise top quark mass measurement of the DOe experiment in the dilepton chann el. It entered the top quark mass wold average from March 2007. (orig.)

  1. Identification of canonical neural events during continuous gameplay of an 8-bit style video game.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavanagh, James F; Castellanos, Joel

    2016-06-01

    Cognitive neuroscience suffers from a unique and pervasive problem of generalizability. Since neural findings are often interpreted in the context of a specific manipulation during a carefully controlled task, it is hard to transfer knowledge from one task to another. In this report we address problems of generalizability with two methodological advancements. First, we aimed to transcend status quo experimental procedures with a continuous, engaging task environment. To this end, we created a novel 8-bit style continuous space shooter video game that elicits a multitude of goal-oriented events, such as crashing into a wall or blowing up an enemy with a missile. Second, we aimed to objectively define the psychological significance of these events. To achieve this aim, we used pattern classification of EEG data to derive predictive weights from carefully controlled pre-game exemplar events (oddball target detection and gambling wins and losses) and transferred those weights to EEG activities during video game events. All major goal-oriented events (crashes into the wall, crashes into an enemy, missile hit on an enemy) had a significant between-task transfer bias towards oddball target weights in the time range of the canonical P3, indicating the presence of similar salience detection processes. Missile hits on an enemy were specifically identified as gambling wins, confirming the hypothesis that this goal-oriented event was appetitive. These findings suggest that it is possible to identify the contribution of canonical neural activities during otherwise ambiguous and uncontrolled task performance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Flux weighted method for solution of stiff neutron dynamic equations and its application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Huiyun; Jiao Huixian

    1987-12-01

    To analyze reactivity event for nuclear power plants, it is necessary to solve the neutron dynamic equations, which is a group of typical stiff constant differential equations. Very small time steps could only be adopted when the group of equations is solved by common methods. However, a large time steps might be selected if the Flux Weighted Medthod introduced in this paper is used. Generally, weighted factor θ i1 is set as a constant. Naturally, this treatment method can decrease the accuracy of calculation for the increase of the steadiness of solving the equations. An accurate theoretical formula of 4 x 4 matrix of θ i1 is rigorously derived so that the accuracy of calculation is ensured, as well as the steadiness of solved equations is increased. This method have the advantage over classical Runge-kutta Method and other methods. The time steps could be increased by a factor of 1 ∼ 3 orders of magnitude so as to save a lot of computating time. The programe solving neutron dynamic equation, which is prepared by using Flux Weighted Method, could be sued for real time analog of training simulator, as well as for analysis and computation of reactivity event (including rod jumping out event)

  3. Exercise program adherence using a 5-kilometer (5K) event as an achievable goal in people with schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warren, Kimberly R; Ball, M Patricia; Feldman, Stephanie; Liu, Fang; McMahon, Robert P; Kelly, Deanna L

    2011-10-01

    People with schizophrenia have a higher prevalence of obesity than the general population. Many people with this illness struggle with weight gain, due, in part, to medications and other factors that act as obstacles to exercise and healthy eating. Several studies have shown the benefits of behavioral weight loss programs targeting eating and/or exercise in people with schizophrenia. Fewer studies have used competitive events as a goal for an exercise program. The current study tested the feasibility of preparing, using an exercise program, for a 5-kilometer (5K) event in people with schizophrenia. The exercise program was a 10-week training program consisting of three supervised walking/jogging sessions per week and a weekly educational meeting on healthy behaviors. Almost 65% (11/17) of the subjects participated in all of the training sessions, and 82% (14/17) participated in the 5K event. Participants did not gain a significant amount of weight during the exercise program (median weight change = 0.7 kg; 25th percentile 0.5, 75th percentile 3.9, p = .10). This study suggests that using an achievable goal, such as a 5K event, promotes adherence to an exercise program and is feasible in a population of people with chronic schizophrenia.

  4. Development of Decision-making Support System to Determine the Feasibility of the Job Training Industry Using Simple Additive Weighting Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kaisah Riski Zubaeti

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The activities of the job training is an activity that must be implemented at Vocational Secondary School. The lack of utilization of technology on such activities in Vocational Secondary School,  so the data management of the job training become less effective and efficient. Therefore, it is necessary the information system for manage the data on the job training and produces the decision support of the decent industry of the job training as a result of the evaluation of the job training. This research has a goal to produce decision support system to determine the feasibility of the job training industry (SPK-KTP, measure the feasibility of the system, and produce a decision support using a Simple Additive Weighting (SAW method. The information system can help the school to manage the administration on the job training, recap the daily journal, recap the reports in pursuit, and provide decision support the job training of decent industry used in the next period. SPK-KTP uses SAW method to produce decision support the job training of decent industry. SPK-KTP is the web-based information system which it is developed using the programming language PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor. This information system uses The Waterfall Model as its system development method. The steps of The Waterfall Model consists of Analysis, Design, Code, and Test. SPK-KTP has done testing to an expert of the information system with value 90,7%, an expert of the substance of the job training with value  91,6%, supervising teachers with value 83,3%, and learners with value 90,6%. Based on the result, so SPK-KTP is very decent to use.

  5. A digital pixel cell for address event representation image convolution processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camunas-Mesa, Luis; Acosta-Jimenez, Antonio; Serrano-Gotarredona, Teresa; Linares-Barranco, Bernabe

    2005-06-01

    Address Event Representation (AER) is an emergent neuromorphic interchip communication protocol that allows for real-time virtual massive connectivity between huge number of neurons located on different chips. By exploiting high speed digital communication circuits (with nano-seconds timings), synaptic neural connections can be time multiplexed, while neural activity signals (with mili-seconds timings) are sampled at low frequencies. Also, neurons generate events according to their information levels. Neurons with more information (activity, derivative of activities, contrast, motion, edges,...) generate more events per unit time, and access the interchip communication channel more frequently, while neurons with low activity consume less communication bandwidth. AER technology has been used and reported for the implementation of various type of image sensors or retinae: luminance with local agc, contrast retinae, motion retinae,... Also, there has been a proposal for realizing programmable kernel image convolution chips. Such convolution chips would contain an array of pixels that perform weighted addition of events. Once a pixel has added sufficient event contributions to reach a fixed threshold, the pixel fires an event, which is then routed out of the chip for further processing. Such convolution chips have been proposed to be implemented using pulsed current mode mixed analog and digital circuit techniques. In this paper we present a fully digital pixel implementation to perform the weighted additions and fire the events. This way, for a given technology, there is a fully digital implementation reference against which compare the mixed signal implementations. We have designed, implemented and tested a fully digital AER convolution pixel. This pixel will be used to implement a full AER convolution chip for programmable kernel image convolution processing.

  6. Fasting for weight loss: an effective strategy or latest dieting trend?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnstone, A

    2015-05-01

    With the increasing obesity epidemic comes the search for effective dietary approaches for calorie restriction and weight loss. Here I examine whether fasting is the latest 'fad diet' as portrayed in popular media and discuss whether it is a safe and effective approach or whether it is an idiosyncratic diet trend that promotes short-term weight loss, with no concern for long-term weight maintenance. Fasting has long been used under historical and experimental conditions and has recently been popularised by 'intermittent fasting' or 'modified fasting' regimes, in which a very low-calorie allowance is allowed, on alternate days (ADF) or 2 days a week (5:2 diet), where 'normal' eating is resumed on non-diet days. It is a simple concept, which makes it easy to follow with no difficult calorie counting every other day. This approach does seem to promote weight loss, but is linked to hunger, which can be a limiting factor for maintaining food restriction. The potential health benefits of fasting can be related to both the acute food restriction and chronic influence of weight loss; the long-term effect of chronic food restriction in humans is not yet clear, but may be a potentially interesting future dietary strategy for longevity, particularly given the overweight epidemic. One approach does not fit all in the quest to achieve body weight control, but this could be a dietary strategy for consideration. With the obesity epidemic comes the search for dietary strategies to (i) prevent weight gain, (ii) promote weight loss and (iii) prevent weight regain. With over half of the population of the United Kingdom and other developed countries being collectively overweight or obese, there is considerable pressure to achieve these goals, from both a public health and a clinical perspective. Certainly not one dietary approach will solve these complex problems. Although there is some long-term success with gastric surgical options for morbid obesity, there is still a requirement

  7. Analysis of event tree with imprecise inputs by fuzzy set theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Kwang Il; Chun, Moon Hyun

    1990-01-01

    Fuzzy set theory approach is proposed as a method to analyze event trees with imprecise or linguistic input variables such as 'likely' or 'improbable' instead of the numerical probability. In this paper, it is shown how the fuzzy set theory can be applied to the event tree analysis. The result of this study shows that the fuzzy set theory approach can be applied as an acceptable and effective tool for analysis of the event tree with fuzzy type of inputs. Comparisons of the fuzzy theory approach with the probabilistic approach of computing probabilities of final states of the event tree through subjective weighting factors and LHS technique show that the two approaches have common factors and give reasonable results

  8. Unweighted event generation in hadronic WZ production at order $(\\alpha_{S})$

    CERN Document Server

    Dobbs, Matt; Lefebvre, Michel

    2001-01-01

    We present an algorithm for unweighted event generation in the partonic process pp -> WZ (j) with leptonic decays at next-to-leading order in alpha_S. Monte Carlo programs for processes such as this frequently generate events with negative weights in certain regions of phase space. For simulations of experimental data one would like to have unweighted events only. We demonstrate how the phase space from the matrix elements can be combined to achieve unweighted event generation using a second stage Monte Carlo integration over a volume of real emissions (jets). Observable quantities are kept fixed in the laboratory frame throughout the integration. The algorithm is applicable to a broader class of processes and is CPU intensive.

  9. Weight changes in euthyroid patients undergoing thyroidectomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jonklaas, Jacqueline; Nsouli-Maktabi, Hala

    2011-12-01

    Thyroidectomized patients frequently report weight gain resistant to weight loss efforts, identifying their thyroidectomy as the event precipitating subsequent weight gain. We wished to determine whether recently thyroidectomized euthyroid patients gained more weight over 1 year than matched euthyroid patients with preexisting hypothyroidism. We performed a retrospective chart review of subjects receiving medical care at an academic medical center. One hundred twenty patients had their weight and thyroid status documented after thyroidectomy and achievement of euthyroidism on thyroid hormone replacement, and one year later. Three additional groups of 120 patients with preexisting hypothyroidism, no thyroid disease, and thyroid cancer were matched for age, gender, menopausal status, height, and weight. Anthropometric data were documented at two time points 1 year apart. We compared the weight changes and body mass index changes occurring over a 1-year period in the four groups. Patients with recent postsurgical hypothyroidism gained 3.1 kg during the year, whereas matched patients with preexisting hypothyroidism gained 2.2 kg. The patients without thyroid disease and those with iatrogenic hyperthyroidism gained 1.3 and 1.2 kg, respectively. The weight gain in the thyroidectomized group was significantly greater than that in the matched hypothyroid group (p-value 0.004), the group without thyroid disease (p-value 0.001), and the patients with iatrogenic hyperthyroidism (p-value 0.001). Within the thyroidectomized group, the weight gain in menopausal women was greater than in either premenopausal women (4.4 vs. 2.3 kg, p-value 0.007) or men (4.4 vs. 2.5 kg, p-value 0.013). Patients who had undergone thyroidectomy in the previous year did, in fact, gain more weight than their matched counterparts with preexisting hypothyroidism. In addition, all patients with hypothyroidism, even though treated to achieve euthyroidism, experienced more weight gain than both

  10. Frontend event selection with an MBD using Q

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amann, J.F.

    1981-01-01

    A problem common to many complex experiments in Nuclear Physics is the need to provide for event selection at a level beyond that readily available in a fast hardware trigger. This may be desirable as a means of reducing the amount of unwanted data going to tape, or be needed to reduce system deadtime, so as not to miss an infrequent good event. The latter criterion is particularly important at low duty factor accelerators such as LAMPF, where instantaneous trigger rates may be quite high. The need for such an event selection mechanism has arisen in conjunction with the installation of a polarimeter in the focal plane of the High Resolution Spectrometer (HRS) at LAMPF. It has been met using a combination of buffered CAMAC electronics and an enhancement to the LAMPF standard Q data acquisition system. The enhancement to Q allows the experimeter to specify at runtime, a set of simple tests to be performed on each event as it is processed by the MBD, and before it is passed to the PDP-11 for taping and further analysis

  11. A controlled vocabulary for pathway entities and events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jupe, Steve; Jassal, Bijay; Williams, Mark; Wu, Guanming

    2014-01-01

    Entities involved in pathways and the events they participate in require descriptive and unambiguous names that are often not available in the literature or elsewhere. Reactome is a manually curated open-source resource of human pathways. It is accessible via a website, available as downloads in standard reusable formats and via Representational State Transfer (REST)-ful and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) application programming interfaces (APIs). We have devised a controlled vocabulary (CV) that creates concise, unambiguous and unique names for reactions (pathway events) and all the molecular entities they involve. The CV could be reapplied in any situation where names are used for pathway entities and events. Adoption of this CV would significantly improve naming consistency and readability, with consequent benefits for searching and data mining within and between databases. Database URL: http://www.reactome.org. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press.

  12. A Simple Quantum Neural Net with a Periodic Activation Function

    OpenAIRE

    Daskin, Ammar

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we propose a simple neural net that requires only $O(nlog_2k)$ number of qubits and $O(nk)$ quantum gates: Here, $n$ is the number of input parameters, and $k$ is the number of weights applied to these parameters in the proposed neural net. We describe the network in terms of a quantum circuit, and then draw its equivalent classical neural net which involves $O(k^n)$ nodes in the hidden layer. Then, we show that the network uses a periodic activation function of cosine values o...

  13. July 1974 solar events: a possible lower limit for microwave activity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaufmann, P; Iacomo, P Jr; Koppe, E H; Marques dos Santos, P; Schaal, R E [Universidade Mackenzie, Sao Paulo (Brazil). Centro de Radio-Astronomia e Astrofisica; Blakey, J R [Surrey Univ., Guildford (UK). Dept. of Physics

    1975-11-01

    The active region McMath 10433 was the source of several flares and radio outbursts during the early part of July 1974. This region was tracked continuously, for several periods during the month at 22.2 GHz using a telescope with a 4 minutes of arc beam. Comparison with the results obtained simultaneously with a normal 7 GHz solar instrument indicate that there is important burst activity occurring at levels below the detection limit of normal solar patrol instruments. The time-development morphology of these bursts is similar to those normally observed and has enabled the simple events to be re-interpreted. A completely new type of event-the fast absorption-has also been recognized. The correlation of the microwave events with SPA events observed on VLF propagation is also discussed.

  14. Event-Triggered Distributed Control of Nonlinear Interconnected Systems Using Online Reinforcement Learning With Exploration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narayanan, Vignesh; Jagannathan, Sarangapani

    2017-09-07

    In this paper, a distributed control scheme for an interconnected system composed of uncertain input affine nonlinear subsystems with event triggered state feedback is presented by using a novel hybrid learning scheme-based approximate dynamic programming with online exploration. First, an approximate solution to the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation is generated with event sampled neural network (NN) approximation and subsequently, a near optimal control policy for each subsystem is derived. Artificial NNs are utilized as function approximators to develop a suite of identifiers and learn the dynamics of each subsystem. The NN weight tuning rules for the identifier and event-triggering condition are derived using Lyapunov stability theory. Taking into account, the effects of NN approximation of system dynamics and boot-strapping, a novel NN weight update is presented to approximate the optimal value function. Finally, a novel strategy to incorporate exploration in online control framework, using identifiers, is introduced to reduce the overall cost at the expense of additional computations during the initial online learning phase. System states and the NN weight estimation errors are regulated and local uniformly ultimately bounded results are achieved. The analytical results are substantiated using simulation studies.

  15. Assessment of the breast volume by a new simple formula

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    El-Oteify Mahmoud

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: With the recent introduction of improved techniques for plastic surgery of the breast and increased public awareness toward these procedures, plastic surgeons are continuously trying to improve their methods and results to reach perfection. Assessment of the breast volume is an important issue prior to the use of breast implants in any aesthetic or reconstructive breast surgery. Previous methods to measure breast volume have included use of a simple bra and breast cup size, cumbersome fluid displacement, appliances and approximate visual estimation. Objectives: In this work we have tried to develop an easy method for assessment of the breast volume for both the patient and the the surgeon through a simple mathematical formula. Materials and Methods: Fifty two volunteers were included in this study. For every one, general parameters including age, weight and height were recorded. Local breast measurements and water volume displacement were also recorded. Results: The collected data were statistically correlated. Using the analyzed data, the breast volume was calculated through a simple and direct formula on the basis of the breast circumference. Conclusion: Our method has, as its principle, the use of an accurate and simple formula, which is based only on one measurement. This is easy for both the patient and the plastic surgeon. This equation is not only a significant technical advantage for the surgeon, but also provides a universal standardization of the breast volume.

  16. Simple Impeller Systems for Maintenance of Oil Palm Culture Aggregates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tarmizi, A.H.; Zaiton, R.; Rosli, M.Y.

    2016-01-01

    Scaling up of liquid culture systems generally involves moving from the use of simple shake flasks to bioreactors or specialised vessels; this is costly. A new innovation called the Two-in-One MPOB Simple Impeller (2-in-1 MoSLIM) was developed using commonly available Schott bottles in the laboratory. This system provided simultaneous aeration and agitation (two-in-one) in a single device for tissue propagation in liquid culture. The 2-in-1 MoSLIM produced cell aggregates with fresh weight increments of two- to six-fold over 30-40 days. This system was a convenient alternative compared to the conventional shake flask system. Multiplication of cultures in the 2-in-1 MoSLIM did not require any shaker or a big space area. This system with a working volume of 300 - 700 ml used a simple impeller and a pump for agitation and aeration purposes. However, with the 2-in-1 MoSLIM, media replenishment remained a tedious task. To overcome this, modifications were made to the system to enable media replenishment on-site without the need of a sterile hood. The adaptation of 2-in-1 MoSLIM with an earlier innovation, Fast Transfer Technique (MoFaTT) in Liquid Culture System, resulted in the development of the Simple Impeller with Fast Transfer Technique (SLIM-FaTT) system. This new system can be applied to the liquid culture system of any crop with a potential towards automation. (author)

  17. Performance of n-γ pulse-shape discrimination with simple pile-up rejection at high γ-ray count rates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okuda, T.; Yamazaki, H.; Kawabata, M.; Kasagi, J.; Harada, H.

    1999-01-01

    The performance of n-γ pulse-shape discrimination for a liquid scintillation detector has been investigated for γ-ray count rates up to 50 kcps. A method in which the ratio of the total to partial charge in the anode pulse is directly measured has shown much improved quality of the pulse-shape discrimination when pile-up events are rejected; it can discriminate neutron events of 50 cps from γ-ray events of 29 kcps. The method with simple pile-up rejection has the advantage that only general purpose electronics are required

  18. Massive expansion of marine archaea during a mid-Cretaceous oceanic anoxic event

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kuypers, M.M.M.; Blokker, P.; Erbacher, J.

    2001-01-01

    molecular fossils indicates that these archaea were living chemoautotrophically. Their massive expansion may have been a response to the strong stratification of the ocean during this anoxic event. Indeed, the sedimentary record of archaeal membrane lipids suggests that this anoxic event marks a time......Biogeochemical and stable carbon isotopic analysis of black-shale sequences deposited during an Albian oceanic anoxic event (∼112 million years ago) indicate that up to 80 weight percent of sedimentary organic carbon is derived from marine, nonthermophilic archaea. The carbon-13 content of archaeal...

  19. Is simple nephrectomy truly simple? Comparison with the radical alternative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Connolly, S S; O'Brien, M Frank; Kunni, I M; Phelan, E; Conroy, R; Thornhill, J A; Grainger, R

    2011-03-01

    The Oxford English dictionary defines the term "simple" as "easily done" and "uncomplicated". We tested the validity of this terminology in relation to open nephrectomy surgery. Retrospective review of 215 patients undergoing open, simple (n = 89) or radical (n = 126) nephrectomy in a single university-affiliated institution between 1998 and 2002. Operative time (OT), estimated blood loss (EBL), operative complications (OC) and length of stay in hospital (LOS) were analysed. Statistical analysis employed Fisher's exact test and Stata Release 8.2. Simple nephrectomy was associated with shorter OT (mean 126 vs. 144 min; p = 0.002), reduced EBL (mean 729 vs. 859 cc; p = 0.472), lower OC (9 vs. 17%; 0.087), and more brief LOS (mean 6 vs. 8 days; p < 0.001). All parameters suggest favourable outcome for the simple nephrectomy group, supporting the use of this terminology. This implies "simple" nephrectomies are truly easier to perform with less complication than their radical counterpart.

  20. The Role of Energy Flux in Weight Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clemens Drenowatz

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Excess body weight has been identified as one of the leading threats to public health. In addition to health concerns at the individual level, the increased medical costs put a significant burden on the health care system. Even though an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure is ultimately responsible for changes in body weight and body composition such a simple opposition does not reflect the complex interaction of various contributors to energy balance. The limited understanding of the regulation of energy balance is also reflected by rising obesity levels, despite considerable efforts. In addition to energy balance, energy flux, which represents the rate of energy intake and energy expenditure, has been suggested to play an important role in the regulation of energy balance. Particularly a higher energy flux has been associated with a better matching of energy intake and energy expenditure resulting in stable body weight. While a high energy flux has been traditionally attributed to increased levels of physical activity it should be considered that increased body weight also affects energy expenditure and accordingly energy flux. In fact, total daily energy expenditure, and accordingly energy flux, does not differ between people in industrialized countries, living a predominantly sedentary lifestyle and people following a traditional lifestyle, characterized by high physical activity even though there are significant differences in body weight and body composition. It can, therefore, be argued that energy flux, rather than energy balance is a physiologically regulated entity. In this situation body weight and physical activity levels work in opposition to maintain a constant energy flux and weight gain would be a means to maintain a high energy flux with a sedentary lifestyle.

  1. Weighted statistical parameters for irregularly sampled time series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rimoldini, Lorenzo

    2014-01-01

    Unevenly spaced time series are common in astronomy because of the day-night cycle, weather conditions, dependence on the source position in the sky, allocated telescope time and corrupt measurements, for example, or inherent to the scanning law of satellites like Hipparcos and the forthcoming Gaia. Irregular sampling often causes clumps of measurements and gaps with no data which can severely disrupt the values of estimators. This paper aims at improving the accuracy of common statistical parameters when linear interpolation (in time or phase) can be considered an acceptable approximation of a deterministic signal. A pragmatic solution is formulated in terms of a simple weighting scheme, adapting to the sampling density and noise level, applicable to large data volumes at minimal computational cost. Tests on time series from the Hipparcos periodic catalogue led to significant improvements in the overall accuracy and precision of the estimators with respect to the unweighted counterparts and those weighted by inverse-squared uncertainties. Automated classification procedures employing statistical parameters weighted by the suggested scheme confirmed the benefits of the improved input attributes. The classification of eclipsing binaries, Mira, RR Lyrae, Delta Cephei and Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum stars employing exclusively weighted descriptive statistics achieved an overall accuracy of 92 per cent, about 6 per cent higher than with unweighted estimators.

  2. American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7: Avoiding Heart Failure and Preserving Cardiac Structure and Function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Folsom, Aaron R; Shah, Amil M; Lutsey, Pamela L; Roetker, Nicholas S; Alonso, Alvaro; Avery, Christy L; Miedema, Michael D; Konety, Suma; Chang, Patricia P; Solomon, Scott D

    2015-09-01

    Many people may underappreciate the role of lifestyle in avoiding heart failure. We estimated whether greater adherence in middle age to American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 guidelines—on smoking, body mass, physical activity, diet, cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose—is associated with lower lifetime risk of heart failure and greater preservation of cardiac structure and function in old age. We studied the population-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study cohort of 13,462 adults ages 45-64 years in 1987-1989. From the 1987-1989 risk factor measurements, we created a Life's Simple 7 score (range 0-14, giving 2 points for ideal, 1 point for intermediate, and 0 points for poor components). We identified 2218 incident heart failure events using surveillance of hospital discharge and death codes through 2011. In addition, in 4855 participants free of clinical cardiovascular disease in 2011-2013, we performed echocardiography from which we quantified left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction. One in four participants (25.5%) developed heart failure through age 85 years. Yet, this lifetime heart failure risk was 14.4% for those with a middle-age Life's Simple 7 score of 10-14 (optimal), 26.8% for a score of 5-9 (average), and 48.6% for a score of 0-4 (inadequate). Among those with no clinical cardiovascular event, the prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in late life was approximately 40% as common, and diastolic dysfunction was approximately 60% as common, among those with an optimal middle-age Life's Simple 7 score, compared with an inadequate score. Greater achievement of American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 in middle age is associated with a lower lifetime occurrence of heart failure and greater preservation of cardiac structure and function. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Separation and analysis of low molecular weight plasticizers in poly(vinyl chloride) tubes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Qian; Storm, Birgit Kjærside

    2005-01-01

    ) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), as well as by studying the extracted low molecular weight plasticizers by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) and GC. It was found that the simple room temperature extraction in chloroform showed the best separation of plasticizers from the PVC matrix. Close results...

  4. Use of simple finite elements for mechanical systems impact analysis based on stereomechanics, stress wave propagation, and energy method approaches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCoy, Michael L.; Moradi, Rasoul; Lankarani, Hamid M.

    2011-01-01

    This paper examines the effectiveness of analyzing impact events in mechanical systems for design purposes using simple or low ordered finite elements. Traditional impact dynamics analyses of mechanical systems namely stereomechanics, energy method, stress-wave propagation and contact mechanics approaches are limited to very simplified geometries and provide basic analyses in making predictions and understanding the dominant features of the impact in a mechanical system. In engineering practice, impacted systems present a complexity of geometry, stiffness, mass distributions, contact areas and impact angles that are impossible to analyze and design with the traditional impact dynamics methods. In real cases, the effective tool is the finite element (FE) method. The high-end FEA codes though may be not available for typical engineer/designer. This paper provides information on whether impact events of mechanical systems can be successfully modeled using simple or low-order finite elements. FEA models using simple elements are benchmarked against theoretical impact problems and published experimental impact results. As a case study, an FE model using simple plastic beam elements is further tested to predict stresses and deflections in an experimental structural impact

  5. a simple a simple excitation control excitation control excitation

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    eobe

    field voltages determined follow a simple quadratic relationship that offer a very simple control scheme, dependent on only the stator current. Keywords: saturated reactances, no-load field voltage, excitation control, synchronous generators. 1. Introduction. Introduction. Introduction. The commonest generator in use today is ...

  6. The use of multi-criteria decision analysis weight elicitation techniques in patients with mild cognitive impairment: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Til, Janine A; Dolan, James G; Stiggelbout, Anne M; Groothuis, Karin C G M; Ijzerman, Maarten J

    2008-04-01

    To test the applicability of multi-criteria decision analysis preference elicitation techniques in cognitively impaired individuals. A convenience sample of 16 cognitively impaired subjects and 12 healthy controls was asked to participate in a small pilot study. The subjects determined the relative importance of four decision criteria using five different weight elicitation techniques, namely simple multi-attribute rating technique, simple multi-attribute rating technique using swing weights, Kepner-Tregoe weighting, the analytical hierarchical process, and conjoint analysis. Conjoint analysis was judged to be the easiest method for weight elicitation in the control group (Z = 10.00; p = 0.04), while no significant differences in difficulty rating between methods was found in cognitively impaired subjects. Conjoint analysis elicitates weights and rankings significantly different from other methods. Subjectively, cognitively impaired subjects were positive about the use of the weight elicitation techniques. However, it seems the use of swing weights can result in the employment of shortcut strategies. The results of this pilot study suggest that individuals with mild cognitive impairment are willing and able to use multi-criteria elicitation methods to determine criteria weights in a decision context, although no preference for a method was found. The same methodologic and practical issues can be identified in cognitively impaired individuals as in healthy controls and the choice of method is mostly determined by the decision context.

  7. Determination of the linear coefficient of thermal expansion in polymer films at the nanoscale: influence of the composition of EVA copolymers and the molecular weight of PMMA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Benito, J; Castillo, E; Cruz-Caldito, J F

    2015-07-28

    Nanothermal-expansion of poly(ethylene-co-vinylacetate), EVA, and poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, in the form of films was measured to finally obtain linear coefficients of thermal expansion, CTEs. The simple deflection of a cantilever in an atomic force microscope, AFM, was used to monitor thermal expansions at the nanoscale. The influences of: (a) the structure of EVA in terms of its composition (vinylacetate content) and (b) the size of PMMA chains in terms of the molecular weight were studied. To carry out this, several polymer samples were used, EVA copolymers with different weight percents of the vinylacetate comonomer (12, 18, 25 and 40%) and PMMA polymers with different weight average molecular weights (33.9, 64.8, 75.600 and 360.0 kg mol(-1)). The dependencies of the vinyl acetate weight fraction of EVA and the molecular weight of PMMA on their corresponding CTEs were analyzed to finally explain them using new, intuitive and very simple models based on the rule of mixtures. In the case of EVA copolymers a simple equation considering the weighted contributions of each comonomer was enough to estimate the final CTE above the glass transition temperature. On the other hand, when the molecular weight dependence is considered the free volume concept was used as novelty. The expansion of PMMA, at least at the nanoscale, was well and easily described by the sum of the weighted contributions of the occupied and free volumes, respectively.

  8. Dynamic monitoring of weight data at the pen vs at the individual level

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Dan; Toft, Nils; Kristensen, A. R. K.

    recorded weight data from finisher pigs. Data are collected at insertion and at the exit of the first pigs in the pen, and in few pens, the weight is recorded weekly. Dynamic linear models are fitted on the weight data, at the pig level (univariate), at the double pen level using averaged weight...... (univariate) and using individual pig values as parameters in a hierarchical (multivariate) model including section, double pen, and individual level. Variance components of the different models are estimated using the Expectation Maximization algorithm. The difference of information obtained...... at the individual vs pen level is thereafter assessed. Whereas weight data is usually monitored after a batch is being sent to the slaughter house, this method provides weekly updating of the data. Perspectives of application include dynamic monitoring of weight data in relation to events such as diarrhoea, tail...

  9. Dynamic monitoring of weight data at the pen vs at the individual level

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Dan Børge; Toft, Nils; Kristensen, Anders Ringgaard

    recorded weight data from finisher pigs. Data are collected at insertion and at the exit of the first pigs in the pen, and in few pens, the weight is recorded weekly. Dynamic linear models are fitted on the weight data, at the pig level (univariate), at the double pen level using averaged weight...... (univariate) and using individual pig values as parameters in a hierarchical (multivariate) model including section, double pen, and individual level. Variance components of the different models are estimated using the Expectation Maximization algorithm. The difference of information obtained...... at the individual vs. pen level is thereafter assessed. Whereas weight data is usually monitored after a batch is being sent to the slaughter house, this method provides with weekly updating of the data. Perspectives of application include dynamic monitoring of weight data in relation to events such as diarrhoea...

  10. Are consistent equal-weight particle filters possible?

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Leeuwen, P. J.

    2017-12-01

    Particle filters are fully nonlinear data-assimilation methods that could potentially change the way we do data-assimilation in highly nonlinear high-dimensional geophysical systems. However, the standard particle filter in which the observations come in by changing the relative weights of the particles is degenerate. This means that one particle obtains weight one, and all other particles obtain a very small weight, effectively meaning that the ensemble of particles reduces to that one particle. For over 10 years now scientists have searched for solutions to this problem. One obvious solution seems to be localisation, in which each part of the state only sees a limited number of observations. However, for a realistic localisation radius based on physical arguments, the number of observations is typically too large, and the filter is still degenerate. Another route taken is trying to find proposal densities that lead to more similar particle weights. There is a simple proof, however, that shows that there is an optimum, the so-called optimal proposal density, and that optimum will lead to a degenerate filter. On the other hand, it is easy to come up with a counter example of a particle filter that is not degenerate in high-dimensional systems. Furthermore, several particle filters have been developed recently that claim to have equal or equivalent weights. In this presentation I will show how to construct a particle filter that is never degenerate in high-dimensional systems, and how that is still consistent with the proof that one cannot do better than the optimal proposal density. Furthermore, it will be shown how equal- and equivalent-weights particle filters fit within this framework. This insight will then lead to new ways to generate particle filters that are non-degenerate, opening up the field of nonlinear filtering in high-dimensional systems.

  11. Effect of short-term carbohydrate overfeeding and long-term weight loss on liver fat in overweight humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sevastianova, Ksenia; Santos, Alexandre; Kotronen, Anna; Hakkarainen, Antti; Makkonen, Janne; Silander, Kaisa; Peltonen, Markku; Romeo, Stefano; Lundbom, Jesper; Lundbom, Nina; Olkkonen, Vesa M; Gylling, Helena; Fielding, Barbara A; Rissanen, Aila; Yki-Järvinen, Hannele

    2012-10-01

    Cross-sectional studies have identified a high intake of simple sugars as an important dietary factor predicting nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We examined whether overfeeding overweight subjects with simple sugars increases liver fat and de novo lipogenesis (DNL) and whether this is reversible by weight loss. Sixteen subjects [BMI (kg/m²): 30.6 ± 1.2] were placed on a hypercaloric diet (>1000 kcal simple carbohydrates/d) for 3 wk and, thereafter, on a hypocaloric diet for 6 mo. The subjects were genotyped for rs739409 in the PNPLA3 gene. Before and after overfeeding and after hypocaloric diet, metabolic variables and liver fat (measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy) were measured. The ratio of palmitate (16:0) to linoleate (18:2n-6) in serum and VLDL triglycerides was used as an index of DNL. Carbohydrate overfeeding increased weight (±SEM) by 2% (1.8 ± 0.3 kg; P fat by 27% from 9.2 ± 1.9% to 11.7 ± 1.9% (P = 0.005). DNL increased in proportion to the increase in liver fat and serum triglycerides in subjects with PNPLA3-148IIbut not PNPLA3-148MM. During the hypocaloric diet, the subjects lost 4% of their weight (3.2 ± 0.6 kg; P fat content (from 11.7 ± 1.9% to 8.8 ± 1.8%; P Carbohydrate overfeeding for 3 wk induced a >10-fold greater relative change in liver fat (27%) than in body weight (2%). The increase in liver fat was proportional to that in DNL. Weight loss restores liver fat to normal. These data indicate that the human fatty liver avidly accumulates fat during carbohydrate overfeeding and support a role for DNL in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. This trial was registered at www.hus.fi as 235780.

  12. Prescription-event monitoring: developments in signal detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferreira, Germano

    2007-01-01

    Prescription-event monitoring (PEM) is a non-interventional intensive method for post-marketing drug safety monitoring of newly licensed medicines. PEM studies are cohort studies where exposure is obtained from a centralised service and outcomes from simple questionnaires completed by general practitioners. Follow-up forms are sent for selected events. Because PEM captures all events and not only the suspected adverse drug reactions, PEM cohorts potentially differ in respect to the distribution of number of events per person depending on the nature of the drug under study. This variance can be related either with the condition for which the drug is prescribed (e.g. a condition causing high morbidity will have, in average, a higher number of events per person compared with a condition with lower morbidity) or with the drug effect itself. This paper describes an exploratory investigation of the distortion caused by product-related variations of the number of events to the interpretation of the proportional reporting ratio (PRR) values ("the higher the PRR, the greater the strength of the signal") computed using drug-cohort data. We studied this effect by assessing the agreement between the PRR based on events (event of interest vs all other events) and PRR based on cases (cases with the event of interest vs cases with any other events). PRR were calculated for all combinations reported to ten selected drugs against a comparator of 81 other drugs. Three of the ten drugs had a cohort with an apparent higher proportion of patients with lower number of events. The PRRs based on events were systematically higher than the PRR based on cases for the combinations reported to these three drugs. Additionally, when applying the threshold criteria for signal screening (n > or =3, PRR > or =1.5 and Chi-squared > or =4), the binary agreement was generally high but apparently lower for these three drugs. In conclusion, the distribution of events per patient in drug cohorts shall be

  13. Planning for a Violent Intruder Event: The School Nurse's Role.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selekman, Janice; Melvin, Joseph

    2017-05-01

    School shootings occur too frequently and often with devastating results. The key to prevention and mitigation of these events is to have a plan that is simple, up-to-date, disseminated, and practiced. This article discusses the steps that school nurses can take to work with school administration to prepare themselves, their staff, and their students.

  14. Does gastric bypass surgery change body weight set point?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Z; Mumphrey, M B; Morrison, C D; Münzberg, H; Ye, J; Berthoud, H R

    2016-12-01

    The relatively stable body weight during adulthood is attributed to a homeostatic regulatory mechanism residing in the brain which uses feedback from the body to control energy intake and expenditure. This mechanism guarantees that if perturbed up or down by design, body weight will return to pre-perturbation levels, defined as the defended level or set point. The fact that weight re-gain is common after dieting suggests that obese subjects defend a higher level of body weight. Thus, the set point for body weight is flexible and likely determined by the complex interaction of genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors. Unlike dieting, bariatric surgery does a much better job in producing sustained suppression of food intake and body weight, and an intensive search for the underlying mechanisms has started. Although one explanation for this lasting effect of particularly Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) is simple physical restriction due to the invasive surgery, a more exciting explanation is that the surgery physiologically reprograms the body weight defense mechanism. In this non-systematic review, we present behavioral evidence from our own and other studies that defended body weight is lowered after RYGB and sleeve gastrectomy. After these surgeries, rodents return to their preferred lower body weight if over- or underfed for a period of time, and the ability to drastically increase food intake during the anabolic phase strongly argues against the physical restriction hypothesis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Although the mechanism involves central leptin and melanocortin signaling pathways, other peripheral signals such as gut hormones and their neural effector pathways likely contribute. Future research using both targeted and non-targeted 'omics' techniques in both humans and rodents as well as modern, genetically targeted, neuronal manipulation techniques in rodents will be necessary.

  15. Random and externally controlled occurrences of Dansgaard–Oeschger events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Lohmann

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Dansgaard–Oeschger (DO events constitute the most pronounced mode of centennial to millennial climate variability of the last glacial period. Since their discovery, many decades of research have been devoted to understand the origin and nature of these rapid climate shifts. In recent years, a number of studies have appeared that report emergence of DO-type variability in fully coupled general circulation models via different mechanisms. These mechanisms result in the occurrence of DO events at varying degrees of regularity, ranging from periodic to random. When examining the full sequence of DO events as captured in the North Greenland Ice Core Project (NGRIP ice core record, one can observe high irregularity in the timing of individual events at any stage within the last glacial period. In addition to the prevailing irregularity, certain properties of the DO event sequence, such as the average event frequency or the relative distribution of cold versus warm periods, appear to be changing throughout the glacial. By using statistical hypothesis tests on simple event models, we investigate whether the observed event sequence may have been generated by stationary random processes or rather was strongly modulated by external factors. We find that the sequence of DO warming events is consistent with a stationary random process, whereas dividing the event sequence into warming and cooling events leads to inconsistency with two independent event processes. As we include external forcing, we find a particularly good fit to the observed DO sequence in a model where the average residence time in warm periods are controlled by global ice volume and cold periods by boreal summer insolation.

  16. Random and externally controlled occurrences of Dansgaard-Oeschger events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lohmann, Johannes; Ditlevsen, Peter D.

    2018-05-01

    Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events constitute the most pronounced mode of centennial to millennial climate variability of the last glacial period. Since their discovery, many decades of research have been devoted to understand the origin and nature of these rapid climate shifts. In recent years, a number of studies have appeared that report emergence of DO-type variability in fully coupled general circulation models via different mechanisms. These mechanisms result in the occurrence of DO events at varying degrees of regularity, ranging from periodic to random. When examining the full sequence of DO events as captured in the North Greenland Ice Core Project (NGRIP) ice core record, one can observe high irregularity in the timing of individual events at any stage within the last glacial period. In addition to the prevailing irregularity, certain properties of the DO event sequence, such as the average event frequency or the relative distribution of cold versus warm periods, appear to be changing throughout the glacial. By using statistical hypothesis tests on simple event models, we investigate whether the observed event sequence may have been generated by stationary random processes or rather was strongly modulated by external factors. We find that the sequence of DO warming events is consistent with a stationary random process, whereas dividing the event sequence into warming and cooling events leads to inconsistency with two independent event processes. As we include external forcing, we find a particularly good fit to the observed DO sequence in a model where the average residence time in warm periods are controlled by global ice volume and cold periods by boreal summer insolation.

  17. Cohort Study of the Success of Controlled Weight Loss Programs for Obese Dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    German, A J; Titcomb, J M; Holden, S L; Queau, Y; Morris, P J; Biourge, V

    2015-01-01

    Most weight loss studies in obese dogs assess rate and percentage of weight loss in the first 2-3 months, rather than the likelihood of successfully reaching target weight. To determine outcome of controlled weight loss programs for obese dogs, and to determine the factors associated with successful completion. 143 obese dogs undergoing a controlled weight loss program. This was a cohort study of obese dogs attending a referral weight management clinic. Dogs were studied during their period of weight loss, and cases classified according to outcome as "completed" (reached target weight), "euthanized" (was euthanized before reaching target weight), or "stopped prematurely" (program stopped early for other reasons). Factors associated with successful completion were assessed using simple and multiple logistic regression. 87/143 dogs (61%) completed their weight loss program, 11 [8%] died or were euthanized, and the remaining 45 [32%] stopped prematurely. Reasons for dogs stopping prematurely included inability to contact owner, refusal to comply with weight management advice, or development of another illness. Successful weight loss was positively associated with a faster rate (P obese dogs on a controlled weight loss program reach their target weight. Future studies should better clarify reasons for success in individual cases, and also the role of factors such as activity and behavioral modification. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

  18. Mindfulness Approaches and Weight Loss, Weight Maintenance, and Weight Regain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dunn, Carolyn; Haubenreiser, Megan; Johnson, Madison; Nordby, Kelly; Aggarwal, Surabhi; Myer, Sarah; Thomas, Cathy

    2018-03-01

    There is an urgent need for effective weight management techniques, as more than one third of US adults are overweight or obese. Recommendations for weight loss include a combination of reducing caloric intake, increasing physical activity, and behavior modification. Behavior modification includes mindful eating or eating with awareness. The purpose of this review was to summarize the literature and examine the impact of mindful eating on weight management. The practice of mindful eating has been applied to the reduction of food cravings, portion control, body mass index, and body weight. Past reviews evaluating the relationship between mindfulness and weight management did not focus on change in mindful eating as the primary outcome or mindful eating as a measured variable. This review demonstrates strong support for inclusion of mindful eating as a component of weight management programs and may provide substantial benefit to the treatment of overweight and obesity.

  19. Unweighted event generation in hadronic WZ production at first order in QCD

    CERN Document Server

    Dobbs, M

    2000-01-01

    We present an algorithm for unweighted event generation in the partonic process pp -> WZ(j) with leptonic decays at next-to-leading order in QCD. Monte Carlo programs for processes such as this frequently generate events with negative weights in certain regions of phase space. For simulations of experimental data one would like to have unweighted events only. We demonstrate how the phase space from the matrix elements can be combined to achieve unweighted event generation using a second stage Monte Carlo integration over a volume of real emissions (jets). Observable quantities are kept fixed in the laboratory frame throughout the integration. The algorithm is applicable to a broader class of processes and is CPU intensive.

  20. A robust neural network-based approach for microseismic event detection

    KAUST Repository

    Akram, Jubran

    2017-08-17

    We present an artificial neural network based approach for robust event detection from low S/N waveforms. We use a feed-forward network with a single hidden layer that is tuned on a training dataset and later applied on the entire example dataset for event detection. The input features used include the average of absolute amplitudes, variance, energy-ratio and polarization rectilinearity. These features are calculated in a moving-window of same length for the entire waveform. The output is set as a user-specified relative probability curve, which provides a robust way of distinguishing between weak and strong events. An optimal network is selected by studying the weight-based saliency and effect of number of neurons on the predicted results. Using synthetic data examples, we demonstrate that this approach is effective in detecting weaker events and reduces the number of false positives.

  1. A coupled classification - evolutionary optimization model for contamination event detection in water distribution systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliker, Nurit; Ostfeld, Avi

    2014-03-15

    This study describes a decision support system, alerts for contamination events in water distribution systems. The developed model comprises a weighted support vector machine (SVM) for the detection of outliers, and a following sequence analysis for the classification of contamination events. The contribution of this study is an improvement of contamination events detection ability and a multi-dimensional analysis of the data, differing from the parallel one-dimensional analysis conducted so far. The multivariate analysis examines the relationships between water quality parameters and detects changes in their mutual patterns. The weights of the SVM model accomplish two goals: blurring the difference between sizes of the two classes' data sets (as there are much more normal/regular than event time measurements), and adhering the time factor attribute by a time decay coefficient, ascribing higher importance to recent observations when classifying a time step measurement. All model parameters were determined by data driven optimization so the calibration of the model was completely autonomic. The model was trained and tested on a real water distribution system (WDS) data set with randomly simulated events superimposed on the original measurements. The model is prominent in its ability to detect events that were only partly expressed in the data (i.e., affecting only some of the measured parameters). The model showed high accuracy and better detection ability as compared to previous modeling attempts of contamination event detection. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Variability of extreme wet events over Malawi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Libanda Brigadier

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Adverse effects of extreme wet events are well documented by several studies around the world. These effects are exacerbated in developing countries like Malawi that have insufficient risk reduction strategies and capacity to cope with extreme wet weather. Ardent monitoring of the variability of extreme wet events over Malawi is therefore imperative. The use of the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI has been recommended by many studies as an effective way of quantifying extreme wet events. In this study, ETCCDI indices were used to examine the number of heavy, very heavy, and extremely heavy rainfall days; daily and five-day maximum rainfall; very wet and extremely wet days; annual wet days and simple daily intensity. The Standard Normal Homogeneity Test (SNHT was employed at 5% significance level before any statistical test was done. Trend analysis was done using the nonparametric Mann-Kendall statistical test. All stations were found to be homogeneous apart from Mimosa. Trend results show high temporal and spatial variability with the only significant results being: increase in daily maximum rainfall (Rx1day over Karonga and Bvumbwe, increase in five-day maximum rainfall (Rx5day over Bvumbwe. Mzimba and Chileka recorded a significant decrease in very wet days (R95p while a significant increase was observed over Thyolo. Chileka was the only station which observed a significant trend (decrease in extremely wet rainfall (R99p. Mzimba was the only station that reported a significant trend (decrease in annual wet-day rainfall total (PRCPTOT and Thyolo was the only station that reported a significant trend (increase in simple daily intensity (SDII. Furthermore, the findings of this study revealed that, during wet years, Malawi is characterised by an anomalous convergence of strong south-easterly and north-easterly winds. This convergence is the main rain bringing mechanism to Malawi.

  3. Decision support system of e-book provider selection for library using Simple Additive Weighting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciptayani, P. I.; Dewi, K. C.

    2018-01-01

    Each library has its own criteria and differences in the importance of each criterion in choosing an e-book provider for them. The large number of providers and the different importance levels of each criterion make the problem of determining the e-book provider to be complex and take a considerable time in decision making. The aim of this study was to implement Decision support system (DSS) to assist the library in selecting the best e-book provider based on their preferences. The way of DSS works is by comparing the importance of each criterion and the condition of each alternative decision. SAW is one of DSS method that is quite simple, fast and widely used. This study used 9 criteria and 18 provider to demonstrate how SAW work in this study. With the DSS, then the decision-making time can be shortened and the calculation results can be more accurate than manual calculations.

  4. TRUNK ROTATION AND WEIGHT TRANSFER PATTERNS BETWEEN SKILLED AND LOW SKILLED GOLFERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isao Okuda

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine trunk rotational patterns and weight transfer patterns that may differentiate swing skill level in golfers. Thirteen skilled golfers (mean handicap = 0.8 ± 2.6 and seventeen low skilled golfers (mean handicap = 30.8 ± 5.5 participated in this study. Kinematic and kinetic data were obtained through high-speed 3-D videography and force plates while the participant performed a full shot golf swing with a driver. Data at six temporal events during the swing were selected for the analysis. The results indicated that significant differences existed between the groups in the multiple events, as the skilled golfers showed the following motion patterns when compared to the low skilled golfers; 1 An earlier trunk horizontal rotation with a rapid weight transfer to the trail foot during the backswing; 2 An earlier pelvic horizontal rotation accompanied with an earlier weight transfer to the lead foot during the downswing motion; and 3 Less upper trunk horizontal rotation and more posterior pelvic rotation at the follow through. Collectively, these finding may be useful for instruction of golfers to improve their swing mechanics on a full shot golf swing

  5. Holiday Weight Management by Successful Weight Losers and Normal Weight Individuals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phelan, Suzanne; Wing, Rena R.; Raynor, Hollie A.; Dibello, Julia; Nedeau, Kim; Peng, Wanfeng

    2008-01-01

    This study compared weight control strategies during the winter holidays among successful weight losers (SWL) in the National Weight Control Registry and normal weight individuals (NW) with no history of obesity. SWL (n = 178) had lost a mean of 34.9 kg and had kept greater than or equal to 13.6 kg off for a mean of 5.9 years. NW (n = 101) had a…

  6. General programmable Level-1 trigger with 3D-Flow assembly system for calorimeters of different sizes and event rates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crosetto, D.

    1992-12-01

    Experience demonstrates that fine tuning on the trigger of an experiment is often achieved only after running the experiment and analyzing the first data acquired. It is desirable that identification and, consequently, selection of interesting events be made on a more refined identification of particles. Use of an innovative parallel-processing system architecture together with an instruction set allows identification of objects (particles) among the data coming from a calorimeter in a programmable manner, utilizing the information related to their shape in two- or three-dimensional form, rather than applying only a programmable threshold proportional to their energy. The architecture is flexible, allowing execution of simple algorithms as well as complex pattern recognition algorithms. It is scalable in the sense that the same hardware can be used for small or large calorimeters having a slow or fast event rate. The simple printed circuit board (accommodating 16 x 3D-Flow processors) on a 4 in. x 4 in. board described herein uses the same hardware to build a large Level-1 programmable trigger (by interconnecting many boards in a matrix array) and is capable of implementing simple or complex pattern recognition algorithms at different event input rates (by cascading boards one on top of another). With the same hardware one can build low-cost, programmable Level-1 triggers for a small and low-event-rate calorimeter, or high-performance, programmable Level-1 triggers for a large calorimeter capable of sustaining up to 60 million events per second

  7. Urinary incontinence and weight changes during pregnancy and post partum: a pending challenge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz de Viñaspre Hernández, Regina; Rubio Aranda, Encarnación; Tomás Aznar, Concepción

    2013-12-01

    to analyse the association between urinary incontinence and maternal weight, and its variations in pregnancy and post partum. observational study of a cohort of women from the start of pregnancy until six months post partum. Hospital San Pedro in La Rioja, Spain. 402 pregnant women without urinary incontinence at the start of pregnancy. the dependent variable was urinary incontinence, assessed using the Urogenital Distress Inventory-Short Form questionnaire. The main independent variables were body mass index (BMI) at the first antenatal visit and six months post partum, weight gain during pregnancy, postpartum weight loss, and weight retained from the start of pregnancy to six months post partum. The association between urinary incontinence and the main independent variables was measured using Student's t-test. Three simple logistic regression models were used to assess the strength of this association, one for each of the independent variables that showed a significant association with urinary incontinence (p<0.05), and three multiple regression models that included the possible variable effect modifiers were also used. At the start of pregnancy, 20.1% of the women were overweight and 8.7% were obese. Six months post partum, 30.3% of the women were overweight and 11.4% were obese. The mean (±standard deviation) retained weight was 2 (±3.1) kg. Postpartum urinary incontinence was associated with BMI at six months post partum, postpartum weight loss and retained weight at six months post partum (p<0.05). The association of urinary incontinence with these variables was significant, and remained stable in both simple and multiple regression analyses with BMI at six months post partum [odds ratio (OR) 1.09 versus 1.08], weight loss from delivery to six months post partum (OR 0.88 versus 0.88), and retained weight from the beginning of pregnancy until six months post partum (OR 1.23 versus 1.19). high BMI and weight retention at six months post partum increase the

  8. Fermionic Approach to Weighted Hurwitz Numbers and Topological Recursion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexandrov, A.; Chapuy, G.; Eynard, B.; Harnad, J.

    2017-12-01

    A fermionic representation is given for all the quantities entering in the generating function approach to weighted Hurwitz numbers and topological recursion. This includes: KP and 2D Toda {τ} -functions of hypergeometric type, which serve as generating functions for weighted single and double Hurwitz numbers; the Baker function, which is expanded in an adapted basis obtained by applying the same dressing transformation to all vacuum basis elements; the multipair correlators and the multicurrent correlators. Multiplicative recursion relations and a linear differential system are deduced for the adapted bases and their duals, and a Christoffel-Darboux type formula is derived for the pair correlator. The quantum and classical spectral curves linking this theory with the topological recursion program are derived, as well as the generalized cut-and-join equations. The results are detailed for four special cases: the simple single and double Hurwitz numbers, the weakly monotone case, corresponding to signed enumeration of coverings, the strongly monotone case, corresponding to Belyi curves and the simplest version of quantum weighted Hurwitz numbers.

  9. Fermionic Approach to Weighted Hurwitz Numbers and Topological Recursion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexandrov, A.; Chapuy, G.; Eynard, B.; Harnad, J.

    2018-06-01

    A fermionic representation is given for all the quantities entering in the generating function approach to weighted Hurwitz numbers and topological recursion. This includes: KP and 2 D Toda {τ} -functions of hypergeometric type, which serve as generating functions for weighted single and double Hurwitz numbers; the Baker function, which is expanded in an adapted basis obtained by applying the same dressing transformation to all vacuum basis elements; the multipair correlators and the multicurrent correlators. Multiplicative recursion relations and a linear differential system are deduced for the adapted bases and their duals, and a Christoffel-Darboux type formula is derived for the pair correlator. The quantum and classical spectral curves linking this theory with the topological recursion program are derived, as well as the generalized cut-and-join equations. The results are detailed for four special cases: the simple single and double Hurwitz numbers, the weakly monotone case, corresponding to signed enumeration of coverings, the strongly monotone case, corresponding to Belyi curves and the simplest version of quantum weighted Hurwitz numbers.

  10. Marital status and body weight, weight perception, and weight management among U.S. adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klos, Lori A; Sobal, Jeffery

    2013-12-01

    Married individuals often have higher body weights than unmarried individuals, but it is unclear how marital roles affect body weight-related perceptions, desires, and behaviors. This study analyzed cross-sectional data for 4,089 adult men and 3,989 adult women using multinomial logistic regression to examine associations between marital status, perceived body weight, desired body weight, and weight management approach. Controlling for demographics and current weight, married or cohabiting women and divorced or separated women more often perceived themselves as overweight and desired to weigh less than women who had never married. Marital status was unrelated to men's weight perception and desired weight change. Marital status was also generally unrelated to weight management approach, except that divorced or separated women were more likely to have intentionally lost weight within the past year compared to never married women. Additionally, never married men were more likely to be attempting to prevent weight gain than married or cohabiting men and widowed men. Overall, married and formerly married women more often perceived themselves as overweight and desired a lower weight. Men's marital status was generally unassociated with weight-related perceptions, desires, and behaviors. Women's but not men's marital roles appear to influence their perceived and desired weight, suggesting that weight management interventions should be sensitive to both marital status and gender differences. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Crossing simple resonances

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Collins, T.

    1985-08-01

    A simple criterion governs the beam distortion and/or loss of protons on a fast resonance crossing. Results from numerical integrations are illustrated for simple sextupole, octupole, and 10-pole resonances

  12. Crossing simple resonances

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Collins, T.

    1985-08-01

    A simple criterion governs the beam distortion and/or loss of protons on a fast resonance crossing. Results from numerical integrations are illustrated for simple sextupole, octupole, and 10-pole resonances.

  13. Ultrasound guided high-intensity focused ultrasound combined with gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa) ablating uterine leiomyoma with homogeneous hyperintensity on T2 weighted MR imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Shenghua; Kong, Fanjing; Hou, Ruijie; Rong, Fengmei; Ma, Nana; Li, Shaoping; Yang, Jun

    2017-05-01

    The study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficiency of ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (USgHIFU) combined with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa)-ablating symptomatic uterine leiomyoma with homogeneous hyperintensity on T 2 weighted MRI prospectively. A total of 34 patients with 42 symptomatic uterine leiomyomas with homogeneous hyperintensity on T 2 weighted MRI were enrolled in our study. In the patient who had multiple uterine leiomyomas, only one dominant leiomyoma was treated. According to the principles of voluntariness, 18 patients underwent a 3-month therapy of GnRHa (once a month) before the high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment, while 16 patients received only HIFU treatment. Enhanced MRI was performed before and after GnRHa and HIFU treatment. Evaluation of the main indicators included treatment time, sonication time, treatment efficiency, non-perfused volume (NPV) (indicative of successful ablation) ratio and energy effect ratio; adverse events were also recorded. The treatment time and sonication time of the combination group were 102.0 min (55.8-152.2 min) and 25.4 min (12.2-34.1 min); however, they were 149.0 min (87.0-210.0 min) and 38.9 min (14.0-46.7 min) in the simple USgHIFU group. The treatment and sonication time for the combination group was significantly shorter than that for the simple USgHIFU group. Treatment efficiency, NPV ratio and energy effect ratio were 46.7 mm 3  s -1 (28.5-95.8 mm 3  s -1 ), 69.2 ± 29.8% (35.5-97.4%) and 9.9 KJ mm -3 (4.5-15.7 KJ mm -3 ) in the combination group, respectively; but, the lowest treatment efficiency, lowest NPV ratio and more energy effect ratio were observed in the simple HIFU group, which were 16.8 mm 3  s -1 (8.9-32.9 mm 3  s -1 ), 50.2 ± 27.3% (0-78.6%) and 23.8 KJ mm -3 (12.4-46.2 KJ mm -3 ), respectively. Pain scores in the combination group were 3.0 ± 0.5 points (2-4 points

  14. A “garden of forking paths” – The quantum mechanics of histories of events

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blanchard, Philippe [Faculty of Physics, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstr. 25, D-33615 Bielefeld (Germany); Fröhlich, Jürg, E-mail: juerg.froehlich@itp.phys.ethz.ch [Theoretical Physics, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang Pauli Strasse 27, CH-8093 Zurich (Switzerland); Schubnel, Baptiste [SBB – Swiss Federal Railways, Wylerpark, CH-3014 Bern (Switzerland)

    2016-11-15

    This is a survey of a novel approach, called “ETH approach”, to the quantum theory of events happening in isolated physical systems and to the effective time evolution of states of systems featuring events. In particular, we attempt to present a clear explanation of what is meant by an “event” in quantum mechanics and of the significance of this notion. We then outline a theory of direct (projective) and indirect observations or recordings of physical quantities and events. Some key ideas underlying our general theory are illustrated by studying a simple quantum-mechanical model of a mesoscopic system.

  15. Risk-based ranking of dominant contributors to maritime pollution events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wheeler, T.A.

    1993-01-01

    This report describes a conceptual approach for identifying dominant contributors to risk from maritime shipping of hazardous materials. Maritime transportation accidents are relatively common occurrences compared to more frequently analyzed contributors to public risk. Yet research on maritime safety and pollution incidents has not been guided by a systematic, risk-based approach. Maritime shipping accidents can be analyzed using event trees to group the accidents into 'bins,' or groups, of similar characteristics such as type of cargo, location of accident (e.g., harbor, inland waterway), type of accident (e.g., fire, collision, grounding), and size of release. The importance of specific types of events to each accident bin can be quantified. Then the overall importance of accident events to risk can be estimated by weighting the events' individual bin importance measures by the risk associated with each accident bin. 4 refs., 3 figs., 6 tabs

  16. Parental perspectives regarding primary-care weight-management strategies for school-age children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turer, Christy Boling; Mehta, Megha; Durante, Richard; Wazni, Fatima; Flores, Glenn

    2016-04-01

    To identify parental perspectives regarding weight-management strategies for school-age children, focus groups were conducted of parents of overweight and obese (body mass index ≥ 85th percentile) 6-12-year-old children recruited from primary-care clinics. Questions focused on the role of the primary-care provider, effective components of weight-management strategies and feasibility of specific dietary strategies. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed and analysed using margin coding and grounded theory. Six focus groups were held. The mean age (in years) for parents was 32, and for children, eight; 44% of participants were Latino, 33%, African-American and 23%, white. Parents' recommendations on the primary-care provider's role in weight management included monitoring weight, providing guidance regarding health risks and lifestyle changes, consistent follow-up and using discretion during weight discussions. Weight-management components identified as key included emphasising healthy lifestyles and enjoyment, small changes to routines and parental role modelling. Parents prefer guidance regarding healthy dietary practices rather than specific weight-loss diets, but identified principles that could enhance the acceptability of these diets. For dietary guidance to be feasible, parents recommended easy-to-follow instructions and emphasising servings over counting calories. Effective weight-management strategies identified by parents include primary-care provider engagement in weight management, simple instructions regarding healthy lifestyle changes, parental involvement and deemphasising specific weight-loss diets. These findings may prove useful in developing primary-care weight-management strategies for children that maximise parental acceptance. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Large developing receptive fields using a distributed and locally reprogrammable address-event receiver.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bamford, Simeon A; Murray, Alan F; Willshaw, David J

    2010-02-01

    A distributed and locally reprogrammable address-event receiver has been designed, in which incoming address-events are monitored simultaneously by all synapses, allowing for arbitrarily large axonal fan-out without reducing channel capacity. Synapses can change the address of their presynaptic neuron, allowing the distributed implementation of a biologically realistic learning rule, with both synapse formation and elimination (synaptic rewiring). Probabilistic synapse formation leads to topographic map development, made possible by a cross-chip current-mode calculation of Euclidean distance. As well as synaptic plasticity in rewiring, synapses change weights using a competitive Hebbian learning rule (spike-timing-dependent plasticity). The weight plasticity allows receptive fields to be modified based on spatio-temporal correlations in the inputs, and the rewiring plasticity allows these modifications to become embedded in the network topology.

  18. Density scaling and quasiuniversality of flow-event statistics for athermal plastic flows

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lerner, Edan; Bailey, Nicholas; Dyre, J. C.

    2014-01-01

    Athermal steady-state plastic flows were simulated for the Kob-Andersen binary Lennard-Jones system and its repulsive version in which the sign of the attractive terms is changed to a plus. Properties evaluated include the distributions of energy drops, stress drops, and strain intervals between...... the flow events. We show that simulations at a single density in conjunction with an equilibrium-liquid simulation at the same density allow one to predict the plastic flow-event statistics at other densities. This is done by applying the recently established “hidden scale invariance” of simple liquids...

  19. WAIST-HIP RATIO AND WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AS SIMPLE MEASURES OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK ASSESSMENT AND WEIGHT MANAGEMENT AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarbjit Singh

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND The Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR and Waist Circumference (WC were used to identify people at health risk both from being overweight and having visceral fat distribution. The aim of this study was to determine the association of WHR and WC in measuring the abdominal obesity, cardiovascular risk and weight management. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study involved 200 medical students (102 boys and 98 girls in the age group of 18-23 years (mean age 20.43 ± 8.9 years of Government Medical College, Amritsar, Punjab. WHR was divided into three groups in females- ≤0.80, 0.81-0.85 and >0.86 and males- ≤0.90, 0.90-1.0 and >1.0. WC was also divided into three groups in females- 88 cm and males- 102 cm. RESULTS The results of measurement of Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR of females were ≤0.80 (2%, 0.81-85 (10% and >0.86 (88% and males ≤90 (82%, 0.90-1.0 (15% and >1.0 (3%. Waist Circumference (WC of females was 88 cm (19% and males 102 cm (4%. CONCLUSION WHR is a better predictor of Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD than WC. WHR and WC are measures of abdominal obesity and should be incorporated in weight management. WHR 0.81-0.86 in girls and 0.90-1.0 in males have moderate health risk, while >0.86 in females and >1.0 in males have high health risk. Men with WC ≥94 cm and women ≥80 cm should gain no further weight while men with WC ≥102 cm and women with ≥88cm should reduce their weight to avoid cardiovascular risks. Waist circumference is another alternative.

  20. Diet and Physical Activity Behaviors in Primary Care Patients with Recent Intentional Weight Loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibbs, Bethany Barone; Tudorascu, Dana; Bryce, Cindy L; Comer, Diane; Fischer, Gary S; Hess, Rachel; Huber, Kimberly A; McTigue, Kathleen M; Simkin-Silverman, Laurey R; Conroy, Molly B

    2017-01-01

    Lifestyle habits of primary care patients with recent, intentional weight loss are unclear and need to be better understood to aid in translational health promotion efforts. We aimed to characterize diet and exercise habits in primary care patients with recent, intentional weight loss, comparing those with greater (≥10%) vs. lesser (5 to recipes (p=0.019). Average self-reported moderate-vigorous physical activity was 319 (281) minutes/week, with significant differences between greater (374 (328) minutes/week) vs. lesser (276 (230) minutes/week) weight loss groups (p=0.017). By pedometer, 30% had ≥7,500 steps/day; the proportion was higher in greater (43%) vs. lesser (19%) weight loss groups (p=0.005). For weight loss, clinical patients typically employ simple strategies such as 5+ fruits and vegetables per day, fried foods and desserts ≤1 per week, elimination of sugary drinks, choosing low fat foods/recipes, and physical activity 45-60 min/day.

  1. Combined reading of contrast enhanced and diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging by using a simple sum score

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baltzer, Anja [Medical University of Vienna (AKH), Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Vienna (Austria); Dietzel, Matthias [University Hospital Erlangen, Department of Neuroradiology, Erlangen (Germany); Kaiser, Clemens G. [Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Mannheim (Germany); Baltzer, Pascal A. [Medical University of Vienna (AKH), General Hospital Vienna, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Vienna (Austria)

    2016-03-15

    To improve specificity of breast MRI by integrating Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) values with contrast enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) using a simple sum score. Retrospective analysis of a consecutive series of patients referred to breast MRI at 1.5 T for further workup of breast lesions. Reading results of CE-MRI were dichotomized into score 1 (suspicious) or 0 (benign). Lesion's ADC-values (in *10-3 mm2/s) were assigned two different scores: ADC{sub 2}: likely malignant (score +1, ADC ≤ 1), indeterminate (score 0, ADC >1- ≤ 1.4) and likely benign (score -1, ADC > 1.4) and ADC{sub 1}: indeterminate (score 0, ADC ≤ 1.4) and likely benign (score -1, ADC > 1.4). Final added CE-MRI and ADC scores >0 were considered suspicious. Reference standard was histology and imaging follow-up of >24 months. Diagnostic parameters were compared using McNemar tests. A total of 150 lesions (73 malignant) were investigated. Reading of CE-MRI showed a sensitivity of 100 % (73/73) and a specificity of 81.8 % (63/77). Additional integration of ADC scores increased specificity (ADC2/ADC1, P = 0.008/0.001) without causing false negative results. Using a simple sum score, ADC-values can be integrated with CE-MRI of the breast, improving specificity. The best approach is using one threshold to exclude cancer. (orig.)

  2. Simple unification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ponce, W.A.; Zepeda, A.

    1987-08-01

    We present the results obtained from our systematic search of a simple Lie group that unifies weak and electromagnetic interactions in a single truly unified theory. We work with fractionally charged quarks, and allow for particles and antiparticles to belong to the same irreducible representation. We found that models based on SU(6), SU(7), SU(8) and SU(10) are viable candidates for simple unification. (author). 23 refs

  3. Fetal size monitoring and birth-weight prediction: a new population-based approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gjessing, H K; Grøttum, P; Økland, I; Eik-Nes, S H

    2017-04-01

    To develop a complete, population-based system for ultrasound-based fetal size monitoring and birth-weight prediction for use in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Using 31 516 ultrasound examinations from a population-based Norwegian clinical database, we constructed fetal size charts for biparietal diameter, femur length and abdominal circumference from 24 to 42 weeks' gestation. A reference curve of median birth weight for gestational age was estimated using 45 037 birth weights. We determined how individual deviations from the expected ultrasound measures predicted individual percentage deviations from expected birth weight. The predictive quality was assessed by explained variance of birth weight and receiver-operating characteristics curves for prediction of small-for-gestational age. A curve for intrauterine estimated fetal weight was constructed. Charts were smoothed using the gamlss non-linear regression method. The population-based approach, using bias-free ultrasound gestational age, produces stable estimates of size-for-age and weight-for-age curves in the range 24-42 weeks' gestation. There is a close correspondence between percentage deviations and percentiles of birth weight by gestational age, making it easy to convert between the two. The variance of birth weight that can be 'explained' by ultrasound increases from 8% at 20 weeks up to 67% around term. Intrauterine estimated fetal weight is 0-106 g higher than median birth weight in the preterm period. The new population-based birth-weight prediction model provides a simple summary measure, the 'percentage birth-weight deviation', to be used for fetal size monitoring throughout the third trimester. Predictive quality of the model can be measured directly from the population data. The model computes both median observed birth weight and intrauterine estimated fetal weight. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John

  4. Use of wireless sensor networks for distributed event detection in disaster management applications

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bahrepour, M.; Meratnia, Nirvana; Poel, Mannes; Taghikhaki, Zahra; Havinga, Paul J.M.

    Recently, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have become mature enough to go beyond being simple fine-grained continuous monitoring platforms and have become one of the enabling technologies for early-warning disaster systems. Event detection functionality of WSNs can be of great help and importance

  5. Foam A General Purpose Cellular Monte Carlo Event Generator

    CERN Document Server

    Jadach, Stanislaw

    2003-01-01

    A general purpose, self-adapting, Monte Carlo (MC) event generator (simulator) is described. The high efficiency of the MC, that is small maximum weight or variance of the MC weight is achieved by means of dividing the integration domain into small cells. The cells can be $n$-dimensional simplices, hyperrectangles or Cartesian product of them. The grid of cells, called ``foam'', is produced in the process of the binary split of the cells. The choice of the next cell to be divided and the position/direction of the division hyper-plane is driven by the algorithm which optimizes the ratio of the maximum weight to the average weight or (optionally) the total variance. The algorithm is able to deal, in principle, with an arbitrary pattern of the singularities in the distribution. As any MC generator, it can also be used for the MC integration. With the typical personal computer CPU, the program is able to perform adaptive integration/simulation at relatively small number of dimensions ($\\leq 16$). With the continu...

  6. SRBreak: A read-depth and split-read framework to identify breakpoints of different events inside simple copy-number variable regions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    HOANG T NGUYEN

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Copy-number variation (CNV has been associated with increased risk of complex diseases. High throughput sequencing (HTS technologies facilitate the detection of copy-number variable regions (CNVRs and their breakpoints. This helps in understanding genome structures of genomes as well as their evolution process. Various approaches have been proposed for detecting CNV breakpoints, but currently it is still challenging for tools based on a single analysis method to identify breakpoints of CNVs. It has been shown, however, that pipelines which integrate multiple approaches are able to report more reliable breakpoints. Here, based on HTS data, we have developed a pipeline to identify approximate breakpoints (±10 bp relating to different ancestral events within a specific CNVR. The pipeline combines read-depth and split-read information to infer breakpoints, using information from multiple samples to allow an imputation approach to be taken. The main steps involve using a normal mixture model to cluster samples into different groups, followed by simple kernel-based approaches to maximise information obtained from read-depth and split-read approaches, after which common breakpoints of groups are inferred. The pipeline uses split-read information directly from CIGAR strings of BAM files, without using a re-alignment step. On simulated data sets, it was able to report breakpoints for very low-coverage samples including those for which only single-end reads were available. When applied to three loci from existing human resequencing data sets (NEGR1, LCE3, IRGM the pipeline obtained good concordance with results from the 1000 Genomes Project (92%, 100% and 82%, respectively.The package is available at https://github.com/hoangtn/SRBreak, and also as a docker-based application at https://registry.hub.docker.com/u/hoangtn/srbreak/.

  7. Predictors of long-term recurrent vascular events after ischemic stroke at young age: the Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pezzini, Alessandro; Grassi, Mario; Lodigiani, Corrado; Patella, Rosalba; Gandolfo, Carlo; Zini, Andrea; Delodovici, Maria Luisa; Paciaroni, Maurizio; Del Sette, Massimo; Toriello, Antonella; Musolino, Rossella; Calabrò, Rocco Salvatore; Bovi, Paolo; Adami, Alessandro; Silvestrelli, Giorgio; Sessa, Maria; Cavallini, Anna; Marcheselli, Simona; Bonifati, Domenico Marco; Checcarelli, Nicoletta; Tancredi, Lucia; Chiti, Alberto; Del Zotto, Elisabetta; Spalloni, Alessandra; Giossi, Alessia; Volonghi, Irene; Costa, Paolo; Giacalone, Giacomo; Ferrazzi, Paola; Poli, Loris; Morotti, Andrea; Rasura, Maurizia; Simone, Anna Maria; Gamba, Massimo; Cerrato, Paolo; Micieli, Giuseppe; Melis, Maurizio; Massucco, Davide; De Giuli, Valeria; Iacoviello, Licia; Padovani, Alessandro

    2014-04-22

    Data on long-term risk and predictors of recurrent thrombotic events after ischemic stroke at a young age are limited. We followed 1867 patients with first-ever ischemic stroke who were 18 to 45 years of age (mean age, 36.8±7.1 years; women, 49.0%), as part of the Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults (IPSYS). Median follow-up was 40 months (25th to 75th percentile, 53). The primary end point was a composite of ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction, or other arterial events. One hundred sixty-three patients had recurrent thrombotic events (average rate, 2.26 per 100 person-years at risk). At 10 years, cumulative risk was 14.7% (95% confidence interval, 12.2%-17.9%) for primary end point, 14.0% (95% confidence interval, 11.4%-17.1%) for brain ischemia, and 0.7% (95% confidence interval, 0.4%-1.3%) for myocardial infarction or other arterial events. Familial history of stroke, migraine with aura, circulating antiphospholipid antibodies, discontinuation of antiplatelet and antihypertensive medications, and any increase of 1 traditional vascular risk factor were independent predictors of the composite end point in multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis. A point-scoring system for each variable was generated by their β-coefficients, and a predictive score (IPSYS score) was calculated as the sum of the weighted scores. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the 0- to 5-year score was 0.66 (95% confidence interval, 0.61-0.71; mean, 10-fold internally cross-validated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.65). Among patients with ischemic stroke aged 18 to 45 years, the long-term risk of recurrent thrombotic events is associated with modifiable, age-specific risk factors. The IPSYS score may serve as a simple tool for risk estimation.

  8. Effect of Symmetry Improvement in Weight Bearing on Postural Stability of Hemiparetic Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hossein Asghar-Hosseini

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Impaired postural control has been known as the main cause of fall in hemiparesis after stroke. Is Asymmetry of weight bearing on lower limb is one of the prominent characteristics of postural imbalance in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of symmetry improvement in weight bearing through therapeutic interventions on postural stability in hemiparetic patients. Materials & Methods: In this quasi – experimental study which 27 hemiparetic patients were selected through sample of convenience by simple method from men and women who were referred to neurology clinic of Hazrat-e-Rasool hospital. For postural assessment patients stood quietly with open eyes and close eyes on force plates. Primary assessments included evaluation of asymmetry index (AI, RMS COP displacement (Root Mean Square of Center of Pressure and RMS COP velocity in both frontal and sagital planes. Then a 10mm lift was inserted under the unaffected limb and primary assessments were repeated. Data were analyzed by repeated measure ANOVA test. Results: Simple main effect of lift on asymmetry index was significant (P<0/0001. There was no significant interaction between vision and lift. Simple main effect of lift on postural stability variables was also non significant (for RMS COP displacement in frontal and sagital planes P=0.186 and P=0.245, respectively and for RMS COP velocity P=0.259 and P=0.342 respectively. Conclusion: Inserting a lift can improve symmetry by shifting center of gravity to midline. Since symmetry improvement did not decrease postural instability, asymmetric weight bearing can not be the primary cause of postural instability and may not be the principal target of rehabilitation programs aiming at restoring standing balance after stroke.

  9. Rapid Weight Loss Elicits Harmful Biochemical and Hormonal Responses in Mixed Martial Arts Athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coswig, Victor Silveira; Fukuda, David Hideyoshi; Del Vecchio, Fabrício Boscolo

    2015-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare biochemical and hormonal responses between mixed martial arts (MMA) competitors with minimal prefight weight loss and those undergoing rapid weight loss (RWL). Blood samples were taken from 17 MMA athletes (Mean± SD; age: 27.4 ±5.3yr; body mass: 76.2 ± 12.4kg; height: 1.71 ± 0.05m and training experience: 39.4 ± 25 months) before and after each match, according to the official events rules. The no rapid weight loss (NWL, n = 12) group weighed in on the day of the event (~30 min prior fight) and athletes declared not having used RWL strategies, while the RWL group (n = 5) weighed in 24 hr before the event and the athletes claimed to have lost 7.4 ± 1.1kg, approximately 10% of their body mass in the week preceding the event. Results showed significant (p < .05) increases following fights, regardless of group, in lactate, glucose, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatinine, and cortisol for all athletes. With regard to group differences, NWL had significantly (p < .05) greater creatinine levels (Mean± SD; pre to post) (NWL= 101.6 ± 15-142.3 ± 22.9μmol/L and RWL= 68.9 ± 10.6-79.5 ± 15.9μmol/L), while RWL had higher LDH (median [interquartile range]; pre to post) (NWL= 211.5[183-236] to 231[203-258]U/L and RWL= 390[370.5-443.5] to 488[463.5-540.5]U/L) and AST (NWL= 30[22-37] to 32[22-41]U/L and 39[32.5-76.5] to 72[38.5-112.5] U/L) values (NWL versus RWL, p < .05). Post hoc analysis showed that AST significantly increased in only the RWL group, while creatinine increased in only the NWL group. The practice of rapid weight loss showed a negative impact on energy availability and increased both muscle damage markers and catabolic expression in MMA fighters.

  10. Changes in perceived weight discrimination among Americans, 1995-1996 through 2004-2006.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andreyeva, Tatiana; Puhl, Rebecca M; Brownell, Kelly D

    2008-05-01

    Little is known about the prevalence and patterns of weight discrimination in the United States. This study examined the trends in perceived weight/height discrimination among a nationally representative sample of adults aged 35-74 years, comparing experiences of discrimination based on race, age, and gender. Data were from the two waves of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS), a survey of community-based English-speaking adults initially in 1995-1996 and a follow-up in 2004- 2006. Reported experiences of weight/height discrimination included a variety of settings in major lifetime events and interpersonal relationships. The prevalence of weight/height discrimination increased from 7% in 1995-1996 to 12% in 2004-2006, affecting all population groups but the elderly. This growth is unlikely to be explained by changes in obesity rates. Weight/height discrimination is highly prevalent in American society and increasing at disturbing rates. Its prevalence is relatively close to reported rates of race and age discrimination, but virtually no legal or social sanctions against weight discrimination exist.

  11. Volume-weighted measure for eternal inflation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winitzki, Sergei

    2008-01-01

    I propose a new volume-weighted probability measure for cosmological 'multiverse' scenarios involving eternal inflation. The 'reheating-volume (RV) cutoff' calculates the distribution of observable quantities on a portion of the reheating hypersurface that is conditioned to be finite. The RV measure is gauge-invariant, does not suffer from the 'youngness paradox', and is independent of initial conditions at the beginning of inflation. In slow-roll inflationary models with a scalar inflaton, the RV-regulated probability distributions can be obtained by solving nonlinear diffusion equations. I discuss possible applications of the new measure to 'landscape' scenarios with bubble nucleation. As an illustration, I compute the predictions of the RV measure in a simple toy landscape.

  12. Challenges in the modeling of tidal disruption events lightcurves

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lodato G.

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available In this contribution, I review the recent developments on the modeling of the lightcurve of tidal disruption events. Our understanding has evolved significantly from the earlier seminal results that imply a simple power-law decay of the bolometric light curve as t−5/3. We now know that the details of the rise to the peak of the lightcurve is determined mainly by the internal structure of the disrupted star. We also have improved models for the disc thermal emission, showing that in this case the decline of the luminosity with time should be much flatter than the standard t−5/3 law, especially in optical and UV wavelengths, while the X-ray lightcurve is generally best suited to track the bolometric one. Finally, we are just starting to explore the interesting general relativistic effects that might arise for such events, for which the tidal radius lies very close to the black hole event horizon.

  13. Weighted Low-Rank Approximation of Matrices and Background Modeling

    KAUST Repository

    Dutta, Aritra

    2018-04-15

    We primarily study a special a weighted low-rank approximation of matrices and then apply it to solve the background modeling problem. We propose two algorithms for this purpose: one operates in the batch mode on the entire data and the other one operates in the batch-incremental mode on the data and naturally captures more background variations and computationally more effective. Moreover, we propose a robust technique that learns the background frame indices from the data and does not require any training frames. We demonstrate through extensive experiments that by inserting a simple weight in the Frobenius norm, it can be made robust to the outliers similar to the $\\\\ell_1$ norm. Our methods match or outperform several state-of-the-art online and batch background modeling methods in virtually all quantitative and qualitative measures.

  14. Weighted Low-Rank Approximation of Matrices and Background Modeling

    KAUST Repository

    Dutta, Aritra; Li, Xin; Richtarik, Peter

    2018-01-01

    We primarily study a special a weighted low-rank approximation of matrices and then apply it to solve the background modeling problem. We propose two algorithms for this purpose: one operates in the batch mode on the entire data and the other one operates in the batch-incremental mode on the data and naturally captures more background variations and computationally more effective. Moreover, we propose a robust technique that learns the background frame indices from the data and does not require any training frames. We demonstrate through extensive experiments that by inserting a simple weight in the Frobenius norm, it can be made robust to the outliers similar to the $\\ell_1$ norm. Our methods match or outperform several state-of-the-art online and batch background modeling methods in virtually all quantitative and qualitative measures.

  15. Estimating rare events in biochemical systems using conditional sampling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sundar, V. S.

    2017-01-01

    The paper focuses on development of variance reduction strategies to estimate rare events in biochemical systems. Obtaining this probability using brute force Monte Carlo simulations in conjunction with the stochastic simulation algorithm (Gillespie's method) is computationally prohibitive. To circumvent this, important sampling tools such as the weighted stochastic simulation algorithm and the doubly weighted stochastic simulation algorithm have been proposed. However, these strategies require an additional step of determining the important region to sample from, which is not straightforward for most of the problems. In this paper, we apply the subset simulation method, developed as a variance reduction tool in the context of structural engineering, to the problem of rare event estimation in biochemical systems. The main idea is that the rare event probability is expressed as a product of more frequent conditional probabilities. These conditional probabilities are estimated with high accuracy using Monte Carlo simulations, specifically the Markov chain Monte Carlo method with the modified Metropolis-Hastings algorithm. Generating sample realizations of the state vector using the stochastic simulation algorithm is viewed as mapping the discrete-state continuous-time random process to the standard normal random variable vector. This viewpoint opens up the possibility of applying more sophisticated and efficient sampling schemes developed elsewhere to problems in stochastic chemical kinetics. The results obtained using the subset simulation method are compared with existing variance reduction strategies for a few benchmark problems, and a satisfactory improvement in computational time is demonstrated.

  16. Real photon spectral weight functions, imaginary part of vacuum polarization and electromagnetic vertices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chahine, C.; College de France, 75 - Paris. Lab. de Physique Corpusculaire)

    1978-02-01

    The concept of a real photon spectral weight function for any cross-section involving charged particles is introduced as a simple approximation taking into account the soft part of photon emission to all orders in perturbation theory. The spectral weight function replaces the energy-momentum conservation delta function in the elastic cross-section. The spectral weight function is computed in closed form in space-time and in the peaking approximation in momentum space. The spectral weight function description is applied to the imaginary part of vacuum polarization ImPI and to electron-proton scattering. A spectral representation for ImPI is derived and its content compared with the known fourth order result, showing in particular the identity of the soft and peaking approximations in lowest order. The virtual photon radiative corrections are discussed in part, with emphasis on the threshold behavior of the vertex functions. A relativistic generalization of the electric non-relativistic vertex function is given, whose asymptotic behavior is approppriate to use in conjuction with the spectral weight function

  17. Nonlocal discrete regularization on weighted graphs: a framework for image and manifold processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elmoataz, Abderrahim; Lezoray, Olivier; Bougleux, Sébastien

    2008-07-01

    We introduce a nonlocal discrete regularization framework on weighted graphs of the arbitrary topologies for image and manifold processing. The approach considers the problem as a variational one, which consists of minimizing a weighted sum of two energy terms: a regularization one that uses a discrete weighted p-Dirichlet energy and an approximation one. This is the discrete analogue of recent continuous Euclidean nonlocal regularization functionals. The proposed formulation leads to a family of simple and fast nonlinear processing methods based on the weighted p-Laplace operator, parameterized by the degree p of regularity, the graph structure and the graph weight function. These discrete processing methods provide a graph-based version of recently proposed semi-local or nonlocal processing methods used in image and mesh processing, such as the bilateral filter, the TV digital filter or the nonlocal means filter. It works with equal ease on regular 2-D and 3-D images, manifolds or any data. We illustrate the abilities of the approach by applying it to various types of images, meshes, manifolds, and data represented as graphs.

  18. Parturition events and risk of urinary incontinence in later life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thom, David H; Brown, Jeanette S; Schembri, Michael; Ragins, Arona I; Creasman, Jennifer M; Van Den Eeden, Stephen K

    2011-11-01

    To examine the association between specific events during vaginal deliveries and urinary incontinence later in life. A retrospective cohort study of 1,521 middle-aged and older women with at least one vaginal delivery who were long-term members of an integrated health delivery system. Age, race/ethnicity, current incontinence status, medical, surgical history, pregnancy and parturition history, menopausal status, hormone replacement, health habits, and general health were obtained by questionnaire. Labor and delivery records, archived since 1948, were abstracted by professional medical record abstractors to obtain parturition events including induction, length of labor stages, type of anesthesia, episiotomy, instrumental delivery, and birth weight. The primary dependent variable was current weekly urinary incontinence (once per week or more often) versus urinary incontinence less than monthly (including no incontinence) in past 12 months. Associations of parturition events and later incontinence were assessed in multivariate analysis with logistic regression. The mean age of participants was 56 years. After adjustment for multiple risk factors, weekly urinary incontinence significantly associated with age at first birth (P = 0.036), greatest birth weight (P = 0.005), and ever having been induced for labor (OR = 1.51; 95%CI = 1.06-2.16, P = 0.02). Risk of incontinence increased from OR = 1.35 (95%CI = 0.92-1.97, P = 0.12) for women with one induction to OR = 2.67 (95%CI = 1.25-5.71, P = 0.01) for women with two or more inductions (P = 0.01 for trend). No other parturition factors were associated with incontinence. Younger age at first birth, greatest birth weight, and induction of labor were associated with an increased risk of incontinence in later life. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Selection of an appropriately simple storm runoff model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. I. J. M. van Dijk

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available An appropriately simple event runoff model for catchment hydrological studies was derived. The model was selected from several variants as having the optimum balance between simplicity and the ability to explain daily observations of streamflow from 260 Australian catchments (23–1902 km2. Event rainfall and runoff were estimated from the observations through a combination of baseflow separation and storm flow recession analysis, producing a storm flow recession coefficient (kQF. Various model structures with up to six free parameters were investigated, covering most of the equations applied in existing lumped catchment models. The performance of alternative structures and free parameters were expressed in Aikake's Final Prediction Error Criterion (FPEC and corresponding Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiencies (NSME for event runoff totals. For each model variant, the number of free parameters was reduced in steps based on calculated parameter sensitivity. The resulting optimal model structure had two or three free parameters; the first describing the non-linear relationship between event rainfall and runoff (Smax, the second relating runoff to antecedent groundwater storage (CSg, and a third that described initial rainfall losses (Li, but which could be set at 8 mm without affecting model performance too much. The best three parameter model produced a median NSME of 0.64 and outperformed, for example, the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number technique (median NSME 0.30–0.41. Parameter estimation in ungauged catchments is likely to be challenging: 64% of the variance in kQF among stations could be explained by catchment climate indicators and spatial correlation, but corresponding numbers were a modest 45% for CSg, 21% for Smax and none for Li, respectively. In gauged catchments, better

  20. A model of return intervals between earthquake events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yu; Chechkin, Aleksei; Sokolov, Igor M.; Kantz, Holger

    2016-06-01

    Application of the diffusion entropy analysis and the standard deviation analysis to the time sequence of the southern California earthquake events from 1976 to 2002 uncovered scaling behavior typical for anomalous diffusion. However, the origin of such behavior is still under debate. Some studies attribute the scaling behavior to the correlations in the return intervals, or waiting times, between aftershocks or mainshocks. To elucidate a nature of the scaling, we applied specific reshulffling techniques to eliminate correlations between different types of events and then examined how it affects the scaling behavior. We demonstrate that the origin of the scaling behavior observed is the interplay between mainshock waiting time distribution and the structure of clusters of aftershocks, but not correlations in waiting times between the mainshocks and aftershocks themselves. Our findings are corroborated by numerical simulations of a simple model showing a very similar behavior. The mainshocks are modeled by a renewal process with a power-law waiting time distribution between events, and aftershocks follow a nonhomogeneous Poisson process with the rate governed by Omori's law.

  1. The fuzzy set theory application to the analysis of accident progression event trees with phenomenological uncertainty issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chun, Moon-Hyun; Ahn, Kwang-Il

    1991-01-01

    Fuzzy set theory provides a formal framework for dealing with the imprecision and vagueness inherent in the expert judgement, and therefore it can be used for more effective analysis of accident progression of PRA where experts opinion is a major means for quantifying some event probabilities and uncertainties. In this paper, an example application of the fuzzy set theory is first made to a simple portion of a given accident progression event tree with typical qualitative fuzzy input data, and thereby computational algorithms suitable for application of the fuzzy set theory to the accident progression event tree analysis are identified and illustrated with example applications. Then the procedure used in the simple example is extended to extremely complex accident progression event trees with a number of phenomenological uncertainty issues, i.e., a typical plant damage state 'SEC' of the Zion Nuclear Power Plant risk assessment. The results show that the fuzzy averages of the fuzzy outcomes are very close to the mean values obtained by current methods. The main purpose of this paper is to provide a formal procedure for application of the fuzzy set theory to accident progression event trees with imprecise and qualitative branch probabilities and/or with a number of phenomenological uncertainty issues. (author)

  2. 77 FR 74144 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Event Data Recorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-13

    ... strategies were used during the event. Additionally, the data can be used to assess whether the vehicle was... the agency regarding their 2010 vehicles and then weighting using 2010 corporate-level vehicle... advance notice of proposed rulemaking in the near future to explore the potential for, and future utility...

  3. Foreshock and aftershocks in simple earthquake models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kazemian, J; Tiampo, K F; Klein, W; Dominguez, R

    2015-02-27

    Many models of earthquake faults have been introduced that connect Gutenberg-Richter (GR) scaling to triggering processes. However, natural earthquake fault systems are composed of a variety of different geometries and materials and the associated heterogeneity in physical properties can cause a variety of spatial and temporal behaviors. This raises the question of how the triggering process and the structure interact to produce the observed phenomena. Here we present a simple earthquake fault model based on the Olami-Feder-Christensen and Rundle-Jackson-Brown cellular automata models with long-range interactions that incorporates a fixed percentage of stronger sites, or asperity cells, into the lattice. These asperity cells are significantly stronger than the surrounding lattice sites but eventually rupture when the applied stress reaches their higher threshold stress. The introduction of these spatial heterogeneities results in temporal clustering in the model that mimics that seen in natural fault systems along with GR scaling. In addition, we observe sequences of activity that start with a gradually accelerating number of larger events (foreshocks) prior to a main shock that is followed by a tail of decreasing activity (aftershocks). This work provides further evidence that the spatial and temporal patterns observed in natural seismicity are strongly influenced by the underlying physical properties and are not solely the result of a simple cascade mechanism.

  4. American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7: Avoiding Heart Failure and Preserving Cardiac Structure and Function

    Science.gov (United States)

    Folsom, Aaron R.; Shah, Amil M.; Lutsey, Pamela L.; Roetker, Nicholas S.; Alonso, Alvaro; Avery, Christy L.; Miedema, Michael D.; Konety, Suma; Chang, Patricia P.; Solomon, Scott D.

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND Many people may underappreciate the role of lifestyle in avoiding heart failure. We estimated whether greater adherence in middle age to American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 guidelines -- on smoking, body mass, physical activity, diet, cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose -- is associated with lower lifetime risk of heart failure and greater preservation of cardiac structure and function in old age. METHODS We studied the population-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study cohort of 13,462 adults aged 45-64 years in 1987-89. From the 1987-89 risk factor measurements, we created a Life’s Simple 7 score (range 0-14, giving 2 points for ideal, 1 point for intermediate, and 0 points for poor components). We identified 2,218 incident heart failure events using surveillance of hospital discharge and death codes through 2011. In addition, in 4,855 participants free of clinical cardiovascular disease in 2011-13, we performed echocardiography from which we quantified left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction. RESULTS One in four participants (25.5%) developed heart failure through age 85. Yet, this lifetime heart failure risk was 14.4% for those with a middle-age Life’s Simple 7 score of 10-14 (optimal), 26.8% for a score of 5-9 (average), and 48.6% for a score of 0-4 (inadequate). Among those with no clinical cardiovascular event, the prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in late life was approximately 40% as common, and diastolic dysfunction was approximately 60% as common, among those with an optimal middle-age Life’s Simple 7 score compared with an inadequate score. CONCLUSIONS Greater achievement of American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 in middle-age is associated with a lower lifetime occurrence of heart failure and greater preservation of cardiac structure and function. PMID:25908393

  5. Vehicle Maximum Weight Limitation Based on Intelligent Weight Sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raihan, W.; Tessar, R. M.; Ernest, C. O. S.; E Byan, W. R.; Winda, A.

    2017-03-01

    Vehicle weight is an important factor to be maintained for transportation safety. A weight limitation system is proposed to make sure the vehicle weight is always below its designation prior the vehicle is being used by the driver. The proposed system is divided into two systems, namely vehicle weight confirmation system and weight warning system. In vehicle weight confirmation system, the weight sensor work for the first time after the ignition switch is turned on. When the weight is under the weight limit, the starter engine can be switched on to start the engine system, otherwise it will be locked. The seconds system, will operated after checking all the door at close position, once the door of the car is closed, the weight warning system will check once again the weight during runing engine condition. The results of these two systems, vehicle weight confirmation system and weight warning system have 100 % accuracy, respectively. These show that the proposed vehicle weight limitation system operate well.

  6. Sensitivity Tests for the Unprotected Events of the Prototype Gen-IV SFR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Chiwoong; Lee, Kwilim; Jeong, Jaeho; Yu, Jin; An, Sangjun; Lee, Seung Won; Chang, Wonpyo; Ha, Kwiseok [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-10-15

    Unprotected Transient Over Power, (UTOP), Unprotected Loss Of Flow (ULOF), and Unprotected Loss Of Heat Sink (ULOHS) are selected as ATWS events. Among these accidents, the ULOF event shows the lowest clad temperature. However, the ULOHS event showed the highest peak clad temperature, due to the positive CRDL/RV expansion reactivity feedback and insufficient DHRS capacity. In this study, the sensitivity tests are conducted. In the case of the UTOP event, a sensitivity test for the reactivity insertion amount and rate were conducted. This analysis can give a requirement for margin of control rod stop system (CRSS). Currently, the reactivity feedback model for the PGSFR is not validated yet. However, the reactivity feedback models in the MARS-LMR are validating with various plant-based data including EBR-II SHRT. The ATWS events for the PGSFR classified in the design extended condition including UTOP, ULOF, and ULOHS are analyzed with MARS-LMR. In this study, the sensitivity tests for reactivity insertion amount and rate in the UTOP event are conducted. The reactivity insertion amount is obviously an influential parameter. The reactivity insertion amount can give a requirement for design of the CRSS, therefore, this sensitivity result is very important to the CRSS. In addition, sensitivity tests for the weighting factor in the radial expansion reactivity model are carried out. The weighting factor for a grid plate, W{sub GP}, which means contribution of feedback in the grid plate is changed for all unprotected events. The grid plate expansion is governed by a core inlet temperature. As the W{sub GP} is increased, the power in the UTOP and the ULOF is increased, however, the power in the ULOHS is decreased. The higher power during transient means lower reactivity feedback and smaller expansion. Thus, the core outlet temperature rise is dominant in the UTOP and ULOF events, however, the core inlet temperature rise is dominant in the ULOHS. Therefore, the grid plate

  7. Nutritional Approaches to Achieve Weight Loss in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Christine C; Ness, Erik; Kowdley, Kris V

    2017-03-01

    Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can range in spectrum from simple hepatic steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is characterized by lipotoxicity, hepatocellular ballooning, and inflammation and can progress to cirrhosis. Weight loss is the cornerstone treatment for NAFLD and NASH. Various randomized controlled trials have shown that weight loss of ≥5-10% leads to significant improvements in hepatic steatosis. Diets high in sodium and fructose have been implicated in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Although some clinical studies suggest that an isocaloric high-fructose diet does not worsen NAFLD, these clinical studies are often short in duration. More recently, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, a sodium-restricted diet, has been associated with less prevalence of NAFLD and has been shown to improve NAFLD. In addition, the Mediterranean diet has been promising in improving hepatic steatosis, and a larger randomized controlled trial is currently enrolling subjects. For those who are unable to pursue weight loss through dietary approaches, bariatric surgery has been shown to improve hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis. This method has been variable in improving hepatic fibrosis. In conclusion, weight loss is crucial to the improvement of NAFLD and NASH, and patients should attempt various diets in an attempt to achieve weight loss. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

  8. Sustained Weight Loss with Vagal Nerve Blockade but Not with Sham: 18-Month Results of the ReCharge Trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott A. Shikora

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background/Objectives. Vagal block therapy (vBloc is effective for moderate to severe obesity at one year. Subjects/Methods. The ReCharge trial is a double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial of 239 participants with body mass index (BMI of 40 to 45 kg/m or 35 to 40 kg/m with one or more obesity-related conditions. Interventions were implantation of either vBloc or Sham devices and weight management counseling. Mixed models assessed percent excess weight loss (%EWL and total weight loss (%TWL in intent-to-treat analyses. At 18 months, 142 (88% vBloc and 64 (83% Sham patients remained enrolled in the study. Results. 18-month weight loss was 23% EWL (8.8% TWL for vBloc and 10% EWL (3.8% TWL for Sham (P<0.0001. vBloc patients largely maintained 12-month weight loss of 26% EWL (9.7% TWL. Sham regained over 40% of the 17% EWL (6.4% TWL by 18 months. Most weight regain preceded unblinding. Common adverse events of vBloc through 18 months were heartburn/dyspepsia and abdominal pain; 98% of events were reported as mild or moderate and 79% had resolved. Conclusions. Weight loss with vBloc was sustained through 18 months, while Sham regained weight between 12 and 18 months. vBloc is effective with a low rate of serious complications.

  9. ANALYSIS OF SST IMAGES BY WEIGHTED ENSEMBLE TRANSFORM KALMAN FILTER

    OpenAIRE

    Sai , Gorthi; Beyou , Sébastien; Memin , Etienne

    2011-01-01

    International audience; This paper presents a novel, efficient scheme for the analysis of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) ocean images. We consider the estimation of the velocity fields and vorticity values from a sequence of oceanic images. The contribution of this paper lies in proposing a novel, robust and simple approach based onWeighted Ensemble Transform Kalman filter (WETKF) data assimilation technique for the analysis of real SST images, that may contain coast regions or large areas of ...

  10. Numeracy moderates the influence of task-irrelevant affect on probability weighting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Traczyk, Jakub; Fulawka, Kamil

    2016-06-01

    Statistical numeracy, defined as the ability to understand and process statistical and probability information, plays a significant role in superior decision making. However, recent research has demonstrated that statistical numeracy goes beyond simple comprehension of numbers and mathematical operations. On the contrary to previous studies that were focused on emotions integral to risky prospects, we hypothesized that highly numerate individuals would exhibit more linear probability weighting because they would be less biased by incidental and decision-irrelevant affect. Participants were instructed to make a series of insurance decisions preceded by negative (i.e., fear-inducing) or neutral stimuli. We found that incidental negative affect increased the curvature of the probability weighting function (PWF). Interestingly, this effect was significant only for less numerate individuals, while probability weighting in more numerate people was not altered by decision-irrelevant affect. We propose two candidate mechanisms for the observed effect. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Mechanisms of Weight Regain following Weight Loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blomain, Erik Scott; Dirhan, Dara Anne; Valentino, Michael Anthony; Kim, Gilbert Won; Waldman, Scott Arthur

    2013-01-01

    Obesity is a world-wide pandemic and its incidence is on the rise along with associated comorbidities. Currently, there are few effective therapies to combat obesity. The use of lifestyle modification therapy, namely, improvements in diet and exercise, is preferable over bariatric surgery or pharmacotherapy due to surgical risks and issues with drug efficacy and safety. Although they are initially successful in producing weight loss, such lifestyle intervention strategies are generally unsuccessful in achieving long-term weight maintenance, with the vast majority of obese patients regaining their lost weight during followup. Recently, various compensatory mechanisms have been elucidated by which the body may oppose new weight loss, and this compensation may result in weight regain back to the obese baseline. The present review summarizes the available evidence on these compensatory mechanisms, with a focus on weight loss-induced changes in energy expenditure, neuroendocrine pathways, nutrient metabolism, and gut physiology. These findings have added a major focus to the field of antiobesity research. In addition to investigating pathways that induce weight loss, the present work also focuses on pathways that may instead prevent weight regain. Such strategies will be necessary for improving long-term weight loss maintenance and outcomes for patients who struggle with obesity.

  12. Baking-powder driven centripetal pumping controlled by event-triggering of functional liquids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kinahan, David J.; Burger, Robert; Vembadi, Abhishek

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports radially inbound pumping by the event-triggered addition of water to on-board stored baking powder in combination with valving by an immiscible, high-specific weight liquid on a centrifugal microfluidic platform. This technology allows making efficient use of precious real estate...

  13. The Longitudinal Relation Between Accumulation of Adverse Life Events and Body Mass Index From Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Elsenburg, Leonie K.; Smidt, Nynke; Liefbroer, Aart C.

    Objective: Stressors, such as adverse life events, can cause weight changes through behavioral and biological mechanisms. Whether the accumulation of adverse life events is related to body mass index (BMI) across multiple time points from early adolescence to young adulthood has not been

  14. The longitudinal relation between accumulation of adverse life events and body mass index from early adolescence to young adulthood

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Elsenburg, Leonie K.; Smidt, Nynke; Liefbroer, Aart C.

    2017-01-01

    Objective: Stressors, such as adverse life events, can cause weight changes through behavioral and biological mechanisms. Whether the accumulation of adverse life events is related to body mass index (BMI) across multiple time points from early adolescence to young adulthood has not been

  15. The Longitudinal Relation Between Accumulation of Adverse Life Events and Body Mass Index From Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Elsenburg, L.; Smidt, N.; Liefbroer, A.C.

    2017-01-01

    Objective: Stressors, such as adverse life events, can cause weight changes through behavioral and biological mechanisms. Whether the accumulation of adverse life events is related to body mass index (BMI) across multiple time points from early adolescence to young adulthood has not been

  16. Intra-event isotope and raindrop size data of tropical rain reveal effects concealed by event averaged data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Managave, S. R.; Jani, R. A.; Narayana Rao, T.; Sunilkumar, K.; Satheeshkumar, S.; Ramesh, R.

    2016-08-01

    Evaporation of rain is known to contribute water vapor, a potent greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere. Stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compositions (δ18O and, δD, respectively) of precipitation, usually measured/presented as values integrated over rain events or monthly mean values, are important tools for detecting evaporation effects. The slope ~8 of the linear relationship between such time-averaged values of δD and δ18O (called the meteoric water line) is widely accepted as a proof of condensation under isotopic equilibrium and absence of evaporation of rain during atmospheric fall. Here, through a simultaneous investigation of the isotopic and drop size distributions of seventeen rain events sampled on an intra-event scale at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E), southern India, we demonstrate that the evaporation effects, not evident in the time-averaged data, are significantly manifested in the sub-samples of individual rain events. We detect this through (1) slopes significantly less than 8 for the δD-δ18O relation on intra-event scale and (2) significant positive correlations between deuterium excess ( d-excess = δD - 8*δ18O; lower values in rain indicate evaporation) and the mass-weighted mean diameter of the raindrops ( D m ). An estimated ~44 % of rain is influenced by evaporation. This study also reveals a signature of isotopic equilibration of rain with the cloud base vapor, the processes important for modeling isotopic composition of precipitation. d-excess values of rain are modified by the post-condensation processes and the present approach offers a way to identify the d-excess values least affected by such processes. Isotope-enabled global circulation models could be improved by incorporating intra-event isotopic data and raindrop size dependent isotopic effects.

  17. Validity and reliability of simple measurement device to assess the velocity of the barbell during squats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorenzetti, Silvio; Lamparter, Thomas; Lüthy, Fabian

    2017-12-06

    The velocity of a barbell can provide important insights on the performance of athletes during strength training. The aim of this work was to assess the validity and reliably of four simple measurement devices that were compared to 3D motion capture measurements during squatting. Nine participants were assessed when performing 2 × 5 traditional squats with a weight of 70% of the 1 repetition maximum and ballistic squats with a weight of 25 kg. Simultaneously, data was recorded from three linear position transducers (T-FORCE, Tendo Power and GymAware), an accelerometer based system (Myotest) and a 3D motion capture system (Vicon) as the Gold Standard. Correlations between the simple measurement devices and 3D motion capture of the mean and the maximal velocity of the barbell, as well as the time to maximal velocity, were calculated. The correlations during traditional squats were significant and very high (r = 0.932, 0.990, p squats and was less accurate. All the linear position transducers were able to assess squat performance, particularly during traditional squats and especially in terms of mean velocity and time to maximal velocity.

  18. Birth weight in Kohkilooyeh and Boyer Ahmad province, 1999

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Goshtasbi Nasab A

    2001-10-01

    Full Text Available The newborn's weight at birth is an important measure for newborn's health in all communities. Among developed countries, 70 percent of low birth weight (LBW newborns are preterm. The corresponding figure for undeveloped countries is only 30 percent, there are also evidence of intra-uterine growth retardation among these countries. Among effective factors on LBW, maternal related factors have important role in promotion and improvement of infants and mother's health. This study is a descriptive-analytic one and was conducted cross-sectionally through a questionnair. The study population determined by simple random sampling from newborns under coverage of urban health centers in Kohgiloye and Boyerahmad province. Necessary data collected from existing medical and health records filed in the health centers. Among 285 newborns, 88.4 percent considered with normal weight, 4 percent with IBW and 11.6 percent with more than normal weight. 7.4 percent of cases were immature. 85.3 percent of the mothers in study population were in immune range of age for pregnancy and 7.6 percent of them were illiterate. Except the sex of newborn (P=0.0008 and gestational age at birth (P<0.001 none of the variables demonstrated a significant statistical relation with the birth weight. The results of this study confirm other research's findings and reveal that with improving material factors such as mother's age, employment and literacy, the factors which are effective on birth weight, will be dependent on physiological factors such as sex of newborn and gestational age at birth.

  19. A digital combining-weight estimation algorithm for broadband sources with the array feed compensation system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vilnrotter, V. A.; Rodemich, E. R.

    1994-01-01

    An algorithm for estimating the optimum combining weights for the Ka-band (33.7-GHz) array feed compensation system was developed and analyzed. The input signal is assumed to be broadband radiation of thermal origin, generated by a distant radio source. Currently, seven video converters operating in conjunction with the real-time correlator are used to obtain these weight estimates. The algorithm described here requires only simple operations that can be implemented on a PC-based combining system, greatly reducing the amount of hardware. Therefore, system reliability and portability will be improved.

  20. (Dis-)solving the Weight Problem in Binge-Eating Disorder: Systemic Insights From Three Treatment Contexts With Weight Stability, Weight Loss, and Weight Acceptance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, Lene Bomholt; Waaddegaard, Mette; Lau, Marianne Engelbrecht; Tjørnhøj-Thomsen, Tine

    2018-04-01

    Binge-eating disorder (BED) is a severe eating disorder strongly associated with obesity. Treatments struggle to provide safe and effective ways of addressing weight in a BED context. This study explored a two-phased treatment for BED developed at a major out-patient eating disorder service in Denmark. The study used interviews and participant observations to gain insight into experiences and processes related to weight and body issues in three treatment contexts that addressed weight stability, weight acceptance, and weight loss. Using systems theory, the study proposed a relational weight problem that embeds feelings of non-acceptance due to weight, a merge of weight and identity, and an internalized body- and weight-critical gaze of others. Contrary to critical claims that weight acceptance discourages people with obesity from engaging in weight loss efforts, this study suggests that acceptance and a disentanglement of weight and identity are prerequisites for weight loss for this group.

  1. Simple aspiration versus intercostal tube drainage for primary spontaneous pneumothorax in adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carson-Chahhoud, Kristin V; Wakai, Abel; van Agteren, Joseph Em; Smith, Brian J; McCabe, Grainne; Brinn, Malcolm P; O'Sullivan, Ronan

    2017-09-07

    difference (MD) -1.66, 95% CI -2.28 to -1.04; 387 participants, 5 studies; moderate-quality evidence). A narrative synthesis of evidence revealed that simple aspiration led to fewer adverse events (245 participants, 3 studies; low-quality evidence), but data suggest no differences between groups in terms of one-year success rate (RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.18; 318 participants, 4 studies; moderate-quality evidence), hospitalization rate (RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.25 to 1.47; 245 participants, 3 studies; very low-quality evidence), and patient satisfaction (median between-group difference of 0.5 on a scale from 1 to 10; 48 participants, 1 study; low-quality evidence). No studies provided data on cost-effectiveness. Available trials showed low to moderate-quality evidence that intercostal tube drainage produced higher rates of immediate success, while simple aspiration resulted in a shorter duration of hospitalization. Although adverse events were reported more commonly for patients treated with tube drainage, the low quality of the evidence warrants caution in interpreting these findings. Similarly, although this review observed no differences between groups when early failure rate, one-year success rate, or hospital admission rate was evaluated, this too needs to be put into the perspective of the quality of evidence, specifically, for evidence of very low and low quality for hospitalization rate and patient satisfaction, respectively. Future adequately powered research is needed to strengthen the evidence presented in this review.

  2. Event-by-event jet quenching

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fries, R.J.; Rodriguez, R.; Ramirez, E.

    2010-08-14

    High momentum jets and hadrons can be used as probes for the quark gluon plasma (QGP) formed in nuclear collisions at high energies. We investigate the influence of fluctuations in the fireball on jet quenching observables by comparing propagation of light quarks and gluons through averaged, smooth QGP fireballs with event-by-event jet quenching using realistic inhomogeneous fireballs. We find that the transverse momentum and impact parameter dependence of the nuclear modification factor R{sub AA} can be fit well in an event-by-event quenching scenario within experimental errors. However the transport coefficient {cflx q} extracted from fits to the measured nuclear modification factor R{sub AA} in averaged fireballs underestimates the value from event-by-event calculations by up to 50%. On the other hand, after adjusting {cflx q} to fit R{sub AA} in the event-by-event analysis we find residual deviations in the azimuthal asymmetry v{sub 2} and in two-particle correlations, that provide a possible faint signature for a spatial tomography of the fireball. We discuss a correlation function that is a measure for spatial inhomogeneities in a collision and can be constrained from data.

  3. Event-by-event jet quenching

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodriguez, R. [Cyclotron Institute and Physics Department, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); Fries, R.J., E-mail: rjfries@comp.tamu.ed [Cyclotron Institute and Physics Department, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); RIKEN/BNL Research Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973 (United States); Ramirez, E. [Physics Department, University of Texas El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968 (United States)

    2010-09-27

    High momentum jets and hadrons can be used as probes for the quark gluon plasma (QGP) formed in nuclear collisions at high energies. We investigate the influence of fluctuations in the fireball on jet quenching observables by comparing propagation of light quarks and gluons through averaged, smooth QGP fireballs with event-by-event jet quenching using realistic inhomogeneous fireballs. We find that the transverse momentum and impact parameter dependence of the nuclear modification factor R{sub AA} can be fit well in an event-by-event quenching scenario within experimental errors. However the transport coefficient q extracted from fits to the measured nuclear modification factor R{sub AA} in averaged fireballs underestimates the value from event-by-event calculations by up to 50%. On the other hand, after adjusting q to fit R{sub AA} in the event-by-event analysis we find residual deviations in the azimuthal asymmetry v{sub 2} and in two-particle correlations, that provide a possible faint signature for a spatial tomography of the fireball. We discuss a correlation function that is a measure for spatial inhomogeneities in a collision and can be constrained from data.

  4. Location aware event driven multipath routing in Wireless Sensor Networks: Agent based approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.V. Sutagundar

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs demand reliable and energy efficient paths for critical information delivery to sink node from an event occurrence node. Multipath routing facilitates reliable data delivery in case of critical information. This paper proposes an event triggered multipath routing in WSNs by employing a set of static and mobile agents. Every sensor node is assumed to know the location information of the sink node and itself. The proposed scheme works as follows: (1 Event node computes the arbitrary midpoint between an event node and the sink node by using location information. (2 Event node establishes a shortest path from itself to the sink node through the reference axis by using a mobile agent with the help of location information; the mobile agent collects the connectivity information and other parameters of all the nodes on the way and provides the information to the sink node. (3 Event node finds the arbitrary location of the special (middle intermediate nodes (above/below reference axis by using the midpoint location information given in step 1. (4 Mobile agent clones from the event node and the clones carry the event type and discover the path passing through special intermediate nodes; the path above/below reference axis looks like an arc. While migrating from one sensor node to another along the traversed path, each mobile agent gathers the node information (such as node id, location information, residual energy, available bandwidth, and neighbors connectivity and delivers to the sink node. (5 The sink node constructs a partial topology, connecting event and sink node by using the connectivity information delivered by the mobile agents. Using the partial topology information, sink node finds the multipath and path weight factor by using link efficiency, energy ratio, and hop distance. (6 The sink node selects the number of paths among the available paths based upon the criticalness of an event, and (7 if the event is non

  5. Enhancing pairwise state-transition weights: A new weighting scheme in simulated tempering that can minimize transition time between a pair of conformational states

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qiao, Qin, E-mail: qqiao@ust.hk; Zhang, Hou-Dao [Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon (Hong Kong); Huang, Xuhui, E-mail: xuhuihuang@ust.hk [Department of Chemistry, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Center of Systems Biology and Human Health, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon (Hong Kong); The HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen (China)

    2016-04-21

    Simulated tempering (ST) is a widely used enhancing sampling method for Molecular Dynamics simulations. As one expanded ensemble method, ST is a combination of canonical ensembles at different temperatures and the acceptance probability of cross-temperature transitions is determined by both the temperature difference and the weights of each temperature. One popular way to obtain the weights is to adopt the free energy of each canonical ensemble, which achieves uniform sampling among temperature space. However, this uniform distribution in temperature space may not be optimal since high temperatures do not always speed up the conformational transitions of interest, as anti-Arrhenius kinetics are prevalent in protein and RNA folding. Here, we propose a new method: Enhancing Pairwise State-transition Weights (EPSW), to obtain the optimal weights by minimizing the round-trip time for transitions among different metastable states at the temperature of interest in ST. The novelty of the EPSW algorithm lies in explicitly considering the kinetics of conformation transitions when optimizing the weights of different temperatures. We further demonstrate the power of EPSW in three different systems: a simple two-temperature model, a two-dimensional model for protein folding with anti-Arrhenius kinetics, and the alanine dipeptide. The results from these three systems showed that the new algorithm can substantially accelerate the transitions between conformational states of interest in the ST expanded ensemble and further facilitate the convergence of thermodynamics compared to the widely used free energy weights. We anticipate that this algorithm is particularly useful for studying functional conformational changes of biological systems where the initial and final states are often known from structural biology experiments.

  6. Enhancing pairwise state-transition weights: A new weighting scheme in simulated tempering that can minimize transition time between a pair of conformational states

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiao, Qin; Zhang, Hou-Dao; Huang, Xuhui

    2016-04-01

    Simulated tempering (ST) is a widely used enhancing sampling method for Molecular Dynamics simulations. As one expanded ensemble method, ST is a combination of canonical ensembles at different temperatures and the acceptance probability of cross-temperature transitions is determined by both the temperature difference and the weights of each temperature. One popular way to obtain the weights is to adopt the free energy of each canonical ensemble, which achieves uniform sampling among temperature space. However, this uniform distribution in temperature space may not be optimal since high temperatures do not always speed up the conformational transitions of interest, as anti-Arrhenius kinetics are prevalent in protein and RNA folding. Here, we propose a new method: Enhancing Pairwise State-transition Weights (EPSW), to obtain the optimal weights by minimizing the round-trip time for transitions among different metastable states at the temperature of interest in ST. The novelty of the EPSW algorithm lies in explicitly considering the kinetics of conformation transitions when optimizing the weights of different temperatures. We further demonstrate the power of EPSW in three different systems: a simple two-temperature model, a two-dimensional model for protein folding with anti-Arrhenius kinetics, and the alanine dipeptide. The results from these three systems showed that the new algorithm can substantially accelerate the transitions between conformational states of interest in the ST expanded ensemble and further facilitate the convergence of thermodynamics compared to the widely used free energy weights. We anticipate that this algorithm is particularly useful for studying functional conformational changes of biological systems where the initial and final states are often known from structural biology experiments.

  7. Enhancing pairwise state-transition weights: A new weighting scheme in simulated tempering that can minimize transition time between a pair of conformational states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qiao, Qin; Zhang, Hou-Dao; Huang, Xuhui

    2016-01-01

    Simulated tempering (ST) is a widely used enhancing sampling method for Molecular Dynamics simulations. As one expanded ensemble method, ST is a combination of canonical ensembles at different temperatures and the acceptance probability of cross-temperature transitions is determined by both the temperature difference and the weights of each temperature. One popular way to obtain the weights is to adopt the free energy of each canonical ensemble, which achieves uniform sampling among temperature space. However, this uniform distribution in temperature space may not be optimal since high temperatures do not always speed up the conformational transitions of interest, as anti-Arrhenius kinetics are prevalent in protein and RNA folding. Here, we propose a new method: Enhancing Pairwise State-transition Weights (EPSW), to obtain the optimal weights by minimizing the round-trip time for transitions among different metastable states at the temperature of interest in ST. The novelty of the EPSW algorithm lies in explicitly considering the kinetics of conformation transitions when optimizing the weights of different temperatures. We further demonstrate the power of EPSW in three different systems: a simple two-temperature model, a two-dimensional model for protein folding with anti-Arrhenius kinetics, and the alanine dipeptide. The results from these three systems showed that the new algorithm can substantially accelerate the transitions between conformational states of interest in the ST expanded ensemble and further facilitate the convergence of thermodynamics compared to the widely used free energy weights. We anticipate that this algorithm is particularly useful for studying functional conformational changes of biological systems where the initial and final states are often known from structural biology experiments.

  8. La oposición de los tiempos simples del pasado en relación con eventos bajo foco vs. eventos de soporte en algunas lenguas romances

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Jonge, R.

    2003-01-01

    This article deals with the simple past tenses in Spanish, French and Portuguese. The functional hypothesis to be tested is that the preterit tense indicates events under focus, and the imperfect past tense indicates background events. This is done for two reasons: i) to show that this hypothesis is

  9. Blind Source Separation of Event-Related EEG/MEG.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Metsomaa, Johanna; Sarvas, Jukka; Ilmoniemi, Risto Juhani

    2017-09-01

    Blind source separation (BSS) can be used to decompose complex electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography data into simpler components based on statistical assumptions without using a physical model. Applications include brain-computer interfaces, artifact removal, and identifying parallel neural processes. We wish to address the issue of applying BSS to event-related responses, which is challenging because of nonstationary data. We introduce a new BSS approach called momentary-uncorrelated component analysis (MUCA), which is tailored for event-related multitrial data. The method is based on approximate joint diagonalization of multiple covariance matrices estimated from the data at separate latencies. We further show how to extend the methodology for autocovariance matrices and how to apply BSS methods suitable for piecewise stationary data to event-related responses. We compared several BSS approaches by using simulated EEG as well as measured somatosensory and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) evoked EEG. Among the compared methods, MUCA was the most tolerant one to noise, TMS artifacts, and other challenges in the data. With measured somatosensory data, over half of the estimated components were found to be similar by MUCA and independent component analysis. MUCA was also stable when tested with several input datasets. MUCA is based on simple assumptions, and the results suggest that MUCA is robust with nonideal data. Event-related responses and BSS are valuable and popular tools in neuroscience. Correctly designed BSS is an efficient way of identifying artifactual and neural processes from nonstationary event-related data.

  10. Prevalence and triggers of anaphylactic events in schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Martha V; Silvia, Suyapa; Muniz, Rafael; Herrem, Christopher; Hogue, Susan L

    2017-07-01

    Prevention and management of anaphylaxis in schools is an area of active interest as allergy and asthma rates in children continue to increase. A greater understanding of the prevalence and characteristics of anaphylaxis can help guide preventive and management strategies both within and outside of the school setting, with the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality. This study was performed to elucidate the epidemiology of and management strategies for anaphylaxis in the school setting. A cross-sectional, Web-based survey was administered to schools that participated in an initiative that provides stock epinephrine autoinjectors (EAIs) to qualifying U.S. schools. Representatives from participating schools completed a questionnaire regarding anaphylactic reactions that occurred during the 2014-2015 school year. Weighted analyses were performed to account for differential responses between schools that completed the survey and those that did not. A total of 12,275 of the 45,819 invited schools responded to the survey. The occurrence of one or more anaphylactic events was reported by 1358 schools. Most events (89.8% [1803/2008]) occurred in students. High school students accounted for the largest proportion of anaphylactic reactions among students (40.1% [723/1802]). Food was the most commonly identified anaphylaxis trigger across grade levels, seasons, and geographic regions. The trigger was unknown to the individual who experienced anaphylaxis in 21.8% of the events (436/1998). No known history of allergy or asthma was present in 24.5% (491/2001) and 51.3% (1026/2000) of affected individuals, respectively. Transportation to the hospital or clinic for further treatment and/or management was reported for 72.6% of the individuals with anaphylactic events (1450/1997). Results from the weighted analyses were similar to those of the unweighted analyses. Anaphylaxis occurred across grade levels and in individuals with or without known risk factors, which reinforced the

  11. How to model mutually exclusive events based on independent causal pathways in Bayesian network models

    OpenAIRE

    Fenton, N.; Neil, M.; Lagnado, D.; Marsh, W.; Yet, B.; Constantinou, A.

    2016-01-01

    We show that existing Bayesian network (BN) modelling techniques cannot capture the correct intuitive reasoning in the important case when a set of mutually exclusive events need to be modelled as separate nodes instead of states of a single node. A previously proposed ‘solution’, which introduces a simple constraint node that enforces mutual exclusivity, fails to preserve the prior probabilities of the events, while other proposed solutions involve major changes to the original model. We pro...

  12. Weight suppression predicts total weight gain and rate of weight gain in outpatients with anorexia nervosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, Frances A; Boden, Joseph M; Jordan, Jennifer; McIntosh, Virginia V W; Bulik, Cynthia M; Joyce, Peter R

    2015-11-01

    The present study sought to replicate the finding of Wildes and Marcus, Behav Res Ther, 50, 266-274, 2012 that higher levels of weight suppression at pretreatment predict greater total weight gain, faster rate of weight gain, and bulimic symptoms amongst patients admitted with anorexia nervosa. Participants were 56 women with anorexia nervosa diagnosed by using strict or lenient weight criteria, who were participating in a randomized controlled psychotherapy trial (McIntosh et al., Am J Psychiatry, 162, 741-747, 2005). Thirty-five women completed outpatient treatment and post-treatment assessment. Weight suppression was the discrepancy between highest lifetime weight at adult height and weight at pretreatment assessment. Outcome variables were total weight gain, rate of weight gain, and bulimic symptoms in the month prior to post-treatment assessment [assessed using the Eating Disorders Examination (Fairburn et al., Binge-Eating: Nature, Assessment and Treatment. New York: Guilford, 1993)]. Weight suppression was positively associated with total weight gain and rate of weight gain over treatment. Regression models showed that this association could not be explained by covariates (age at onset of anorexia nervosa and treatment modality). Weight suppression was not significantly associated with bulimic symptoms in the month prior to post-treatment assessment, regardless of whether bulimic symptoms were examined as continuous or dichotomous variables. The present study reinforces the previous finding that weight suppression predicts total weight gain and rate of weight gain amongst patients being treated for anorexia nervosa. Methodological issues may explain the failure of the present study to find that weight suppression predicts bulimic symptoms. Weight suppression at pretreatment for anorexia nervosa should be assessed routinely and may inform treatment planning. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Categorizing errors and adverse events for learning: a provider perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ginsburg, Liane R; Chuang, You-Ta; Richardson, Julia; Norton, Peter G; Berta, Whitney; Tregunno, Deborah; Ng, Peggy

    2009-01-01

    There is little agreement in the literature as to what types of patient safety events (PSEs) should be the focus for learning, change and improvement, and we lack clear and universally accepted definitions of error. In particular, the way front-line providers or managers understand and categorize different types of errors, adverse events and near misses and the kinds of events this audience believes to be valuable for learning are not well understood. Focus groups of front-line providers, managers and patient safety officers were used to explore how people in healthcare organizations understand and categorize different types of PSEs in the context of bringing about learning from such events. A typology of PSEs was developed from the focus group data and then mailed, along with a short questionnaire, to focus group participants for member checking and validation. Four themes emerged from our data: (1) incidence study categories are problematic for those working in organizations; (2) preventable events should be the focus for learning; (3) near misses are an important but complex category, differentiated based on harm potential and proximity to patients; (4) staff disagree on whether events causing severe harm or events with harm potential are most valuable for learning. A typology of PSEs based on these themes and checked by focus group participants indicates that staff and their managers divide events into simple categories of minor and major events, which are differentiated based on harm or harm potential. Confusion surrounding patient safety terminology detracts from the abilities of providers to talk about and reflect on a range of PSEs, and from opportunities to enhance learning, reduce event reoccurrence and improve patient safety at the point of care.

  14. The experience of weight management in normal weight adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez, Cheri Ann; Hernandez, David A; Wellington, Christine M; Kidd, Art

    2016-11-01

    No prior research has been done with normal weight persons specific to their experience of weight management. The purpose of this research was to discover the experience of weight management in normal weight individuals. Glaserian grounded theory was used. Qualitative data (focus group) and quantitative data (food diary, study questionnaire, and anthropometric measures) were collected. Weight management was an ongoing process of trying to focus on living (family, work, and social), while maintaining their normal weight targets through five consciously and unconsciously used strategies. Despite maintaining normal weights, the nutritional composition of foods eaten was grossly inadequate. These five strategies can be used to develop new weight management strategies that could be integrated into existing weight management programs, or could be developed into novel weight management interventions. Surprisingly, normal weight individuals require dietary assessment and nutrition education to prevent future negative health consequences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Young adults with very low birth weight: leaving the parental home and sexual relationships--Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kajantie, Eero; Hovi, Petteri; Räikkönen, Katri; Pesonen, Anu-Katriina; Heinonen, Kati; Järvenpää, Anna-Liisa; Eriksson, Johan G; Strang-Karlsson, Sonja; Andersson, Sture

    2008-07-01

    Although most children and adults who are born very preterm live healthy lives, they have, on average, lower cognitive scores, more internalizing behaviors, and deficits in social skills. This could well affect their transition to adulthood. We studied the tempo of first leaving the parental home and starting cohabitation with an intimate partner and sexual experience of young adults with very low birth weight (Adults, 162 very low birth weight individuals and 188 individuals who were born at term (mean age: 22.3 years [range: 18.5-27.1]) and did not have any major disability filled out a questionnaire. For analysis of their ages at events which had not occurred in all subjects, we used survival analysis (Cox regression), adjusted for gender, current height, parents' ages at the birth, maternal smoking during pregnancy, parental educational attainment, number of siblings, and parental divorce/death. During their late teens and early adulthood, these very low birth weight adults were less likely to leave the parental home and to start cohabiting with an intimate partner. In gender-stratified analyses, these hazard ratios were similar between genders, but the latter was statistically significant for women only. These very low birth weight adults were also less likely to experience sexual intercourse. This relationship was statistically significant for women but not for men; however, very low birth weight women and men both reported a smaller lifetime number of sex partners than did control subjects. Healthy young adults with very low birth weight show a delay in leaving the parental home and starting sexual activity and partnerships.

  16. Nutrition security under extreme events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez, A.

    2017-12-01

    Nutrition security under extreme events. Zero hunger being one of the Sustainable Development Goal from the United Nations, food security has become a trending research topic. However extreme events impact on global food security is not yet 100% understood and there is a lack of comprehension of the underlying mechanisms of global food trade and nutrition security to improve countries resilience to extreme events. In a globalized world, food is still a highly regulated commodity and a strategic resource. A drought happening in a net food-exporter will have little to no effect on its own population but the repercussion on net food-importers can be extreme. In this project, we propose a methodology to describe and quantify the impact of a local drought to human health at a global scale. For this purpose, nutrition supply and global trade data from FAOSTAT have been used with domestic food production from national agencies and FAOSTAT, global precipitation from the Climate Research Unit and health data from the World Health Organization. A modified Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) has been developed to measure the level of resilience of one country to a drought happening in another country. This index describes how a country is dependent of importation and how diverse are its importation. Losses of production and exportation due to extreme events have been calculated using yield data and a simple food balance at country scale. Results show that countries the most affected by global droughts are the one with the highest dependency to one exporting country. Changes induced by droughts also disturbed their domestic proteins, fat and calories supply resulting most of the time in a higher intake of calories or fat over proteins.

  17. Weight loss in grappling combat sports: review and applied recommendations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Lancha Junior

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this review is to organize the main literature findings on the effects of rapid weight loss onphysiological systems and performance in grappling combat sports. Several surveys showed that most wrestlers lose significant amount of body weight few days prior to competitions by means of several harmful methods, as severe food and water restriction, or even vomiting and use of laxative and diuretics. The same weight loss patterns seems to occur among Brazilian judo athletes. Many athletes begin to lose weight frequently in puberty. In general, the weight cycles are very recurrent during seasons. A small decrease in some growth variables, followed by a rapid catch-up can be observed during a season. The rapid weight loss involves several adverse effects such as hormonal imbalance, body fat redistribution, decrease of immune system activity, impairments on cardiovascular system, imbalance on water and electrolytes homeostasis and decrease in renal function and in mental and mood state. The aerobic as well as anaerobic performance can be negatively affected by weight reduction. Depending on the kind of weight loss, diet and the recovery time after weighing, anaerobic performance may not be decreased. The weight reduction, if necessary, should be gradual and small. Athletes must consume a high carbohydrate diet during weight loss period and after weighing, prior to the beginning of the competitions. Dehydration should be avoided. Relatively simple changes in rules combined with educational programs could minimize rapid weight loss-related problems. RESUMO O objetivo desta revisão é organizar os principais achados da literatura a respeito dos efeitos das práticas de perda rápida de peso sobre os sistemas fisiológicos e sobre o desempenho em esportes de combate. Diversos levantamentos demonstraram que grande parte dos atletas norte-americanos de luta olímpica perde significativaquantidade de peso dias antes das competições, por

  18. Handling Dynamic Weights in Weighted Frequent Pattern Mining

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Chowdhury Farhan; Tanbeer, Syed Khairuzzaman; Jeong, Byeong-Soo; Lee, Young-Koo

    Even though weighted frequent pattern (WFP) mining is more effective than traditional frequent pattern mining because it can consider different semantic significances (weights) of items, existing WFP algorithms assume that each item has a fixed weight. But in real world scenarios, the weight (price or significance) of an item can vary with time. Reflecting these changes in item weight is necessary in several mining applications, such as retail market data analysis and web click stream analysis. In this paper, we introduce the concept of a dynamic weight for each item, and propose an algorithm, DWFPM (dynamic weighted frequent pattern mining), that makes use of this concept. Our algorithm can address situations where the weight (price or significance) of an item varies dynamically. It exploits a pattern growth mining technique to avoid the level-wise candidate set generation-and-test methodology. Furthermore, it requires only one database scan, so it is eligible for use in stream data mining. An extensive performance analysis shows that our algorithm is efficient and scalable for WFP mining using dynamic weights.

  19. The effect of holiday weight gain on body weight.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoeller, Dale A

    2014-07-01

    The topic of holiday weight gain has been a frequent subject of the lay media; however, scientific interest has only been recent. Multiple studies in Western societies have reported average weight gains among adults during the period between mid-November and mid-January that were about 0.5 kg. The range in individual weight changes was large, however, and the already overweight and obese gain more weight than those who are healthy weight. When the average gain across the year was also measured, the holiday weight was the major contributor to annual excess weight gain. Efforts patterned to increase awareness to energy balance and body weight have been shown to be successful at reducing such gain. An exception to holiday weight gain being a major contributor to annual excess gain has been children, in whom summer weight gains have been observed to be the major contributor to average excess weight gain. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Hunting for CDF multi-muon ''ghost'' events at collider and fixed-target experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bornhauser, Nicki; Drees, Manuel

    2011-01-01

    In 2008 the CDF collaboration discovered a large excess of events containing two or more muons, at least one of which seemed to have been produced outside the beam pipe. We investigate whether similar ''ghost'' events could (and should) have been seen in already completed experiments. The CDF di-muon data can be reproduced by a simple model where a relatively light X particle undergoes 4-body decay. This model predicts a large number of ghost events in Fermilab fixed-target experiments E772, E789 and E866, applying the cuts optimized for analyses of Drell-Yan events. A correct description of events with more than two muons requires a more complicated model, where two X particles are produced from a very broad resonance Y. This model can be tested in fixed-target experiments only if the cut on the angles, or rapidities, of the muons can be relaxed. Either way, the UA1 experiment at the CERN p anti p collider should have observed O(100) ghost events. (orig.)

  1. Sugar-sweetened beverages, vascular risk factors and events

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Keller, Amelie; Heitmann, Berit L; Olsen, Nanna

    2015-01-01

    , while two of three studies, including both men and women, found direct associations between SSB consumption and stroke; however, the association was significant among women only. All included studies examining vascular risk factors found direct associations between SSB consumption and change in blood...... pressure, blood lipid or blood sugar. CONCLUSIONS: The reviewed studies generally showed that SSB intake was related to vascular risk factors, whereas associations with vascular events were less consistent. Due to a limited number of published papers, especially regarding vascular events, the strength......OBJECTIVE: A high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) has been linked to weight gain, obesity and type 2 diabetes; however, the influence on CVD risk remains unclear. Therefore, our objective was to summarize current evidence for an association between SSB consumption and cardiovascular risk...

  2. Constructing inverse probability weights for continuous exposures: a comparison of methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naimi, Ashley I; Moodie, Erica E M; Auger, Nathalie; Kaufman, Jay S

    2014-03-01

    Inverse probability-weighted marginal structural models with binary exposures are common in epidemiology. Constructing inverse probability weights for a continuous exposure can be complicated by the presence of outliers, and the need to identify a parametric form for the exposure and account for nonconstant exposure variance. We explored the performance of various methods to construct inverse probability weights for continuous exposures using Monte Carlo simulation. We generated two continuous exposures and binary outcomes using data sampled from a large empirical cohort. The first exposure followed a normal distribution with homoscedastic variance. The second exposure followed a contaminated Poisson distribution, with heteroscedastic variance equal to the conditional mean. We assessed six methods to construct inverse probability weights using: a normal distribution, a normal distribution with heteroscedastic variance, a truncated normal distribution with heteroscedastic variance, a gamma distribution, a t distribution (1, 3, and 5 degrees of freedom), and a quantile binning approach (based on 10, 15, and 20 exposure categories). We estimated the marginal odds ratio for a single-unit increase in each simulated exposure in a regression model weighted by the inverse probability weights constructed using each approach, and then computed the bias and mean squared error for each method. For the homoscedastic exposure, the standard normal, gamma, and quantile binning approaches performed best. For the heteroscedastic exposure, the quantile binning, gamma, and heteroscedastic normal approaches performed best. Our results suggest that the quantile binning approach is a simple and versatile way to construct inverse probability weights for continuous exposures.

  3. Cascading effects of mass mortality events in Arctic marine communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langangen, Øystein; Ohlberger, Jan; Stige, Leif C; Durant, Joël M; Ravagnan, Elisa; Stenseth, Nils C; Hjermann, Dag Ø

    2017-01-01

    Mass mortality events caused by pulse anthropogenic or environmental perturbations (e.g., extreme weather, toxic spills or epizootics) severely reduce the abundance of a population in a short time. The frequency and impact of these events are likely to increase across the globe. Studies on how such events may affect ecological communities of interacting species are scarce. By combining a multispecies Gompertz model with a Bayesian state-space framework, we quantify community-level effects of a mass mortality event in a single species. We present a case study on a community of fish and zooplankton in the Barents Sea to illustrate how a mass mortality event of different intensities affecting the lower trophic level (krill) may propagate to higher trophic levels (capelin and cod). This approach is especially valuable for assessing community-level effects of potential anthropogenic-driven mass mortality events, owing to the ability to account for uncertainty in the assessed impact due to uncertainty about the ecological dynamics. We hence quantify how the assessed impact of a mass mortality event depends on the degree of precaution considered. We suggest that this approach can be useful for assessing the possible detrimental outcomes of toxic spills, for example oil spills, in relatively simple communities such as often found in the Arctic, a region under increasing influence of human activities due to increased land and sea use. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  4. Ultra-Fast RAFT-HDA Click Conjugation: An Efficient Route to High Molecular Weight Block Copolymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inglis, Andrew J; Stenzel, Martina H; Barner-Kowollik, Christopher

    2009-11-02

    The use of the reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer-hetero Diels-Alder (RAFT-HDA) click reaction for the modular construction of block copolymers is extended to the generation of high molecular weight materials. Cyclopentadienyl end-functionalized polystyrene (PS-Cp) prepared via both atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and the RAFT process are conjugated to poly(isobornyl acrylate) (PiBoA) (also prepared via RAFT polymerization) to achieve well-defined block copolymers with molecular weights ranging from 34 000 to over 100 000 g · mol(-1) and with small polydispersities (PDI HDA click chemistry can provide access to high molecular weight block copolymers in a simple and straight-forward fashion. Copyright © 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Simple models for predicting leaf area of mango (Mangifera indica L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Ghoreishi

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Mango (Mangifera indica L., one of the most popular tropical fruits, is cultivated in a considerable part of southern Iran. Leaf area is a valuable parameter in mango research, especially plant physiological and nutrition field. Most of available methods for estimating plant leaf area are difficult to apply, expensive and destructive which could in turn destroy the canopy and consequently make it difficult to perform further tests on the same plant. Therefore, a non-destructive method which is simple, inexpensive, and could yield an accurate estimation of leaf area will be a great benefit to researchers. A regression analysis was performed in order to determine the relationship between the leaf area and leaf width, leaf length, dry and fresh weight. For this purpose 50 mango seedlings of local selections were randomly took from a nursery in the Hormozgan province, and different parts of plants were separated in laboratory. Leaf area was measured by different method included leaf area meter, planimeter, ruler (length and width and the fresh and dry weight of leaves were also measured. The best regression models were statistically selected using Determination Coefficient, Maximum Error, Model Efficiency, Root Mean Square Error and Coefficient of Residual Mass. Overall, based on regression equation, a satisfactory estimation of leaf area was obtained by measuring the non-destructive parameters, i.e. number of leaf per seedling, length of the longest and width of widest leaf (R2 = 0.88 and also destructive parameters, i.e. dry weight (R2 = 0.94 and fresh weight (R2= 0.94 of leaves.

  6. A Bayes linear Bayes method for estimation of correlated event rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quigley, John; Wilson, Kevin J; Walls, Lesley; Bedford, Tim

    2013-12-01

    Typically, full Bayesian estimation of correlated event rates can be computationally challenging since estimators are intractable. When estimation of event rates represents one activity within a larger modeling process, there is an incentive to develop more efficient inference than provided by a full Bayesian model. We develop a new subjective inference method for correlated event rates based on a Bayes linear Bayes model under the assumption that events are generated from a homogeneous Poisson process. To reduce the elicitation burden we introduce homogenization factors to the model and, as an alternative to a subjective prior, an empirical method using the method of moments is developed. Inference under the new method is compared against estimates obtained under a full Bayesian model, which takes a multivariate gamma prior, where the predictive and posterior distributions are derived in terms of well-known functions. The mathematical properties of both models are presented. A simulation study shows that the Bayes linear Bayes inference method and the full Bayesian model provide equally reliable estimates. An illustrative example, motivated by a problem of estimating correlated event rates across different users in a simple supply chain, shows how ignoring the correlation leads to biased estimation of event rates. © 2013 Society for Risk Analysis.

  7. [Motivation for weight loss among weight loss treatment participants].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czeglédi, Edit

    2017-12-01

    Unrealistic expectations about weight goal and about weight loss-related benefits can hinder the effort for a successful long-term weight control. To explore weight loss-related goals and their background among overweight/obese patients. Study sample consisted of patients who participated in the inpatient weight loss treatment in the Lipidological Department of Szent Imre Hospital (n = 339, 19% men). Mean age: 50.2 years (SD = 13.47 years), mean BMI: 38.6 (SD = 7.58). self-reported anthropometric data, type and number of treated illnesses, Goals and Relative Weights Questionnaire, Motivations for Weight Loss Scale, Body Shape Questionnaire. Participants would feel disappointed with a possible 10% weight loss in a half-year time span. The acceptable weight loss percentage was higher among women, younger participants and among those who had more excess weight. Motivation regarding the increase in social desirability by weight loss is in association with body dissatisfaction, health related motivation is in association with the number of treated illnesses. Our results are contributing to the understanding of motivational factors behind weight reduction efforts, considering these can improve treatment success rates. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(49): 1960-1967.

  8. Seasonal Synchronization of a Simple Stochastic Dynamical Model Capturing El Niño Diversity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thual, S.; Majda, A.; Chen, N.

    2017-12-01

    The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has significant impact on global climate and seasonal prediction. Recently, a simple ENSO model was developed that automatically captures the ENSO diversity and intermittency in nature, where state-dependent stochastic wind bursts and nonlinear advection of sea surface temperature (SST) are coupled to simple ocean-atmosphere processes that are otherwise deterministic, linear and stable. In the present article, it is further shown that the model can reproduce qualitatively the ENSO synchronization (or phase-locking) to the seasonal cycle in nature. This goal is achieved by incorporating a cloud radiative feedback that is derived naturally from the model's atmosphere dynamics with no ad-hoc assumptions and accounts in simple fashion for the marked seasonal variations of convective activity and cloud cover in the eastern Pacific. In particular, the weak convective response to SSTs in boreal fall favors the eastern Pacific warming that triggers El Niño events while the increased convective activity and cloud cover during the following spring contributes to the shutdown of those events by blocking incoming shortwave solar radiations. In addition to simulating the ENSO diversity with realistic non-Gaussian statistics in different Niño regions, both the eastern Pacific moderate and super El Niño, the central Pacific El Niño as well as La Niña show a realistic chronology with a tendency to peak in boreal winter as well as decreased predictability in spring consistent with the persistence barrier in nature. The incorporation of other possible seasonal feedbacks in the model is also documented for completeness.

  9. Early weight loss predicts weight loss treatment response regardless of binge-eating disorder status and pretreatment weight change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnes, Rachel D; Ivezaj, Valentina; Pittman, Brian P; Grilo, Carlos M

    2018-04-10

    Individuals seeking weight loss treatment have diverse pretreatment weight trajectories, and once enrolled, individuals' response to weight loss treatments also varies greatly and may be influenced by the presence of binge-eating disorder (BED). Reported average weight losses may obscure these considerable differences. This study examined whether BED status and different weight-related change variables are associated with successful weight loss treatment outcomes in a controlled treatment study. Participants (N = 89) with overweight/obesity, with and without BED, participated in a 3-month weight loss trial in primary care with 3- and 12-month follow-ups. We tested the prognostic significance of four weight-related change variables (the last supper, early weight loss, pretreatment weight trajectory, weight suppression) on outcomes (weight loss-overall, weight loss-"subsequent," weight loss during second half of treatment). Early weight loss was positively associated with weight loss-overall at post-treatment, and at 3-month and 12-month follow-up. Early weight loss was positively associated with weight loss-subsequent at post-treatment only. No other weight-related variables were significantly associated with weight loss. Models including BED status and treatment condition were not significant. Participants with early weight loss were more likely to continue losing weight, regardless of BED status or treatment condition. The results highlight the importance of early dedication to weight loss treatment to increase the likelihood of positive outcomes. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Identifying Wind and Solar Ramping Events: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Florita, A.; Hodge, B. M.; Orwig, K.

    2013-01-01

    Wind and solar power are playing an increasing role in the electrical grid, but their inherent power variability can augment uncertainties in power system operations. One solution to help mitigate the impacts and provide more flexibility is enhanced wind and solar power forecasting; however, its relative utility is also uncertain. Within the variability of solar and wind power, repercussions from large ramping events are of primary concern. At the same time, there is no clear definition of what constitutes a ramping event, with various criteria used in different operational areas. Here the Swinging Door Algorithm, originally used for data compression in trend logging, is applied to identify variable generation ramping events from historic operational data. The identification of ramps in a simple and automated fashion is a critical task that feeds into a larger work of 1) defining novel metrics for wind and solar power forecasting that attempt to capture the true impact of forecast errors on system operations and economics, and 2) informing various power system models in a data-driven manner for superior exploratory simulation research. Both allow inference on sensitivities and meaningful correlations, as well as the ability to quantify the value of probabilistic approaches for future use in practice.

  11. Epigenetic Consequences of Low Birth-Weight and Preterm Birth in Adult Twins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tan, Qihua

    2018-01-01

    could be detrimental to health later in life. Current epigenetic studies using genome-wide DNA methylation profiling have discovered molecular evidence confirming that, as important early life events, both low birth-weight and premature birth can result in long-lasting epigenetic consequences...... that impact health at adult ages. Results from our epigenome-wide association studies indicate that the two moderately correlated traits of adverse pregnancy outcome could be linked to increased susceptibility to different health problems with low birth-weight more relevant to metabolic disorders, while......Adverse birth outcomes including low birth-weight and preterm birth are associated with long-term morbidity and health consequences at adult ages. Molecular mechanisms including epigenetic modification may have been involved in the adaptation to the stressful condition in peridelivery period which...

  12. Using the Weighted Rich-Club Coefficient to Explore Traffic Organization in Mobility Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramasco, José J.; Colizza, Vittoria; Panzarasa, Pietro

    The aim of a transportation system is to enable the movement of goods or persons between any two locations with the highest possible efficiency. This simple principle inspires highly complex structures in a number of real-world mobility networks of different kind that often exhibit a hierarchical organization. In this paper, we rely on a framework that has been recently introduced for the study of the management and distribution of resources in different real-world systems. This framework offers a new method for exploring the tendency of the top elements to form clubs with exclusive control over the system’s resources. Such tendency is known as the weighted rich-club effect. We apply the method to three cases of mobility networks at different scales of resolution: the US air transportation network, the US counties daily commuting, and the Italian municipalities commuting datasets. In all cases, a strong weighted rich-club effect is found. We also show that a very simple model can account for part of the intrinsic features of mobility networks, while deviations found between the theoretical predictions and the empirical observations point to the presence of higher levels of organization.

  13. Event-based Sensing for Space Situational Awareness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, G.; Afshar, S.; van Schaik, A.; Wabnitz, A.; Bessell, T.; Rutten, M.; Morreale, B.

    A revolutionary type of imaging device, known as a silicon retina or event-based sensor, has recently been developed and is gaining in popularity in the field of artificial vision systems. These devices are inspired by a biological retina and operate in a significantly different way to traditional CCD-based imaging sensors. While a CCD produces frames of pixel intensities, an event-based sensor produces a continuous stream of events, each of which is generated when a pixel detects a change in log light intensity. These pixels operate asynchronously and independently, producing an event-based output with high temporal resolution. There are also no fixed exposure times, allowing these devices to offer a very high dynamic range independently for each pixel. Additionally, these devices offer high-speed, low power operation and a sparse spatiotemporal output. As a consequence, the data from these sensors must be interpreted in a significantly different way to traditional imaging sensors and this paper explores the advantages this technology provides for space imaging. The applicability and capabilities of event-based sensors for SSA applications are demonstrated through telescope field trials. Trial results have confirmed that the devices are capable of observing resident space objects from LEO through to GEO orbital regimes. Significantly, observations of RSOs were made during both day-time and nighttime (terminator) conditions without modification to the camera or optics. The event based sensor’s ability to image stars and satellites during day-time hours offers a dramatic capability increase for terrestrial optical sensors. This paper shows the field testing and validation of two different architectures of event-based imaging sensors. An eventbased sensor’s asynchronous output has an intrinsically low data-rate. In addition to low-bandwidth communications requirements, the low weight, low-power and high-speed make them ideally suitable to meeting the demanding

  14. Nutritional Approaches to Achieve Weight Loss in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease123

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Christine C; Ness, Erik; Kowdley, Kris V

    2017-01-01

    Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can range in spectrum from simple hepatic steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is characterized by lipotoxicity, hepatocellular ballooning, and inflammation and can progress to cirrhosis. Weight loss is the cornerstone treatment for NAFLD and NASH. Various randomized controlled trials have shown that weight loss of ≥5–10% leads to significant improvements in hepatic steatosis. Diets high in sodium and fructose have been implicated in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Although some clinical studies suggest that an isocaloric high-fructose diet does not worsen NAFLD, these clinical studies are often short in duration. More recently, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, a sodium-restricted diet, has been associated with less prevalence of NAFLD and has been shown to improve NAFLD. In addition, the Mediterranean diet has been promising in improving hepatic steatosis, and a larger randomized controlled trial is currently enrolling subjects. For those who are unable to pursue weight loss through dietary approaches, bariatric surgery has been shown to improve hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis. This method has been variable in improving hepatic fibrosis. In conclusion, weight loss is crucial to the improvement of NAFLD and NASH, and patients should attempt various diets in an attempt to achieve weight loss. PMID:28298270

  15. Charge collection and SEU (Single Event Upset) mechanisms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Musseau, O.

    1994-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to review the mechanisms of single event upset in microelectronic devices due to interaction with cosmic ions. Experimental and theoretical results are presented, and actual questions and problems are discussed. A brief introduction recalls the creation of the dense plasma of electron-hole pairs along the ion track. The basic processes for charge collection in a simple np junction (drift and diffusion) are presented. The funneling-field effect is discussed and experimental results are compared to numerical simulations and semi-empirical models. Charge collection in actual microelectronic structures is then presented. Single event upset of memory cells is discussed, based on numerical and experimental data. The main parameters for device characterization are presented. From the physical interpretation of charge collection mechanisms, the intrinsic sensitivity of various microelectronic technologies is determined and compared to experimental data. Scaling laws and future trends are discussed. (author)

  16. Bio-Inspired Asynchronous Pixel Event Tricolor Vision Sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lenero-Bardallo, Juan Antonio; Bryn, D H; Hafliger, Philipp

    2014-06-01

    This article investigates the potential of the first ever prototype of a vision sensor that combines tricolor stacked photo diodes with the bio-inspired asynchronous pixel event communication protocol known as Address Event Representation (AER). The stacked photo diodes are implemented in a 22 × 22 pixel array in a standard STM 90 nm CMOS process. Dynamic range is larger than 60 dB and pixels fill factor is 28%. The pixels employ either simple pulse frequency modulation (PFM) or a Time-to-First-Spike (TFS) mode. A heuristic linear combination of the chip's inherent pseudo colors serves to approximate RGB color representation. Furthermore, the sensor outputs can be processed to represent the radiation in the near infrared (NIR) band without employing external filters, and to color-encode direction of motion due to an asymmetry in the update rates of the different diode layers.

  17. Simple arithmetic: not so simple for highly math anxious individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Hyesang; Sprute, Lisa; Maloney, Erin A; Beilock, Sian L; Berman, Marc G

    2017-12-01

    Fluency with simple arithmetic, typically achieved in early elementary school, is thought to be one of the building blocks of mathematical competence. Behavioral studies with adults indicate that math anxiety (feelings of tension or apprehension about math) is associated with poor performance on cognitively demanding math problems. However, it remains unclear whether there are fundamental differences in how high and low math anxious individuals approach overlearned simple arithmetic problems that are less reliant on cognitive control. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural correlates of simple arithmetic performance across high and low math anxious individuals. We implemented a partial least squares analysis, a data-driven, multivariate analysis method to measure distributed patterns of whole-brain activity associated with performance. Despite overall high simple arithmetic performance across high and low math anxious individuals, performance was differentially dependent on the fronto-parietal attentional network as a function of math anxiety. Specifically, low-compared to high-math anxious individuals perform better when they activate this network less-a potential indication of more automatic problem-solving. These findings suggest that low and high math anxious individuals approach even the most fundamental math problems differently. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

  18. Event Index - a LHCb Event Search System

    CERN Document Server

    INSPIRE-00392208; Kazeev, Nikita; Redkin, Artem

    2015-12-23

    LHC experiments generate up to $10^{12}$ events per year. This paper describes Event Index - an event search system. Event Index's primary function is quickly selecting subsets of events from a combination of conditions, such as the estimated decay channel or stripping lines output. Event Index is essentially Apache Lucene optimized for read-only indexes distributed over independent shards on independent nodes.

  19. Sibutramine in weight control: a dose-ranging, efficacy study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weintraub, M; Rubio, A; Golik, A; Byrne, L; Scheinbaum, M L

    1991-09-01

    We tested the safety and efficacy of sibutramine, 5 and 20 mg, and placebo on weight loss. Medication was added to caloric restriction, behavior modification, and exercise in a parallel-group, double-blind clinical trial. Participants were 130% to 180% of ideal body weight and in good health. The study lasted 12 weeks over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Weight loss during 8 weeks of study medication was: placebo, 1.4 +/- 2.1 kg (n = 19); 5 mg sibutramine, 2.9 +/- 2.3 kg (n = 18); and 20 mg sibutramine, 5.0 +/- 2.7 kg (n = 18) (p less than 0.05 sibutramine, 5 and 20 mg, versus placebo; p less than 0.05 sibutramine, 20 mg versus 5 mg). There is a significant dose-effect relationship. Five participants left the study before completion, all because of adverse events; placebo (one patient), 5 mg sibutramine (one patient), and 20 mg sibutramine (three patients). Sleep difficulties were noted by eight participants (20 mg sibutramine, seven patients; 5 mg, one patient; and placebo, no patients). Six of 21 participants receiving 20 mg complained of irritability, unusual impatience, or "excitation." Sibutramine, 5 and 20 mg, added to a multimodal program assisted participants in losing weight.

  20. Modified Current Differencing Unit and its Application for Electronically Reconfigurable Simple First-order Transfer Function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SOTNER, R.

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Modified current differencing unit (MCDU and its simple filtering application are introduced in this paper. Modification of the well-known current differencing unit consists in weighted difference of both input currents controlled by adjustable current gain, controllable intrinsic resistance of both current input terminals, and availability of additional voltage terminal(s. Definition of MCDU therefore requires four adjustable parameters (B1, B2, Rp, Rn. A presented active element offers and combines benefits of electronically controllable current conveyor of second generation and current differencing unit and allows synthesis of interesting adjustable applications, which are not available by classical approaches based on simple elements. MCDU brings variability of the transfer function into the structure. It provides several transfer types without necessity of input or output node change by simple electronic tuning. A presented structure represents so-called reconnection-less reconfigurable current-mode filter for realization of all-pass, inverting high-pass, low-pass and direct transfer response. Behavioral model of the MCDU was prepared and carefully tested in filtering application. Spice simulations and measurements confirmed theoretical assumptions.

  1. On the maximal use of Monte Carlo samples: re-weighting events at NLO accuracy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mattelaer, Olivier [Durham University, Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology (IPPP), Durham (United Kingdom)

    2016-12-15

    Accurate Monte Carlo simulations for high-energy events at CERN's Large Hadron Collider, are very expensive, both from the computing and storage points of view. We describe a method that allows to consistently re-use parton-level samples accurate up to NLO in QCD under different theoretical hypotheses. We implement it in MadGraph5{sub a}MC rate at NLO and show its validation by applying it to several cases of practical interest for the search of new physics at the LHC. (orig.)

  2. Event segmentation ability uniquely predicts event memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sargent, Jesse Q; Zacks, Jeffrey M; Hambrick, David Z; Zacks, Rose T; Kurby, Christopher A; Bailey, Heather R; Eisenberg, Michelle L; Beck, Taylor M

    2013-11-01

    Memory for everyday events plays a central role in tasks of daily living, autobiographical memory, and planning. Event memory depends in part on segmenting ongoing activity into meaningful units. This study examined the relationship between event segmentation and memory in a lifespan sample to answer the following question: Is the ability to segment activity into meaningful events a unique predictor of subsequent memory, or is the relationship between event perception and memory accounted for by general cognitive abilities? Two hundred and eight adults ranging from 20 to 79years old segmented movies of everyday events and attempted to remember the events afterwards. They also completed psychometric ability tests and tests measuring script knowledge for everyday events. Event segmentation and script knowledge both explained unique variance in event memory above and beyond the psychometric measures, and did so as strongly in older as in younger adults. These results suggest that event segmentation is a basic cognitive mechanism, important for memory across the lifespan. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Quantifying population exposure to airborne particulate matter during extreme events in California due to climate change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahmud, A.; Hixson, M.; Kleeman, M. J.

    2012-08-01

    The effect of climate change on population-weighted concentrations of particulate matter (PM) during extreme pollution events was studied using the Parallel Climate Model (PCM), the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and the UCD/CIT 3-D photochemical air quality model. A "business as usual" (B06.44) global emissions scenario was dynamically downscaled for the entire state of California between the years 2000-2006 and 2047-2053. Air quality simulations were carried out for 1008 days in each of the present-day and future climate conditions using year-2000 emissions. Population-weighted concentrations of PM0.1, PM2.5, and PM10 total mass, components species, and primary source contributions were calculated for California and three air basins: the Sacramento Valley air basin (SV), the San Joaquin Valley air basin (SJV) and the South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB). Results over annual-average periods were contrasted with extreme events. The current study found that the change in annual-average population-weighted PM2.5 mass concentrations due to climate change between 2000 vs. 2050 within any major sub-region in California was not statistically significant. However, climate change did alter the annual-average composition of the airborne particles in the SoCAB, with notable reductions of elemental carbon (EC; -3%) and organic carbon (OC; -3%) due to increased annual-average wind speeds that diluted primary concentrations from gasoline combustion (-3%) and food cooking (-4%). In contrast, climate change caused significant increases in population-weighted PM2.5 mass concentrations in central California during extreme events. The maximum 24-h average PM2.5 concentration experienced by an average person during a ten-yr period in the SJV increased by 21% due to enhanced production of secondary particulate matter (manifested as NH4NO3). In general, climate change caused increased stagnation during future extreme pollution events, leading to higher exposure to diesel engines

  4. Quantifying population exposure to airborne particulate matter during extreme events in California due to climate change

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Mahmud

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available The effect of climate change on population-weighted concentrations of particulate matter (PM during extreme pollution events was studied using the Parallel Climate Model (PCM, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF model and the UCD/CIT 3-D photochemical air quality model. A "business as usual" (B06.44 global emissions scenario was dynamically downscaled for the entire state of California between the years 2000–2006 and 2047–2053. Air quality simulations were carried out for 1008 days in each of the present-day and future climate conditions using year-2000 emissions. Population-weighted concentrations of PM0.1, PM2.5, and PM10 total mass, components species, and primary source contributions were calculated for California and three air basins: the Sacramento Valley air basin (SV, the San Joaquin Valley air basin (SJV and the South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB. Results over annual-average periods were contrasted with extreme events.

    The current study found that the change in annual-average population-weighted PM2.5 mass concentrations due to climate change between 2000 vs. 2050 within any major sub-region in California was not statistically significant. However, climate change did alter the annual-average composition of the airborne particles in the SoCAB, with notable reductions of elemental carbon (EC; −3% and organic carbon (OC; −3% due to increased annual-average wind speeds that diluted primary concentrations from gasoline combustion (−3% and food cooking (−4%. In contrast, climate change caused significant increases in population-weighted PM2.5 mass concentrations in central California during extreme events. The maximum 24-h average PM2.5 concentration experienced by an average person during a ten-yr period in the SJV increased by 21% due to enhanced production of secondary particulate matter (manifested as NH4NO3. In general, climate

  5. Multi-objective optimization for generating a weighted multi-model ensemble

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, H.

    2017-12-01

    Many studies have demonstrated that multi-model ensembles generally show better skill than each ensemble member. When generating weighted multi-model ensembles, the first step is measuring the performance of individual model simulations using observations. There is a consensus on the assignment of weighting factors based on a single evaluation metric. When considering only one evaluation metric, the weighting factor for each model is proportional to a performance score or inversely proportional to an error for the model. While this conventional approach can provide appropriate combinations of multiple models, the approach confronts a big challenge when there are multiple metrics under consideration. When considering multiple evaluation metrics, it is obvious that a simple averaging of multiple performance scores or model ranks does not address the trade-off problem between conflicting metrics. So far, there seems to be no best method to generate weighted multi-model ensembles based on multiple performance metrics. The current study applies the multi-objective optimization, a mathematical process that provides a set of optimal trade-off solutions based on a range of evaluation metrics, to combining multiple performance metrics for the global climate models and their dynamically downscaled regional climate simulations over North America and generating a weighted multi-model ensemble. NASA satellite data and the Regional Climate Model Evaluation System (RCMES) software toolkit are used for assessment of the climate simulations. Overall, the performance of each model differs markedly with strong seasonal dependence. Because of the considerable variability across the climate simulations, it is important to evaluate models systematically and make future projections by assigning optimized weighting factors to the models with relatively good performance. Our results indicate that the optimally weighted multi-model ensemble always shows better performance than an arithmetic

  6. A simple method of shower localization and identification in laterally segmented calorimeters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Awes, T.C.; Obenshain, F.E.; Plasil, F.; Saini, S.; Young, G.R.; Sorensen, S.P.

    1992-01-01

    A method is proposed to calculate the first and second moments of the spatial distribution of the energy of electromagnetic and hadronic showers measured in laterally segmented colorimeters. The technique uses a logarithmic weighting of energy fraction observed in the individual detector cells. It is fast and simple requiring no fitting or complicated corrections for the position or angle of incidence. The method is demonstrated with GEANT simulations of a BGO detector array. The position resolution results and the e/π separation results are found to be equal or superior to those obtained with more complicated techniques. (orig.)

  7. [Nutritional Status of Japanese Women of Childbearing Age and the Ideal Weight Range for Pregnancy].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nomura, Kyoko; Kodama, Hiroko; Kido, Michiko

    2018-01-01

    According to the recent 2015 Nutrition Survey, the prevalence of being underweight (Body Mass Index, BMI pregnancy. For optimal weight gain during pregnancy, existing guidelines recommend different ranges of weight gain based on prepregnancy BMI. Owing to the absence of official GWG recommendations in Asian countries, including China and Taiwan, the US Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines are generally followed. However, Asian women are smaller and experience lower weight gains; therefore, excessive weight gain may lead to harmful events including macrosomia, preterm birth, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and short- and long-term postpartum weight retention. Thus, an accurate GWG range should be determined for Asian women. We introduce one epidemiological study in which the optimal weight gain range was investigated by analyzing receiver-operating characteristic curves together with potential research ideas in this field with the aim of encouraging young researchers to solve this public health problem affecting mothers and children.

  8. Influence of time pressure in a simple response task, a choice-by-location task, and the Simon task

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Lubbe, Robert Henricus Johannes; Jaśkowski, Piotr; Wauschkuhn, Bernd; Verleger, Rolf

    2001-01-01

    Examined the influence of strategy for a simple response task, a choice-by-location task, and the Simon task by varying time pressure in 11 Ss (mean age 28 yrs). Besides reaction time (RT) and accuracy, we measured response force and derived two measures from the event-related EEG potential to form

  9. Temporal trends in pregnancy weight gain and birth weight in Bavaria 2000–2007: slightly decreasing birth weight with increasing weight gain in pregnancy

    OpenAIRE

    Schiessl, Barbara; Beyerlein, Andreas; Lack, Nicholas; Kries, Rüdiger von

    2009-01-01

    Aims: To assess temporal trends in birth weight and pregnancy weight gain in Bavaria from 2000 to 2007. Methods: Data on 695,707 mother and infant pairs (singleton term births) were available from a compulsory reporting system for quality assurance, including information on birth weight, maternal weight at delivery and at booking, maternal smoking, age, and further anthropometric and lifestyle factors. Pregnancy weight gain was defined as: weight prior to delivery minus weight at first booki...

  10. Creating personalized memories from social events: Community-based support for multi-camera recordings of school concerts

    OpenAIRE

    Guimaraes R.L.; Cesar P.; Bulterman D.C.A.; Zsombori V.; Kegel I.

    2011-01-01

    htmlabstractThe wide availability of relatively high-quality cameras makes it easy for many users to capture video fragments of social events such as concerts, sports events or community gatherings. The wide availability of simple sharing tools makes it nearly as easy to upload individual fragments to on-line video sites. Current work on video mashups focuses on the creation of a video summary based on the characteristics of individual media fragments, but it fails to address the interpersona...

  11. WHipple-ABACUS, a simple, validated risk score for 30-day mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy developed using the ACS-NSQIP database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gleeson, Elizabeth M; Shaikh, Mohammad F; Shewokis, Patricia A; Clarke, John R; Meyers, William C; Pitt, Henry A; Bowne, Wilbur B

    2016-11-01

    Pancreaticoduodenectomy needs simple, validated risk models to better identify 30-day mortality. The goal of this study is to develop a simple risk score to predict 30-day mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy. We reviewed cases of pancreaticoduodenectomy from 2005-2012 in the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program databases. Logistic regression was used to identify preoperative risk factors for morbidity and mortality from a development cohort. Scores were created using weighted beta coefficients, and predictive accuracy was assessed on the validation cohort using receiver operator characteristic curves and measuring area under the curve. The 30-day mortality rate was 2.7% for patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (n = 14,993). We identified 8 independent risk factors. The score created from weighted beta coefficients had an area under the curve of 0.71 (95% confidence interval, 0.66-0.77) on the validation cohort. Using the score WHipple-ABACUS (hypertension With medication + History of cardiac surgery + Age >62 + 2 × Bleeding disorder + Albumin procedure. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Preventing Weight Gain in Women in Rural Communities: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catherine Lombard

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions in both developed and developing countries. Even modest weight gain increases the risk for chronic illness, yet evidence-based interventions to prevent weight gain are rare. This trial will determine if a simple low-intensity intervention can prevent weight gain in women compared to general health information.We conducted a 1-yr pragmatic, cluster randomised controlled trial in 41 Australian towns (clusters randomised using a computer-generated randomisation list for intervention (n = 21 or control (n = 20. Women aged 18 to 50 yr were recruited from the general population to receive a 1-yr self-management lifestyle intervention (HeLP-her consisting of one group session, monthly SMS text messages, one phone coaching session, and a program manual, or to a control group receiving one general women's health education session. From October 2012 to April 2014 we studied 649 women, mean age 39.6 yr (+/- SD 6.7 and BMI of 28.8 kg/m(2 (+/- SD 6.9 with the primary outcome weight change between groups at 1 yr. The mean change in the control was +0.44 kg (95% CI -0.09 to 0.97 and in the intervention group -0.48 kg (95% CI -0.99 to 0.03 with an unadjusted between group difference of -0.92 kg (95% CI -1.67 to -0.16 or -0.87 kg (95% CI -1.62 to -0.13 adjusted for baseline values and clustering. Secondary outcomes included improved diet quality and greater self-management behaviours. The intervention appeared to be equally efficacious across all age, BMI, income, and education subgroups. Loss to follow-up included 23.8% in the intervention group and 21.8% in the control group and was within the anticipated range. Limitations include lack of sensitive tools to measure the small changes to energy intake and physical activity. Those who gained weight may have been less inclined to return for 1 yr weight measures.A low intensity lifestyle program can prevent the persistent weight gain observed in women. Key features included

  13. Bridging Weighted Rules and Graph Random Walks for Statistical Relational Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seyed Mehran Kazemi

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The aim of statistical relational learning is to learn statistical models from relational or graph-structured data. Three main statistical relational learning paradigms include weighted rule learning, random walks on graphs, and tensor factorization. These paradigms have been mostly developed and studied in isolation for many years, with few works attempting at understanding the relationship among them or combining them. In this article, we study the relationship between the path ranking algorithm (PRA, one of the most well-known relational learning methods in the graph random walk paradigm, and relational logistic regression (RLR, one of the recent developments in weighted rule learning. We provide a simple way to normalize relations and prove that relational logistic regression using normalized relations generalizes the path ranking algorithm. This result provides a better understanding of relational learning, especially for the weighted rule learning and graph random walk paradigms. It opens up the possibility of using the more flexible RLR rules within PRA models and even generalizing both by including normalized and unnormalized relations in the same model.

  14. Strategy as simple rules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisenhardt, K M; Sull, D N

    2001-01-01

    The success of Yahoo!, eBay, Enron, and other companies that have become adept at morphing to meet the demands of changing markets can't be explained using traditional thinking about competitive strategy. These companies have succeeded by pursuing constantly evolving strategies in market spaces that were considered unattractive according to traditional measures. In this article--the third in an HBR series by Kathleen Eisenhardt and Donald Sull on strategy in the new economy--the authors ask, what are the sources of competitive advantage in high-velocity markets? The secret, they say, is strategy as simple rules. The companies know that the greatest opportunities for competitive advantage lie in market confusion, but they recognize the need for a few crucial strategic processes and a few simple rules. In traditional strategy, advantage comes from exploiting resources or stable market positions. In strategy as simple rules, advantage comes from successfully seizing fleeting opportunities. Key strategic processes, such as product innovation, partnering, or spinout creation, place the company where the flow of opportunities is greatest. Simple rules then provide the guidelines within which managers can pursue such opportunities. Simple rules, which grow out of experience, fall into five broad categories: how- to rules, boundary conditions, priority rules, timing rules, and exit rules. Companies with simple-rules strategies must follow the rules religiously and avoid the temptation to change them too frequently. A consistent strategy helps managers sort through opportunities and gain short-term advantage by exploiting the attractive ones. In stable markets, managers rely on complicated strategies built on detailed predictions of the future. But when business is complicated, strategy should be simple.

  15. a Simple Spatially Weighted Measure of Temporal Stability for Data with Limited Temporal Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piburn, J.; Stewart, R.; Morton, A.

    2017-10-01

    Identifying erratic or unstable time-series is an area of interest to many fields. Recently, there have been successful developments towards this goal. These new developed methodologies however come from domains where it is typical to have several thousand or more temporal observations. This creates a challenge when attempting to apply these methodologies to time-series with much fewer temporal observations such as for socio-cultural understanding, a domain where a typical time series of interest might only consist of 20-30 annual observations. Most existing methodologies simply cannot say anything interesting with so few data points, yet researchers are still tasked to work within in the confines of the data. Recently a method for characterizing instability in a time series with limitedtemporal observations was published. This method, Attribute Stability Index (ASI), uses an approximate entropy based method tocharacterize a time series' instability. In this paper we propose an explicitly spatially weighted extension of the Attribute StabilityIndex. By including a mechanism to account for spatial autocorrelation, this work represents a novel approach for the characterizationof space-time instability. As a case study we explore national youth male unemployment across the world from 1991-2014.

  16. A behavioral weight-loss intervention in persons with serious mental illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daumit, Gail L; Dickerson, Faith B; Wang, Nae-Yuh; Dalcin, Arlene; Jerome, Gerald J; Anderson, Cheryl A M; Young, Deborah R; Frick, Kevin D; Yu, Airong; Gennusa, Joseph V; Oefinger, Meghan; Crum, Rosa M; Charleston, Jeanne; Casagrande, Sarah S; Guallar, Eliseo; Goldberg, Richard W; Campbell, Leslie M; Appel, Lawrence J

    2013-04-25

    Overweight and obesity are epidemic among persons with serious mental illness, yet weight-loss trials systematically exclude this vulnerable population. Lifestyle interventions require adaptation in this group because psychiatric symptoms and cognitive impairment are highly prevalent. Our objective was to determine the effectiveness of an 18-month tailored behavioral weight-loss intervention in adults with serious mental illness. We recruited overweight or obese adults from 10 community psychiatric rehabilitation outpatient programs and randomly assigned them to an intervention or a control group. Participants in the intervention group received tailored group and individual weight-management sessions and group exercise sessions. Weight change was assessed at 6, 12, and 18 months. Of 291 participants who underwent randomization, 58.1% had schizophrenia or a schizoaffective disorder, 22.0% had bipolar disorder, and 12.0% had major depression. At baseline, the mean body-mass index (the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) was 36.3, and the mean weight was 102.7 kg (225.9 lb). Data on weight at 18 months were obtained from 279 participants. Weight loss in the intervention group increased progressively over the 18-month study period and differed significantly from the control group at each follow-up visit. At 18 months, the mean between-group difference in weight (change in intervention group minus change in control group) was -3.2 kg (-7.0 lb, P=0.002); 37.8% of the participants in the intervention group lost 5% or more of their initial weight, as compared with 22.7% of those in the control group (P=0.009). There were no significant between-group differences in adverse events. A behavioral weight-loss intervention significantly reduced weight over a period of 18 months in overweight and obese adults with serious mental illness. Given the epidemic of obesity and weight-related disease among persons with serious mental illness, our findings

  17. Simple WZW currents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuchs, J.

    1990-08-01

    A complete classification of simple currents of WZW theory is obtained. The proof is based on an analysis of the quantum dimensions of the primary fields. Simple currents are precisely the primaries with unit quantum dimension; for WZW theories explicit formulae for the quantum dimensions can be derived so that an identification of the fields with unit quantum dimension is possible. (author). 19 refs.; 2 tabs

  18. Weight control behaviors of highly successful weight loss maintainers: the Portuguese Weight Control Registry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santos, Inês; Vieira, Paulo N; Silva, Marlene N; Sardinha, Luís B; Teixeira, Pedro J

    2017-04-01

    To describe key behaviors reported by participants in the Portuguese Weight Control Registry and to determine associations between these behaviors and weight loss maintenance. A total of 388 adults participated in this cross-sectional study. Assessments included demographic information, weight history, weight loss and weight maintenance strategies, dietary intake, and physical activity. Participants lost on average 18 kg, which they had maintained for ~28 months. Their average dietary intake was 2199 kcal/day, with 33 % of energy coming from fat. About 78 % of participants engaged in levels of moderate-plus-vigorous physical activity exceeding 150 min/week (51 % above 250 min/week), with men accumulating 82 more minutes than women (p breakfast. Greater weight loss maintenance was associated with higher levels of physical activity, walking, weight self-monitoring, establishing specific goals, and with reduced portion size use, reduced consumption of carbohydrates, and increased consumption of protein, (p < 0.05). Results indicate that weight loss maintenance is possible through the adoption of a nutritionally-balanced diet and regular participation in physical activity, but also suggest that adopting different (and, to a degree, individualized) set of behavioral strategies is key for achieving success.

  19. Epidemiological geomatics in evaluation of mine risk education in Afghanistan: introducing population weighted raster maps

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andersson Neil

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Evaluation of mine risk education in Afghanistan used population weighted raster maps as an evaluation tool to assess mine education performance, coverage and costs. A stratified last-stage random cluster sample produced representative data on mine risk and exposure to education. Clusters were weighted by the population they represented, rather than the land area. A "friction surface" hooked the population weight into interpolation of cluster-specific indicators. The resulting population weighted raster contours offer a model of the population effects of landmine risks and risk education. Five indicator levels ordered the evidence from simple description of the population-weighted indicators (level 0, through risk analysis (levels 1–3 to modelling programme investment and local variations (level 4. Using graphic overlay techniques, it was possible to metamorphose the map, portraying the prediction of what might happen over time, based on the causality models developed in the epidemiological analysis. Based on a lattice of local site-specific predictions, each cluster being a small universe, the "average" prediction was immediately interpretable without losing the spatial complexity.

  20. Evaluation of Carcass Production of PO Cattle Based on Heart Girth Measurement, Body Condition Score and Slaughter Weight

    OpenAIRE

    Haryoko, I; Suparman, P

    2009-01-01

    The objective of study was to evaluate of carcass production of PO beef cattle based on measurement of heart girth, body condition score (BCS), and slaughter weight. It was conducted in the slaughtering house at Mersi Purwokerto city. The materials for this study were 60 heads of male PO breed cattle. Simple random sampling was used for taking samples. Data was analyzed by using multiple regression equation to determine the effects of heart girth, BCS, and slaughter weight on carcass weig...

  1. Structure of simple liquids; Structure des liquides simples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blain, J F [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Fontenay-aux-Roses (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

    1969-07-01

    The results obtained by application to argon and sodium of the two important methods of studying the structure of liquids: scattering of X-rays and neutrons, are presented on one hand. On the other hand the principal models employed for reconstituting the structure of simple liquids are exposed: mathematical models, lattice models and their derived models, experimental models. (author) [French] On presente d'une part les resultats obtenus par application a l'argon et au sodium des deux principales methodes d'etude de la structure des liquides: la diffusion des rayons X et la diffusion des neutrons; d'autre part, les principaux modeles employes pour reconstituer la structure des liquides simples sont exposes: modeles mathematiques, modeles des reseaux et modeles derives, modeles experimentaux. (auteur)

  2. A lack of appetite for information and computation. Simple heuristics in food choice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulte-Mecklenbeck, Michael; Sohn, Matthias; de Bellis, Emanuel; Martin, Nathalie; Hertwig, Ralph

    2013-12-01

    The predominant, but largely untested, assumption in research on food choice is that people obey the classic commandments of rational behavior: they carefully look up every piece of relevant information, weight each piece according to subjective importance, and then combine them into a judgment or choice. In real world situations, however, the available time, motivation, and computational resources may simply not suffice to keep these commandments. Indeed, there is a large body of research suggesting that human choice is often better accommodated by heuristics-simple rules that enable decision making on the basis of a few, but important, pieces of information. We investigated the prevalence of such heuristics in a computerized experiment that engaged participants in a series of choices between two lunch dishes. Employing MouselabWeb, a process-tracing technique, we found that simple heuristics described an overwhelmingly large proportion of choices, whereas strategies traditionally deemed rational were barely apparent in our data. Replicating previous findings, we also observed that visual stimulus segments received a much larger proportion of attention than any nutritional values did. Our results suggest that, consistent with human behavior in other domains, people make their food choices on the basis of simple and informationally frugal heuristics. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Synchronization of Switched Neural Networks With Communication Delays via the Event-Triggered Control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Shiping; Zeng, Zhigang; Chen, Michael Z Q; Huang, Tingwen

    2017-10-01

    This paper addresses the issue of synchronization of switched delayed neural networks with communication delays via event-triggered control. For synchronizing coupled switched neural networks, we propose a novel event-triggered control law which could greatly reduce the number of control updates for synchronization tasks of coupled switched neural networks involving embedded microprocessors with limited on-board resources. The control signals are driven by properly defined events, which depend on the measurement errors and current-sampled states. By using a delay system method, a novel model of synchronization error system with delays is proposed with the communication delays and event-triggered control in the unified framework for coupled switched neural networks. The criteria are derived for the event-triggered synchronization analysis and control synthesis of switched neural networks via the Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional method and free weighting matrix approach. A numerical example is elaborated on to illustrate the effectiveness of the derived results.

  4. Computing return times or return periods with rare event algorithms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lestang, Thibault; Ragone, Francesco; Bréhier, Charles-Edouard; Herbert, Corentin; Bouchet, Freddy

    2018-04-01

    The average time between two occurrences of the same event, referred to as its return time (or return period), is a useful statistical concept for practical applications. For instance insurances or public agencies may be interested by the return time of a 10 m flood of the Seine river in Paris. However, due to their scarcity, reliably estimating return times for rare events is very difficult using either observational data or direct numerical simulations. For rare events, an estimator for return times can be built from the extrema of the observable on trajectory blocks. Here, we show that this estimator can be improved to remain accurate for return times of the order of the block size. More importantly, we show that this approach can be generalised to estimate return times from numerical algorithms specifically designed to sample rare events. So far those algorithms often compute probabilities, rather than return times. The approach we propose provides a computationally extremely efficient way to estimate numerically the return times of rare events for a dynamical system, gaining several orders of magnitude of computational costs. We illustrate the method on two kinds of observables, instantaneous and time-averaged, using two different rare event algorithms, for a simple stochastic process, the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. As an example of realistic applications to complex systems, we finally discuss extreme values of the drag on an object in a turbulent flow.

  5. On the topology of flux transfer events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hesse, Michael; Birn, Joachim; Schindler, Karl

    1990-01-01

    A topological analysis is made of a simple model magnetic field of a perturbation at the magnetopause that shares magnetic properties with flux transfer events. The aim is to clarify a number of topological aspects that arise in the case of fully three-dimensional magnetic fields. It is shown that a localized perturbation at the magnetopause can in principle open a closed magnetosphere by establishing magnetic connections across the magnetopause by the formation of a ropelike magnetic field structure. For this purpose a global topological model of a closed magnetosphere is considered as the unperturbed state. The topological substructure of the model flux rope is discussed in detail.

  6. Analysis hierarchical model for discrete event systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciortea, E. M.

    2015-11-01

    The This paper presents the hierarchical model based on discrete event network for robotic systems. Based on the hierarchical approach, Petri network is analysed as a network of the highest conceptual level and the lowest level of local control. For modelling and control of complex robotic systems using extended Petri nets. Such a system is structured, controlled and analysed in this paper by using Visual Object Net ++ package that is relatively simple and easy to use, and the results are shown as representations easy to interpret. The hierarchical structure of the robotic system is implemented on computers analysed using specialized programs. Implementation of hierarchical model discrete event systems, as a real-time operating system on a computer network connected via a serial bus is possible, where each computer is dedicated to local and Petri model of a subsystem global robotic system. Since Petri models are simplified to apply general computers, analysis, modelling, complex manufacturing systems control can be achieved using Petri nets. Discrete event systems is a pragmatic tool for modelling industrial systems. For system modelling using Petri nets because we have our system where discrete event. To highlight the auxiliary time Petri model using transport stream divided into hierarchical levels and sections are analysed successively. Proposed robotic system simulation using timed Petri, offers the opportunity to view the robotic time. Application of goods or robotic and transmission times obtained by measuring spot is obtained graphics showing the average time for transport activity, using the parameters sets of finished products. individually.

  7. Development of Non-Optimum Factors for Launch Vehicle Propellant Tank Bulkhead Weight Estimation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, K. Chauncey; Wallace, Matthew L.; Cerro, Jeffrey A.

    2012-01-01

    Non-optimum factors are used during aerospace conceptual and preliminary design to account for the increased weights of as-built structures due to future manufacturing and design details. Use of higher-fidelity non-optimum factors in these early stages of vehicle design can result in more accurate predictions of a concept s actual weights and performance. To help achieve this objective, non-optimum factors are calculated for the aluminum-alloy gores that compose the ogive and ellipsoidal bulkheads of the Space Shuttle Super-Lightweight Tank propellant tanks. Minimum values for actual gore skin thicknesses and weld land dimensions are extracted from selected production drawings, and are used to predict reference gore weights. These actual skin thicknesses are also compared to skin thicknesses predicted using classical structural mechanics and tank proof-test pressures. Both coarse and refined weights models are developed for the gores. The coarse model is based on the proof pressure-sized skin thicknesses, and the refined model uses the actual gore skin thicknesses and design detail dimensions. To determine the gore non-optimum factors, these reference weights are then compared to flight hardware weights reported in a mass properties database. When manufacturing tolerance weight estimates are taken into account, the gore non-optimum factors computed using the coarse weights model range from 1.28 to 2.76, with an average non-optimum factor of 1.90. Application of the refined weights model yields non-optimum factors between 1.00 and 1.50, with an average non-optimum factor of 1.14. To demonstrate their use, these calculated non-optimum factors are used to predict heavier, more realistic gore weights for a proposed heavy-lift launch vehicle s propellant tank bulkheads. These results indicate that relatively simple models can be developed to better estimate the actual weights of large structures for future launch vehicles.

  8. A Tool for Safety Officers Investigating " simple" Accidents

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Kirsten

    2010-01-01

    Most workplace accidents that happen in enterprises are simple and seldom result in serious injuries. Very often these kinds of workplace accidents are not investigated, and if they are, then the investigation is very brief, with comments such as that it was the victim’s own fault or just...... accidents normally caused by apparent banalities occur much more frequently and with a higher rate of fatalities, disablements and other serious injuries than the ostensibly most dangerous kinds of accidents. In 1999 a practical tool for use by safety officers was developed; this tool is based...... on the investigation methods applied in major accidents, but comprises a simpler and more user-friendly presentation. The tool involves three steps: Mapping the facts, analysing the events, and developing preventive solutions. Practical application of the tool has shown that it affords managers and workers...

  9. Emphasising Personal Investment Effects Weight Loss and Hedonic Thoughts about Food after Obesity Surgery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Margaret Husted

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Obesity surgery is the most effective treatment method for the severely obese but does not work for everyone. Indications are that weight-loss success may be related to individuals’ sense of investment in surgery, with failure linked to higher automatic hedonic motivations to consume food and greater susceptibility to food in the environment. A pilot study using an independent experimental design recruited bariatric surgery patients (n=91 via a UK obesity-surgery charity website who were randomly allocated to either the intervention or the control condition. The intervention involved raising the salience of the personal investment made in having weight-loss surgery in an attempt to reduce automatic hedonic thoughts about food and aid weight loss. Data was collected initially with subsequent weight loss measured at 3 months of follow-up. Following the intervention, participants reported significantly reduced hedonic thoughts, increased liking for low-fat foods, reduced liking of high-fat food, and higher self-efficacy for achieving sustained weight loss than controls. By 3 months, this was translated into significant differences in mean weight losses of 6.77 kg for the intervention group and 0.91 kg for control participants. To conclude, a quick simple cost-effective intervention encouraging participants to focus on investment helped weight loss and changed hedonic thoughts about food in bariatric patients.

  10. Event-Based Control Strategy for Mobile Robots in Wireless Environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Socas, Rafael; Dormido, Sebastián; Dormido, Raquel; Fabregas, Ernesto

    2015-12-02

    In this paper, a new event-based control strategy for mobile robots is presented. It has been designed to work in wireless environments where a centralized controller has to interchange information with the robots over an RF (radio frequency) interface. The event-based architectures have been developed for differential wheeled robots, although they can be applied to other kinds of robots in a simple way. The solution has been checked over classical navigation algorithms, like wall following and obstacle avoidance, using scenarios with a unique or multiple robots. A comparison between the proposed architectures and the classical discrete-time strategy is also carried out. The experimental results shows that the proposed solution has a higher efficiency in communication resource usage than the classical discrete-time strategy with the same accuracy.

  11. Simple Rules, Not So Simple: The Use of International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) Terminology and Simple Rules in Inexperienced Hands in a Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meys, Evelyne; Rutten, Iris; Kruitwagen, Roy; Slangen, Brigitte; Lambrechts, Sandrina; Mertens, Helen; Nolting, Ernst; Boskamp, Dieuwke; Van Gorp, Toon

    2017-12-01

     To analyze how well untrained examiners - without experience in the use of International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) terminology or simple ultrasound-based rules (simple rules) - are able to apply IOTA terminology and simple rules and to assess the level of agreement between non-experts and an expert.  This prospective multicenter cohort study enrolled women with ovarian masses. Ultrasound was performed by non-expert examiners and an expert. Ultrasound features were recorded using IOTA nomenclature, and used for classifying the mass by simple rules. Interobserver agreement was evaluated with Fleiss' kappa and percentage agreement between observers.  50 consecutive women were included. We observed 46 discrepancies in the description of ovarian masses when non-experts utilized IOTA terminology. Tumor type was misclassified often (n = 22), resulting in poor interobserver agreement between the non-experts and the expert (kappa = 0.39, 95 %-CI 0.244 - 0.529, percentage of agreement = 52.0 %). Misinterpretation of simple rules by non-experts was observed 57 times, resulting in an erroneous diagnosis in 15 patients (30 %). The agreement for classifying the mass as benign, malignant or inconclusive by simple rules was only moderate between the non-experts and the expert (kappa = 0.50, 95 %-CI 0.300 - 0.704, percentage of agreement = 70.0 %). The level of agreement for all 10 simple rules features varied greatly (kappa index range: -0.08 - 0.74, percentage of agreement 66 - 94 %).  Although simple rules are useful to distinguish benign from malignant adnexal masses, they are not that simple for untrained examiners. Training with both IOTA terminology and simple rules is necessary before simple rules can be introduced into guidelines and daily clinical practice. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  12. Detection of rain events in radiological early warning networks with spectro-dosimetric systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dąbrowski, R.; Dombrowski, H.; Kessler, P.; Röttger, A.; Neumaier, S.

    2017-10-01

    Short-term pronounced increases of the ambient dose equivalent rate, due to rainfall are a well-known phenomenon. Increases in the same order of magnitude or even below may also be caused by a nuclear or radiological event, i.e. by artificial radiation. Hence, it is important to be able to identify natural rain events in dosimetric early warning networks and to distinguish them from radiological events. Novel spectrometric systems based on scintillators may be used to differentiate between the two scenarios, because the measured gamma spectra provide significant nuclide-specific information. This paper describes three simple, automatic methods to check whether an dot H*(10) increase is caused by a rain event or by artificial radiation. These methods were applied to measurements of three spectrometric systems based on CeBr3, LaBr3 and SrI2 scintillation crystals, investigated and tested for their practicability at a free-field reference site of PTB.

  13. The effect of event shape on centroiding in photon counting detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawakami, Hajime; Bone, David; Fordham, John; Michel, Raul

    1994-01-01

    High resolution, CCD readout, photon counting detectors employ simple centroiding algorithms for defining the spatial position of each detected event. The accuracy of centroiding is very dependent upon a number of parameters including the profile, energy and width of the intensified event. In this paper, we provide an analysis of how the characteristics of an intensified event change as the input count rate increases and the consequent effect on centroiding. The changes in these parameters are applied in particular to the MIC photon counting detector developed at UCL for ground and space based astronomical applications. This detector has a maximum format of 3072x2304 pixels permitting its use in the highest resolution applications. Individual events, at light level from 5 to 1000k events/s over the detector area, were analysed. It was found that both the asymmetry and width of event profiles were strongly dependent upon the energy of the intensified event. The variation in profile then affected the centroiding accuracy leading to loss of resolution. These inaccuracies have been quantified for two different 3 CCD pixel centroiding algorithms and one 2 pixel algorithm. The results show that a maximum error of less than 0.05 CCD pixel occurs with the 3 pixel algorithms and 0.1 CCD pixel for the 2 pixel algorithm. An improvement is proposed by utilising straight pore MCPs in the intensifier and a 70 μm air gap in front of the CCD. ((orig.))

  14. Interventions for weight reduction in obesity to improve survival in women with endometrial cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitson, Sarah; Ryan, Neil; MacKintosh, Michelle L; Edmondson, Richard; Duffy, James Mn; Crosbie, Emma J

    2018-02-01

    Diagnoses of endometrial cancer are increasing secondary to the rising prevalence of obesity. Obesity plays an important role in promoting the development of endometrial cancer, by inducing a state of unopposed oestrogen excess, insulin resistance and inflammation. It also affects treatment, increasing the risk of surgical complications and the complexity of radiotherapy planning, and may additionally impact on subsequent survival. Weight-loss interventions have been associated with improvements in breast and colorectal cancer-specific survival as well as a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease, a frequent cause of death in endometrial cancer survivors. To determine the impact of weight-loss interventions, in addition to standard management of endometrial cancer, on overall survival and the frequency of adverse events.Secondary objectives include an assessment of weight-loss interventions on endometrial cancer-specific survival, weight loss achieved, cardiovascular event frequency and quality of life both overall and stratified according to patient body mass index (BMI), where possible. This review searched Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Embase and reference lists of articles, trial registries, and international gynaecological oncology conference abstracts from inception to January 2018. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions to facilitate weight loss in overweight or obese women undergoing treatment for, or previously treated for, endometrial cancer were selected. Two review authors independently selected studies, assessed trial quality, and extracted data with disagreements resolved by a third review author. Study authors were contacted to obtain missing data, including details of any adverse events. We included three RCTs in the review, randomising a total of 161 overweight and obese women with endometrial cancer. All studies compared combined behavioural and lifestyle interventions to facilitate weight loss

  15. Meta-analysis of mismatch negativity to simple versus complex deviants in schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avissar, Michael; Xie, Shanghong; Vail, Blair; Lopez-Calderon, Javier; Wang, Yuanjia; Javitt, Daniel C

    2018-01-01

    Mismatch negativity (MMN) deficits in schizophrenia (SCZ) have been studied extensively since the early 1990s, with the vast majority of studies using simple auditory oddball task deviants that vary in a single acoustic dimension such as pitch or duration. There has been a growing interest in using more complex deviants that violate more abstract rules to probe higher order cognitive deficits. It is still unclear how sensory processing deficits compare to and contribute to higher order cognitive dysfunction, which can be investigated with later attention-dependent auditory event-related potential (ERP) components such as a subcomponent of P300, P3b. In this meta-analysis, we compared MMN deficits in SCZ using simple deviants to more complex deviants. We also pooled studies that measured MMN and P3b in the same study sample and examined the relationship between MMN and P3b deficits within study samples. Our analysis reveals that, to date, studies using simple deviants demonstrate larger deficits than those using complex deviants, with effect sizes in the range of moderate to large. The difference in effect sizes between deviant types was reduced significantly when accounting for magnitude of MMN measured in healthy controls. P3b deficits, while large, were only modestly greater than MMN deficits (d=0.21). Taken together, our findings suggest that MMN to simple deviants may still be optimal as a biomarker for SCZ and that sensory processing dysfunction contributes significantly to MMN deficit and disease pathophysiology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Rendering visual events as sounds: Spatial attention capture by auditory augmented reality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stone, Scott A; Tata, Matthew S

    2017-01-01

    Many salient visual events tend to coincide with auditory events, such as seeing and hearing a car pass by. Information from the visual and auditory senses can be used to create a stable percept of the stimulus. Having access to related coincident visual and auditory information can help for spatial tasks such as localization. However not all visual information has analogous auditory percepts, such as viewing a computer monitor. Here, we describe a system capable of detecting and augmenting visual salient events into localizable auditory events. The system uses a neuromorphic camera (DAVIS 240B) to detect logarithmic changes of brightness intensity in the scene, which can be interpreted as salient visual events. Participants were blindfolded and asked to use the device to detect new objects in the scene, as well as determine direction of motion for a moving visual object. Results suggest the system is robust enough to allow for the simple detection of new salient stimuli, as well accurately encoding direction of visual motion. Future successes are probable as neuromorphic devices are likely to become faster and smaller in the future, making this system much more feasible.

  17. Rendering visual events as sounds: Spatial attention capture by auditory augmented reality.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott A Stone

    Full Text Available Many salient visual events tend to coincide with auditory events, such as seeing and hearing a car pass by. Information from the visual and auditory senses can be used to create a stable percept of the stimulus. Having access to related coincident visual and auditory information can help for spatial tasks such as localization. However not all visual information has analogous auditory percepts, such as viewing a computer monitor. Here, we describe a system capable of detecting and augmenting visual salient events into localizable auditory events. The system uses a neuromorphic camera (DAVIS 240B to detect logarithmic changes of brightness intensity in the scene, which can be interpreted as salient visual events. Participants were blindfolded and asked to use the device to detect new objects in the scene, as well as determine direction of motion for a moving visual object. Results suggest the system is robust enough to allow for the simple detection of new salient stimuli, as well accurately encoding direction of visual motion. Future successes are probable as neuromorphic devices are likely to become faster and smaller in the future, making this system much more feasible.

  18. A Basis Function Approach to Simulate Storm Surge Events for Coastal Flood Risk Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Wenyan; Westra, Seth; Leonard, Michael

    2017-04-01

    Storm surge is a significant contributor to flooding in coastal and estuarine regions, especially when it coincides with other flood producing mechanisms, such as extreme rainfall. Therefore, storm surge has always been a research focus in coastal flood risk assessment. Often numerical models have been developed to understand storm surge events for risk assessment (Kumagai et al. 2016; Li et al. 2016; Zhang et al. 2016) (Bastidas et al. 2016; Bilskie et al. 2016; Dalledonne and Mayerle 2016; Haigh et al. 2014; Kodaira et al. 2016; Lapetina and Sheng 2015), and assess how these events may change or evolve in the future (Izuru et al. 2015; Oey and Chou 2016). However, numeric models often require a lot of input information and difficulties arise when there are not sufficient data available (Madsen et al. 2015). Alternative, statistical methods have been used to forecast storm surge based on historical data (Hashemi et al. 2016; Kim et al. 2016) or to examine the long term trend in the change of storm surge events, especially under climate change (Balaguru et al. 2016; Oh et al. 2016; Rueda et al. 2016). In these studies, often the peak of surge events is used, which result in the loss of dynamic information within a tidal cycle or surge event (i.e. a time series of storm surge values). In this study, we propose an alternative basis function (BF) based approach to examine the different attributes (e.g. peak and durations) of storm surge events using historical data. Two simple two-parameter BFs were used: the exponential function and the triangular function. High quality hourly storm surge record from 15 tide gauges around Australia were examined. It was found that there are significantly location and seasonal variability in the peak and duration of storm surge events, which provides additional insights in coastal flood risk. In addition, the simple form of these BFs allows fast simulation of storm surge events and minimises the complexity of joint probability

  19. A heuristic approach to optimization of structural topology including self-weight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tajs-Zielińska, Katarzyna; Bochenek, Bogdan

    2018-01-01

    Topology optimization of structures under a design-dependent self-weight load is investigated in this paper. The problem deserves attention because of its significant importance in the engineering practice, especially nowadays as topology optimization is more often applied when designing large engineering structures, for example, bridges or carrying systems of tall buildings. It is worth noting that well-known approaches of topology optimization which have been successfully applied to structures under fixed loads cannot be directly adapted to the case of design-dependent loads, so that topology generation can be a challenge also for numerical algorithms. The paper presents the application of a simple but efficient non-gradient method to topology optimization of elastic structures under self-weight loading. The algorithm is based on the Cellular Automata concept, the application of which can produce effective solutions with low computational cost.

  20. A computer tool for a minimax criterion in binary response and heteroscedastic simple linear regression models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casero-Alonso, V; López-Fidalgo, J; Torsney, B

    2017-01-01

    Binary response models are used in many real applications. For these models the Fisher information matrix (FIM) is proportional to the FIM of a weighted simple linear regression model. The same is also true when the weight function has a finite integral. Thus, optimal designs for one binary model are also optimal for the corresponding weighted linear regression model. The main objective of this paper is to provide a tool for the construction of MV-optimal designs, minimizing the maximum of the variances of the estimates, for a general design space. MV-optimality is a potentially difficult criterion because of its nondifferentiability at equal variance designs. A methodology for obtaining MV-optimal designs where the design space is a compact interval [a, b] will be given for several standard weight functions. The methodology will allow us to build a user-friendly computer tool based on Mathematica to compute MV-optimal designs. Some illustrative examples will show a representation of MV-optimal designs in the Euclidean plane, taking a and b as the axes. The applet will be explained using two relevant models. In the first one the case of a weighted linear regression model is considered, where the weight function is directly chosen from a typical family. In the second example a binary response model is assumed, where the probability of the outcome is given by a typical probability distribution. Practitioners can use the provided applet to identify the solution and to know the exact support points and design weights. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Weight Rhythms: Weight Increases during Weekends and Decreases during Weekdays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna-Leena Orsama

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: The week's cycle influences sleep, exercise, and eating habits. An accurate description of weekly weight rhythms has not been reported yet - especially across people who lose weight versus those who maintain or gain weight. Methods: The daily weight in 80 adults (BMI 20.0-33.5 kg/m2; age, 25-62 years was recorded and analysed to determine if a group-level weekly weight fluctuation exists. This was a retrospective study of 4,657 measurements during 15-330 monitoring days. Semi-parametric regression was used to model the rhythm. Results: A pattern of daily weight changes was found (p Conclusion: Weight variations between weekends and weekdays should be considered as normal instead of signs of weight gain. Those who compensate the most are most likely to either lose or maintain weight over time. Long-term habits may make more of a difference than short-term splurges. People prone to weight gain could be counselled about the importance of weekday compensation.

  2. Effect of an intensive nutrition intervention of a high protein and low glycemic-index diet on weight of kidney transplant recipients: study protocol for a randomized clinical trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pedrollo, Elis Forcellini; Nicoletto, Bruna Bellincanta; Carpes, Larissa Salomoni; de Freitas, Júlia de Melo Cardoso; Buboltz, Julia Roberta; Forte, Cristina Carra; Bauer, Andrea Carla; Manfro, Roberto Ceratti; Souza, Gabriela Corrêa; Leitão, Cristiane Bauermann

    2017-09-06

    Excessive weight gain is commonly observed within the first year after kidney transplantation and is associated with negative outcomes, such as graft loss and cardiovascular events. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of a high protein and low glycemic-index diet on preventing weight gain after kidney transplantation. We designed a prospective, single-center, open-label, randomized controlled study to compare the efficacy of a high protein (1.3-1.4 g/kg/day) and low-glycemic index diet versus a conventional diet (0.8-1.0 g/kg/day of protein) on preventing weight gain after kidney transplantation. A total of 120 eligible patients 2 months after transplantation will be recruited. Patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate through the modification of diet of renal disease (MDRD) formula  300 mg/24 h will be excluded. Patients' diets will be allocated through simple sequential randomization. Patients will be followed-up for 12 months with nine clinic appointments with a dietitian and the evaluations will include nutritional assessment (anthropometrics, body composition, and resting metabolic rate) and laboratory tests. The primary outcome is weight maintenance or body weight gain under 5% after 12 months. Secondary outcomes include body composition, resting metabolic rate, satiety sensation, kidney function, and other metabolic parameters. Diets with higher protein content and lower glycemic index may lead to weight loss because of higher satiety sensation. However, there is a concern about the association of high protein intake and kidney damage. Nevertheless, there is little evidence on the impact of high protein intake on long-term kidney function outcome. Therefore, we designed a study to test if a high protein diet with low-glycemic index will be an effective and safe nutritional intervention to prevent weight gain in kidney transplant patients. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02883777 . Registered on 3 August 2016.

  3. Simple-MSSM: a simple and efficient method for simultaneous multi-site saturation mutagenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Feng; Xu, Jian-Miao; Xiang, Chao; Liu, Zhi-Qiang; Zhao, Li-Qing; Zheng, Yu-Guo

    2017-04-01

    To develop a practically simple and robust multi-site saturation mutagenesis (MSSM) method that enables simultaneously recombination of amino acid positions for focused mutant library generation. A general restriction enzyme-free and ligase-free MSSM method (Simple-MSSM) based on prolonged overlap extension PCR (POE-PCR) and Simple Cloning techniques. As a proof of principle of Simple-MSSM, the gene of eGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) was used as a template gene for simultaneous mutagenesis of five codons. Forty-eight randomly selected clones were sequenced. Sequencing revealed that all the 48 clones showed at least one mutant codon (mutation efficiency = 100%), and 46 out of the 48 clones had mutations at all the five codons. The obtained diversities at these five codons are 27, 24, 26, 26 and 22, respectively, which correspond to 84, 75, 81, 81, 69% of the theoretical diversity offered by NNK-degeneration (32 codons; NNK, K = T or G). The enzyme-free Simple-MSSM method can simultaneously and efficiently saturate five codons within one day, and therefore avoid missing interactions between residues in interacting amino acid networks.

  4. SHAKER Version 0.0/5 Pre-release Notes

    CERN Document Server

    CERN. Geneva

    1993-01-01

    SHAKER V0.0/5 is a pre-release of a simple cocktail central rapidity phase space event generator developed for the simulation of LHC Heavy Ion events. A modified version of JETSET 7.3 (the / LUJETS / common has been enlarged to 50000 particles and the LUEDIT routine has been modified to rearrange the particle weights vectors when called with MEDIT=1) is used to manage the events. All event information is included in / LUJETS / according to Lund conventions [1].

  5. Robust non-parametric one-sample tests for the analysis of recurrent events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rebora, Paola; Galimberti, Stefania; Valsecchi, Maria Grazia

    2010-12-30

    One-sample non-parametric tests are proposed here for inference on recurring events. The focus is on the marginal mean function of events and the basis for inference is the standardized distance between the observed and the expected number of events under a specified reference rate. Different weights are considered in order to account for various types of alternative hypotheses on the mean function of the recurrent events process. A robust version and a stratified version of the test are also proposed. The performance of these tests was investigated through simulation studies under various underlying event generation processes, such as homogeneous and nonhomogeneous Poisson processes, autoregressive and renewal processes, with and without frailty effects. The robust versions of the test have been shown to be suitable in a wide variety of event generating processes. The motivating context is a study on gene therapy in a very rare immunodeficiency in children, where a major end-point is the recurrence of severe infections. Robust non-parametric one-sample tests for recurrent events can be useful to assess efficacy and especially safety in non-randomized studies or in epidemiological studies for comparison with a standard population. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Conductivity, dielectric behavior and FTIR studies of high molecular weight poly(vinylchloride)-lithium triflate polymer electrolytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramesh, S.; Chai, M.F.

    2007-01-01

    Thin films of high molecular weight polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with lithium triflate (LiCF 3 SO 3 ) salt were prepared by solution casting method. The ionic conductivity and dielectric measurements were carried out on these films over a wide frequency regime at various temperatures. The conductivity-temperature plots were found to obey classical Arrhenius relationship. The dielectric behavior was analysed using dielectric permittivity and dielectric modulus of the samples. FTIR studies show some simple overlapping and shift in peaks between high molecular weight polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with lithium triflate (LiCF 3 SO 3 ) salt in the polymer electrolyte complexes

  7. Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography predicts cardiovascular events after TIA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holzer, Katrin; Sadikovic, Suwad; Esposito, Lorena; Bockelbrink, Angelina; Sander, Dirk; Hemmer, Bernhard; Poppert, Holger

    2009-01-01

    Transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients are at high vascular risk. We assessed the value of extracranial (ECD) and transcranial (TCD) Doppler and duplex ultrasonography to predict clinical outcome after TIA. 176 consecutive TIA patients admitted to the Stroke Unit were recruited in the study. All patients received diffusion-weighted imaging, standardized ECD and TCD. At a median follow-up of 27 months, new vascular events were recorded. 22 (13.8%) patients experienced an ischemic stroke or TIA, 5 (3.1%) a myocardial infarction or acute coronary syndrome, and 5 (3.1%) underwent arterial revascularization. ECD revealed extracranial ≥ 50% stenosis or occlusions in 34 (19.3%) patients, TCD showed intracranial stenosis in 15 (9.2%) and collateral flow patterns due to extracranial stenosis in 5 (3.1%) cases. Multivariate analysis identified these abnormal ECD and TCD findings as predictors of new cerebral ischemic events (ECD: hazard ratio (HR) 4.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.75 to 10.57, P = 0.01; TCD: HR 4.73, 95% CI 1.86 to 12.04, P = 0.01). Abnormal TCD findings were also predictive of cardiovascular ischemic events (HR 18.51, 95% CI 3.49 to 98.24, P = 0.001). TIA patients with abnormal TCD findings are at high risk to develop further cerebral and cardiovascular ischemic events

  8. The necessity of recognizing all events in X-ray detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papp, T; Maxwell, J A; Papp, A T

    2010-01-01

    In our work in studying properties of inner shell ionization, we are troubled that the experimental data used to determine the basic parameters of X-ray physics have a large and unexplainable scatter. As we looked into the problems we found that many of them contradict simple logic, elemental arithmetic, even parity and angular momentum conservation laws. We have identified that the main source of the problems, other than the human factor, is rooted in the signal processing electronics. To overcome these problems we have developed a fully digital signal processor, which not only has excellent resolution and line shape, but also allows proper accounting of all events. This is achieved by processing all events and separating them into two or more spectra (maximum 16), where the first spectrum is the accepted or good spectrum and the second spectrum is the spectrum of all rejected events. The availability of all the events allows one to see the other part of the spectrum. To our surprise the total information explains many of the shortcomings and contradictions of the X-ray database. The data processing methodology cannot be established on the partial and fractional information offered by other approaches. Comparing Monte Carlo detector modeling results with the partial spectra is ambiguous. It suggests that the metrology of calibration by radioactive sources as well as other X-ray measurements could be improved by the availability of the proper accounting of all events. It is not enough to know that an event was rejected and increment the input counter, it is necessary to know, what was rejected and why it happened, whether it was a noise or a disturbed event, a retarded event or a true event, or any pile up combination of these events. Such information is supplied by our processor reporting the events rejected by each discriminator in separate spectra. Several industrial applications of this quality assurance capable signal processor are presented. Copyright 2009

  9. Event Management of RFID Data Streams: Fast Moving Consumer Goods Supply Chains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mo, John P. T.; Li, Xue

    Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a wireless communication technology that uses radio-frequency waves to transfer information between tagged objects and readers without line of sight. This creates tremendous opportunities for linking real world objects into a world of "Internet of things". Application of RFID to Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector will introduce billions of RFID tags in the world. Almost everything is tagged for tracking and identification purposes. This phenomenon will impose a new challenge not only to the network capacity but also to the scalability of processing of RFID events and data. This chapter uses two national demonstrator projects in Australia as case studies to introduce an event managementframework to process high volume RFID data streams in real time and automatically transform physical RFID observations into business-level events. The model handles various temporal event patterns, both simple and complex, with temporal constraints. The model can be implemented in a data management architecture that allows global RFID item tracking and enables fast, large-scale RFID deployment.

  10. Creativity in action: elegantly simple idea puts firm on international pipeline map

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Podlubny, J.

    2002-05-06

    A saddle bag-like device, a relatively simple invention to carry weights to hold pipelines stable in wet environments, has catapulted a small Athabasca, Alberta, company to international prominence. The saddle bag is made of 100 per cent non-biodegradable material called geotextile, commonly referred to as road matting. The bags have a life expectancy of 100 years or more, easily outlasting the pipe they protect from shifting. Weighting systems are used on pipelines to achieve the negative buoyancy required to prevent them from floating out of wet ground. They are essential in wide swats of the northern areas where the oil and gas industry operates. The saddle bags replace the traditional concrete weights which have been either bolted down or set on top of the pipe. They were bulky and hard to transport, as well as difficult to place on the pipe. In contrast, the saddle bags are easy to transport and easy to install. Indeed, the production process is portable, so that the weighted saddle bags can be made at the site of the pipeline construction job involved. This makes it easier to do pipeline weighting jobs in cold weather, at remote locations or in spots where considerable travel time is involved in completing projects. Saddle Tech has recently joined forces with the giant in the weighting system world from the United States, CRC-Evans. The U.S. firm is marketing the bags under a trademarked name 'the saddle bag'. The product being used on projects in California, as well as on almost 90 per cent of wetlands pipeline work in Alberta and British Columbia. Production was 17,000 bags in the first year of operation. So far this season, more than 40,000 bags have been made and distributed throughout North America. Plans are afoot to expand and convert the production facility to an automated operation, running 24 hours a day.

  11. Simple Finite Sums

    KAUST Repository

    Alabdulmohsin, Ibrahim M.

    2018-01-01

    We will begin our treatment of summability calculus by analyzing what will be referred to, throughout this book, as simple finite sums. Even though the results of this chapter are particular cases of the more general results presented in later chapters, they are important to start with for a few reasons. First, this chapter serves as an excellent introduction to what summability calculus can markedly accomplish. Second, simple finite sums are encountered more often and, hence, they deserve special treatment. Third, the results presented in this chapter for simple finite sums will, themselves, be used as building blocks for deriving the most general results in subsequent chapters. Among others, we establish that fractional finite sums are well-defined mathematical objects and show how various identities related to the Euler constant as well as the Riemann zeta function can actually be derived in an elementary manner using fractional finite sums.

  12. Simple Finite Sums

    KAUST Repository

    Alabdulmohsin, Ibrahim M.

    2018-03-07

    We will begin our treatment of summability calculus by analyzing what will be referred to, throughout this book, as simple finite sums. Even though the results of this chapter are particular cases of the more general results presented in later chapters, they are important to start with for a few reasons. First, this chapter serves as an excellent introduction to what summability calculus can markedly accomplish. Second, simple finite sums are encountered more often and, hence, they deserve special treatment. Third, the results presented in this chapter for simple finite sums will, themselves, be used as building blocks for deriving the most general results in subsequent chapters. Among others, we establish that fractional finite sums are well-defined mathematical objects and show how various identities related to the Euler constant as well as the Riemann zeta function can actually be derived in an elementary manner using fractional finite sums.

  13. A simple method for conversion of airborne gamma-ray spectra to ground level doses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Korsbech, Uffe C C; Bargholz, Kim

    1996-01-01

    A new and simple method for conversion of airborne NaI(Tl) gamma-ray spectra to dose rates at ground level has been developed. By weighting the channel count rates with the channel numbers a spectrum dose index (SDI) is calculated for each spectrum. Ground level dose rates then are determined...... by multiplying the SDI by an altitude dependent conversion factor. The conversion factors are determined from spectra based on Monte Carlo calculations. The results are compared with measurements in a laboratory calibration set-up. IT-NT-27. June 1996. 27 p....

  14. Modeling crowd behavior based on the discrete-event multiagent approach

    OpenAIRE

    Лановой, Алексей Феликсович; Лановой, Артем Алексеевич

    2014-01-01

    The crowd is a temporary, relatively unorganized group of people, who are in close physical contact with each other. Individual behavior of human outside the crowd is determined by many factors, associated with his intellectual activities, but inside the crowd the man loses his identity and begins to obey more simple laws of behavior.One of approaches to the construction of multi-level model of the crowd using discrete-event multiagent approach was described in the paper.Based on this analysi...

  15. A simple approach to hollow maxillary complete denture fabrication: An innovative technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathleen Manuela D'souza

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available A severely atrophic maxillary arch exhibits reduced denture bearing area and increased inter-ridge distance, thus, affecting retention of the complete denture. Such clinical situations necessitate the fabrication of a hollow complete denture to reduce the weight of the prosthesis and increase retention. This article describes a simple technique to fabricate a hollow maxillary complete denture using salt and thermoplastic poly (methyl methacrylate sheet. The vacuum-formed thermoplastic matrix regulates the quantity of salt and determines its placement in the unpolymerized denture base material during the denture packing stage. The matrix lining the hollow cavity also aids to reinforce the hollow denture base.

  16. A simple and effective method for detecting precipitated proteins in MALDI-TOF MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oshikane, Hiroyuki; Watabe, Masahiko; Nakaki, Toshio

    2018-04-01

    MALDI-TOF MS has developed rapidly into an essential analytical tool for the life sciences. Cinnamic acid derivatives are generally employed in routine molecular weight determinations of intact proteins using MALDI-TOF MS. However, a protein of interest may precipitate when mixed with matrix solution, perhaps preventing MS detection. We herein provide a simple approach to enable the MS detection of such precipitated protein species by means of a "direct deposition method" -- loading the precipitant directly onto the sample plate. It is thus expected to improve routine MS analysis of intact proteins. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  17. Association Between Life Event Stressors and Low Birth Weight in African American and White Populations: Findings from the 2007 and 2010 Los Angeles Mommy and Baby (LAMB) Surveys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yuan; Kershaw, Trace; Ettinger, Adrienne S; Higgins, Chandra; Lu, Michael C; Chao, Shin M

    2015-10-01

    We examined the association between life events stressors during pregnancy and low birth weight (LBW) among African Americans and Whites, while systematically controlling for potential confounders including individual characteristics and city-level variations and clustering. We analyzed data from 4970 women with singleton births who participated in the 2007 and 2010 Los Angeles Mommy and Baby Surveys. Multilevel logistic regression was used to assess the association between emotional, financial, spousal and traumatic stressors and LBW among African Americans and Whites. Potential confounders included were: the city-level Economic Hardship Index, maternal demographics, pre-pregnancy conditions, insurance, behavioral risk factors and social support. African Americans were significantly more likely to experience any domain of stressors during their pregnancy, compared to Whites (p stressors and LBW was significantly different between African Americans and Whites (p for interaction = 0.015). Experience of financial stressors during pregnancy was significantly associated with LBW among African Americans (adjusted odds ratio = 1.49; 95 % confidence interval = 1.01-2.22) but not Whites. Differential impact of financial stressors during pregnancy may contribute to racial disparities in LBW between African Americans and Whites. We showed that financial life event stressors, but not other domains of stressors, were more likely to impact LBW among African Americans than Whites. Initiatives aimed at mitigating the negative impacts of financial stress during pregnancy may contribute to reducing disparities in birth outcomes between African Americans and Whites.

  18. The London handicap scale: a re-evaluation of its validity using standard scoring and simple summation

    OpenAIRE

    Jenkinson, C.; Mant, J.; Carter, J.; Wade, D.; Winner, S.

    2000-01-01

    OBJECTIVE—To assess the validity of the London handicap scale (LHS) using a simple unweighted scoring system compared with traditional weighted scoring
METHODS—323 patients admitted to hospital with acute stroke were followed up by interview 6 months after their stroke as part of a trial looking at the impact of a family support organiser. Outcome measures included the six item LHS, the Dartmouth COOP charts, the Frenchay activities index, the Barthel index, and the hospital...

  19. Controlling spatio-temporal extreme events by decreasing the localized energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Du Lin; Xu Wei; Li Zhanguo; Zhou Bingchang

    2011-01-01

    The problem of controlling extreme events in spatially extended dynamical systems is investigated in this Letter. Based on observations of the system state, the control technique we proposed locally decreases the spatial energy of the amplitude in the vicinity of the highest burst, without needs of any knowledge or prediction of the system model. Considering the specific Complex Ginzburg-Landau equation, we provide theoretical analysis for designing the localized state feedback controller. More exactly, a simple control law by varying a damping parameter at control region is chose to achieve the control. Numerical simulations and statistic analysis demonstrate that extreme events can be efficiently suppressed by our strategy. In particular, the cost of the control and the tolerant time delay in applying the control is considered in detail. - Highlights: → We propose a local control scheme to suppress spatio-temporal extreme events. → The control is address by decreasing the spatial energy of the system locally. → The detail control law is to apply localized state feedback based on observations. → The cost of the control increases with the size of the control region exponentially. → The tolerant delay of the control is about 5-6 times of lifetime of extreme events.

  20. The bias of weighted dark matter halos from peak theory

    CERN Document Server

    Verde, Licia; Simpson, Fergus; Alvarez-Gaume, Luis; Heavens, Alan; Matarrese, Sabino

    2014-01-01

    We give an analytical form for the weighted correlation function of peaks in a Gaussian random field. In a cosmological context, this approach strictly describes the formation bias and is the main result here. Nevertheless, we show its validity and applicability to the evolved cosmological density field and halo field, using Gaussian random field realisations and dark matter N-body numerical simulations. Using this result from peak theory we compute the bias of peaks (and dark matter halos) and show that it reproduces results from the simulations at the ${\\mathcal O}(10\\%)$ level. Our analytical formula for the bias predicts a scale-dependent bias with two characteristics: a broad band shape which, however, is most affected by the choice of weighting scheme and evolution bias, and a more robust, narrow feature localised at the BAO scale, an effect that is confirmed in simulations. This scale-dependent bias smooths the BAO feature but, conveniently, does not move it. We provide a simple analytic formula to des...

  1. Random synaptic feedback weights support error backpropagation for deep learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lillicrap, Timothy P.; Cownden, Daniel; Tweed, Douglas B.; Akerman, Colin J.

    2016-01-01

    The brain processes information through multiple layers of neurons. This deep architecture is representationally powerful, but complicates learning because it is difficult to identify the responsible neurons when a mistake is made. In machine learning, the backpropagation algorithm assigns blame by multiplying error signals with all the synaptic weights on each neuron's axon and further downstream. However, this involves a precise, symmetric backward connectivity pattern, which is thought to be impossible in the brain. Here we demonstrate that this strong architectural constraint is not required for effective error propagation. We present a surprisingly simple mechanism that assigns blame by multiplying errors by even random synaptic weights. This mechanism can transmit teaching signals across multiple layers of neurons and performs as effectively as backpropagation on a variety of tasks. Our results help reopen questions about how the brain could use error signals and dispel long-held assumptions about algorithmic constraints on learning. PMID:27824044

  2. Hybrid Wing-Body (HWB) Pressurized Fuselage Modeling, Analysis, and Design for Weight Reduction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukhopadhyay, Vivek

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes the interim progress for an in-house study that is directed toward innovative structural analysis and design of next-generation advanced aircraft concepts, such as the Hybrid Wing-Body (HWB) and the Advanced Mobility Concept-X flight vehicles, for structural weight reduction and associated performance enhancement. Unlike the conventional, skin-stringer-frame construction for a cylindrical fuselage, the box-type pressurized fuselage panels in the HWB undergo significant deformation of the outer aerodynamic surfaces, which must be minimized without significant structural weight penalty. Simple beam and orthotropic plate theory is first considered for sizing, analytical verification, and possible equivalent-plate analysis with appropriate simplification. By designing advanced composite stiffened-shell configurations, significant weight reduction may be possible compared with the sandwich and ribbed-shell structural concepts that have been studied previously. The study involves independent analysis of the advanced composite structural concepts that are presently being developed by The Boeing Company for pressurized HWB flight vehicles. High-fidelity parametric finite-element models of test coupons, panels, and multibay fuselage sections, were developed for conducting design studies and identifying critical areas of potential failure. Interim results are discussed to assess the overall weight/strength advantages.

  3. Three-year weight change in successful weight losers who lost weight on a low-carbohydrate diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phelan, Suzanne; Wyatt, Holly; Nassery, Shirine; Dibello, Julia; Fava, Joseph L; Hill, James O; Wing, Rena R

    2007-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate long-term weight loss and eating and exercise behaviors of successful weight losers who lost weight using a low-carbohydrate diet. This study examined 3-year changes in weight, diet, and physical activity in 891 subjects (96 low-carbohydrate dieters and 795 others) who enrolled in the National Weight Control Registry between 1998 and 2001 and reported >or=30-lb weight loss and >or=1 year weight loss maintenance. Only 10.8% of participants reported losing weight after a low-carbohydrate diet. At entry into the study, low-carbohydrate diet users reported consuming more kcal/d (mean +/- SD, 1,895 +/- 452 vs. 1,398 +/- 574); fewer calories in weekly physical activity (1,595 +/- 2,499 vs. 2,542 +/- 2,301); more calories from fat (64.0 +/- 7.9% vs. 30.9 +/- 13.1%), saturated fat (23.8 +/- 4.1 vs. 10.5 +/- 5.2), monounsaturated fat (24.4 +/- 3.7 vs. 11.0 +/- 5.1), and polyunsaturated fat (8.6 +/- 2.7 vs. 5.5 +/- 2.9); and less dietary restraint (10.8 +/- 2.9 vs. 14.9 +/- 3.9) compared with other Registry members. These differences persisted over time. No differences in 3-year weight regain were observed between low-carbohydrate dieters and other Registry members in intent-to-treat analyses (7.0 +/- 7.1 vs. 5.7 +/- 8.7 kg). It is possible to achieve and maintain long-term weight loss using a low-carbohydrate diet. The long-term health effects of weight loss associated with a high-fat diet and low activity level merits further investigation.

  4. Locator-Checker-Scaler Object Tracking Using Spatially Ordered and Weighted Patch Descriptor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Han-Ul; Kim, Chang-Su

    2017-08-01

    In this paper, we propose a simple yet effective object descriptor and a novel tracking algorithm to track a target object accurately. For the object description, we divide the bounding box of a target object into multiple patches and describe them with color and gradient histograms. Then, we determine the foreground weight of each patch to alleviate the impacts of background information in the bounding box. To this end, we perform random walk with restart (RWR) simulation. We then concatenate the weighted patch descriptors to yield the spatially ordered and weighted patch (SOWP) descriptor. For the object tracking, we incorporate the proposed SOWP descriptor into a novel tracking algorithm, which has three components: locator, checker, and scaler (LCS). The locator and the scaler estimate the center location and the size of a target, respectively. The checker determines whether it is safe to adjust the target scale in a current frame. These three components cooperate with one another to achieve robust tracking. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed LCS tracker achieves excellent performance on recent benchmarks.

  5. Weight Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Health Information Weight Management English English Español Weight Management Obesity is a chronic condition that affects more ... Liver (NASH) Heart Disease & Stroke Sleep Apnea Weight Management Topics About Food Portions Bariatric Surgery for Severe ...

  6. Executive function in weight loss and weight loss maintenance: a conceptual review and novel neuropsychological model of weight control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gettens, Katelyn M; Gorin, Amy A

    2017-10-01

    Weight loss maintenance is a complex, multifaceted process that presents a significant challenge for most individuals who lose weight. A growing body of literature indicates a strong relationship between cognitive dysfunction and excessive body weight, and suggests that a subset of high-order cognitive processes known as executive functions (EF) likely play an important role in weight management. Recent reviews cover neuropsychological correlates of weight status yet fail to address the role of executive function in the central dilemma of successful weight loss maintenance. In this paper, we provide an overview of the existing literature examining executive functions as they relate to weight status and initial weight loss. Further, we propose a novel conceptual model of the relationships between EF, initial weight loss, and weight loss maintenance, mapping specific executive functions onto strategies known to be associated with both phases of the weight control process. Implications for the development of more efficacious weight loss maintenance interventions are discussed.

  7. Wind Tunnel Strain-Gage Balance Calibration Data Analysis Using a Weighted Least Squares Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ulbrich, N.; Volden, T.

    2017-01-01

    A new approach is presented that uses a weighted least squares fit to analyze wind tunnel strain-gage balance calibration data. The weighted least squares fit is specifically designed to increase the influence of single-component loadings during the regression analysis. The weighted least squares fit also reduces the impact of calibration load schedule asymmetries on the predicted primary sensitivities of the balance gages. A weighting factor between zero and one is assigned to each calibration data point that depends on a simple count of its intentionally loaded load components or gages. The greater the number of a data point's intentionally loaded load components or gages is, the smaller its weighting factor becomes. The proposed approach is applicable to both the Iterative and Non-Iterative Methods that are used for the analysis of strain-gage balance calibration data in the aerospace testing community. The Iterative Method uses a reasonable estimate of the tare corrected load set as input for the determination of the weighting factors. The Non-Iterative Method, on the other hand, uses gage output differences relative to the natural zeros as input for the determination of the weighting factors. Machine calibration data of a six-component force balance is used to illustrate benefits of the proposed weighted least squares fit. In addition, a detailed derivation of the PRESS residuals associated with a weighted least squares fit is given in the appendices of the paper as this information could not be found in the literature. These PRESS residuals may be needed to evaluate the predictive capabilities of the final regression models that result from a weighted least squares fit of the balance calibration data.

  8. Automatically Identifying Fusion Events between GLUT4 Storage Vesicles and the Plasma Membrane in TIRF Microscopy Image Sequences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian Wu

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Quantitative analysis of the dynamic behavior about membrane-bound secretory vesicles has proven to be important in biological research. This paper proposes a novel approach to automatically identify the elusive fusion events between VAMP2-pHluorin labeled GLUT4 storage vesicles (GSVs and the plasma membrane. The differentiation is implemented to detect the initiation of fusion events by modified forward subtraction of consecutive frames in the TIRFM image sequence. Spatially connected pixels in difference images brighter than a specified adaptive threshold are grouped into a distinct fusion spot. The vesicles are located at the intensity-weighted centroid of their fusion spots. To reveal the true in vivo nature of a fusion event, 2D Gaussian fitting for the fusion spot is used to derive the intensity-weighted centroid and the spot size during the fusion process. The fusion event and its termination can be determined according to the change of spot size. The method is evaluated on real experiment data with ground truth annotated by expert cell biologists. The evaluation results show that it can achieve relatively high accuracy comparing favorably to the manual analysis, yet at a small fraction of time.

  9. 14 CFR 25.1519 - Weight, center of gravity, and weight distribution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Information Operating Limitations § 25.1519 Weight, center of gravity, and weight distribution. The airplane weight, center of gravity, and weight distribution limitations determined under §§ 25.23 through 25.27... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Weight, center of gravity, and weight...

  10. A descriptive study of adverse events from clenbuterol misuse and abuse for weight loss and bodybuilding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spiller, Henry A; James, Kyla J; Scholzen, Steven; Borys, Douglas J

    2013-01-01

    Clenbuterol is a β2-agonist approved in the United States for veterinary use in nonfood animals. Clenbuterol use is emerging among bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts attracted to the hypertrophic and lipolytic effects. This was a retrospective chart review of clenbuterol exposures reported to 2 poison control centers. Misuse of clenbuterol for weight loss and bodybuilding was reported in 11 of 13 clenbuterol users. Reported clinical effects included tachycardia, widened pulse pressure, tachypnea, hypokalemia, hyperglycemia, ST changes on electrocardiogram (ECG), elevated troponin, elevated creatine phosphokinase (CPK), palpitations, chest pain, and tremor. Measured serum clenbuterol concentration was 2983 pg/mL post 4.5 mg ingestion. Co-ingestants included T3 and anabolic steroids. Treatments included activated charcoal, benzodiazepines, β-blockers, potassium replacement, and intravenous (IV) fluid. There is an increasing use of the Internet for illicit drug use for bodybuilding and weight loss purposes. These patients may not present as the stereotype of illicit drug abusers, but as healthy athletic low-risk patients. Clinical effects persisted greater than 24 hours with evidence of myocardial injury in 2 patients. Clenbuterol is increasingly being abused within the bodybuilding subculture. These cases illustrate the hidden dangers of clenbuterol abuse among bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts.

  11. Event dependent sampling of recurrent events

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kvist, Tine Kajsa; Andersen, Per Kragh; Angst, Jules

    2010-01-01

    The effect of event-dependent sampling of processes consisting of recurrent events is investigated when analyzing whether the risk of recurrence increases with event count. We study the situation where processes are selected for study if an event occurs in a certain selection interval. Motivation...... retrospective and prospective disease course histories are used. We examine two methods to correct for the selection depending on which data are used in the analysis. In the first case, the conditional distribution of the process given the pre-selection history is determined. In the second case, an inverse...

  12. WeightLifter: Visual Weight Space Exploration for Multi-Criteria Decision Making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pajer, Stephan; Streit, Marc; Torsney-Weir, Thomas; Spechtenhauser, Florian; Muller, Torsten; Piringer, Harald

    2017-01-01

    A common strategy in Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) is to rank alternative solutions by weighted summary scores. Weights, however, are often abstract to the decision maker and can only be set by vague intuition. While previous work supports a point-wise exploration of weight spaces, we argue that MCDM can benefit from a regional and global visual analysis of weight spaces. Our main contribution is WeightLifter, a novel interactive visualization technique for weight-based MCDM that facilitates the exploration of weight spaces with up to ten criteria. Our technique enables users to better understand the sensitivity of a decision to changes of weights, to efficiently localize weight regions where a given solution ranks high, and to filter out solutions which do not rank high enough for any plausible combination of weights. We provide a comprehensive requirement analysis for weight-based MCDM and describe an interactive workflow that meets these requirements. For evaluation, we describe a usage scenario of WeightLifter in automotive engineering and report qualitative feedback from users of a deployed version as well as preliminary feedback from decision makers in multiple domains. This feedback confirms that WeightLifter increases both the efficiency of weight-based MCDM and the awareness of uncertainty in the ultimate decisions.

  13. Acute drug induced hepatitis secondary to a weight loss product purchased over the internet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cross Tim JS

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Many people now seek alternative methods of weight loss. The internet provides a readily available source of weight reduction products, the ingredients of which are often unclear. The authors describe a case of acute hepatitis in a 20 year old woman caused by such a product purchased over the internet. Case Presentation A 20-year old woman presented with a two day history of abdominal pain, vomiting and jaundice. There were no identifiable risk factors for chronic liver disease. Liver function tests demonstrated an acute hepatitis (aminoaspartate transaminase 1230 IU/L. A chronic liver disease screen was negative. The patient had started a weight loss product (Pro-Lean, purchased over the internet two weeks prior to presentation. The patient was treated conservatively, and improved. The sequence of events suggests an acute hepatitis caused by an herbal weight loss product. Conclusion This case report highlights the dangers of weight loss products available to the public over the internet, and the importance of asking specifically about alternative medicines in patients who present with an acute hepatitis.

  14. Predicting Key Events in the Popularity Evolution of Online Information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Ying; Hu, Changjun; Fu, Shushen; Fang, Mingzhe; Xu, Wenwen

    2017-01-01

    The popularity of online information generally experiences a rising and falling evolution. This paper considers the "burst", "peak", and "fade" key events together as a representative summary of popularity evolution. We propose a novel prediction task-predicting when popularity undergoes these key events. It is of great importance to know when these three key events occur, because doing so helps recommendation systems, online marketing, and containment of rumors. However, it is very challenging to solve this new prediction task due to two issues. First, popularity evolution has high variation and can follow various patterns, so how can we identify "burst", "peak", and "fade" in different patterns of popularity evolution? Second, these events usually occur in a very short time, so how can we accurately yet promptly predict them? In this paper we address these two issues. To handle the first one, we use a simple moving average to smooth variation, and then a universal method is presented for different patterns to identify the key events in popularity evolution. To deal with the second one, we extract different types of features that may have an impact on the key events, and then a correlation analysis is conducted in the feature selection step to remove irrelevant and redundant features. The remaining features are used to train a machine learning model. The feature selection step improves prediction accuracy, and in order to emphasize prediction promptness, we design a new evaluation metric which considers both accuracy and promptness to evaluate our prediction task. Experimental and comparative results show the superiority of our prediction solution.

  15. Predicting Key Events in the Popularity Evolution of Online Information.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ying Hu

    Full Text Available The popularity of online information generally experiences a rising and falling evolution. This paper considers the "burst", "peak", and "fade" key events together as a representative summary of popularity evolution. We propose a novel prediction task-predicting when popularity undergoes these key events. It is of great importance to know when these three key events occur, because doing so helps recommendation systems, online marketing, and containment of rumors. However, it is very challenging to solve this new prediction task due to two issues. First, popularity evolution has high variation and can follow various patterns, so how can we identify "burst", "peak", and "fade" in different patterns of popularity evolution? Second, these events usually occur in a very short time, so how can we accurately yet promptly predict them? In this paper we address these two issues. To handle the first one, we use a simple moving average to smooth variation, and then a universal method is presented for different patterns to identify the key events in popularity evolution. To deal with the second one, we extract different types of features that may have an impact on the key events, and then a correlation analysis is conducted in the feature selection step to remove irrelevant and redundant features. The remaining features are used to train a machine learning model. The feature selection step improves prediction accuracy, and in order to emphasize prediction promptness, we design a new evaluation metric which considers both accuracy and promptness to evaluate our prediction task. Experimental and comparative results show the superiority of our prediction solution.

  16. Weight self-regulation process in adolescence: the relationship between control weight attitudes, behaviors and body weight status

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jordi ePich

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Adolescents’ self-control weight behaviors were assessed (n= 1961; 12-17 years old; 2007-2008 in the Balearic Islands, Spain. The study analyzed the relationships between body weight status, body image and self-weight concern, and actual attempts to lose weight by restrained eating and/or increased exercising. In terms of regulatory focus theory (RFT, we considered that efforts to lose or to maintain weight (successful or failed would be motivated either by a promotion focus (to show an attractive body, a prevention focus (to avoid social rejection of fatness, or both. Results showed that 41% of overweight boys and 25% of obese boys stated that they had never made any attempt to lose weight, and 13% and 4% in females. Around half of overweight boys and around a quarter of obese boys stated that they were Not at all concerned about weight gain, and girls’ percentages decreased to 13% and 11% respectively. By contrast 57% of normal weight girls monitored their weight and stated that they had tried to slim at least once. Weight self-regulation in females attempted to combine diet and exercise, while boys relied almost exclusively on exercise. Apparent lack of consciousness of body weight status among overweight boys, and more important, subsequent absence of behaviors to reduce their weight clearly challenges efforts to prevent obesity. We argue that several causes may be involved in this outcome, including unconscious emotional (self-defense and cognitive (dissonance mechanisms driven by perceived social stigmatization of obesity. The active participation of social values of male and female body image (strong vs. pretty and the existence of social habituation to overweight are suggested. A better knowledge of psychosocial mechanisms underlying adolescent weight self-control may improve obesity epidemics.

  17. Comparison of three different weight maintenance programs on cardiovascular risk, bone, and vitamins in sedentary older adults

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Pia; Frederiksen, Rikke; Bliddal, Henning

    2013-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Obese patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) are encouraged to lose weight to obtain symptomatic relief. Risk of vascular events is higher in people with OA compared to people without arthritis. Our aim in this randomized trial was to compare changes in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk......-factors, nutritional health, and body composition after 1-year weight-loss maintenance achieved by [D]diet, [E]knee-exercise, or [C]control, following weight loss by low-energy-diet. DESIGN AND METHODS: Obese individuals (n = 192, >50 years) with knee OA, 63 years (SD 6), weight 103.2 kg (15.0), body-mass index 37......: Dietary support, or control, maintained improvements in cardiovascular risk factors to the same extent and none of the interventions had a detrimental effect on bone....

  18. Stochastic weighted particle methods for population balance equations with coagulation, fragmentation and spatial inhomogeneity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Kok Foong; Patterson, Robert I.A.; Wagner, Wolfgang; Kraft, Markus

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •Problems concerning multi-compartment population balance equations are studied. •A class of fragmentation weight transfer functions is presented. •Three stochastic weighted algorithms are compared against the direct simulation algorithm. •The numerical errors of the stochastic solutions are assessed as a function of fragmentation rate. •The algorithms are applied to a multi-dimensional granulation model. -- Abstract: This paper introduces stochastic weighted particle algorithms for the solution of multi-compartment population balance equations. In particular, it presents a class of fragmentation weight transfer functions which are constructed such that the number of computational particles stays constant during fragmentation events. The weight transfer functions are constructed based on systems of weighted computational particles and each of it leads to a stochastic particle algorithm for the numerical treatment of population balance equations. Besides fragmentation, the algorithms also consider physical processes such as coagulation and the exchange of mass with the surroundings. The numerical properties of the algorithms are compared to the direct simulation algorithm and an existing method for the fragmentation of weighted particles. It is found that the new algorithms show better numerical performance over the two existing methods especially for systems with significant amount of large particles and high fragmentation rates.

  19. Stochastic weighted particle methods for population balance equations with coagulation, fragmentation and spatial inhomogeneity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Kok Foong [Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3RA (United Kingdom); Patterson, Robert I.A.; Wagner, Wolfgang [Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics, Mohrenstraße 39, 10117 Berlin (Germany); Kraft, Markus, E-mail: mk306@cam.ac.uk [Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3RA (United Kingdom); School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637459 (Singapore)

    2015-12-15

    Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •Problems concerning multi-compartment population balance equations are studied. •A class of fragmentation weight transfer functions is presented. •Three stochastic weighted algorithms are compared against the direct simulation algorithm. •The numerical errors of the stochastic solutions are assessed as a function of fragmentation rate. •The algorithms are applied to a multi-dimensional granulation model. -- Abstract: This paper introduces stochastic weighted particle algorithms for the solution of multi-compartment population balance equations. In particular, it presents a class of fragmentation weight transfer functions which are constructed such that the number of computational particles stays constant during fragmentation events. The weight transfer functions are constructed based on systems of weighted computational particles and each of it leads to a stochastic particle algorithm for the numerical treatment of population balance equations. Besides fragmentation, the algorithms also consider physical processes such as coagulation and the exchange of mass with the surroundings. The numerical properties of the algorithms are compared to the direct simulation algorithm and an existing method for the fragmentation of weighted particles. It is found that the new algorithms show better numerical performance over the two existing methods especially for systems with significant amount of large particles and high fragmentation rates.

  20. Divisia and Simple Sum Monetary Aggregates: Any Empirical Relevance for Turkey?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Polat Umurcan

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In consideration of channels through which monetary policy affects economic activity, the monetary aggregates have been mostly ignored by the monetary authorities instead of which shortrun interest rates have been given a priori role. These monetary aggregates are largely argued to fail in measuring the effectiveness of different monetary policy regimes in forecasting the macroeconomic fundamentals. Grounded on the “Barnett critique”, the formation of traditional simple-sum monetary aggregates assuming for perfect substitution among the components of the money supply is blamed for such a failure of money in explaining the real activity. Given increasing varieties of financial assets which have completely different “moneyness”, it is important to provide an alternative measure of the money supply. Hereby, the Divisia monetary aggregates which give different weights to different assets have arisen as an alternative approach. In this study, a Divisia index is constructed to test its predictive power on quantities and prices compared to its simple sum counterpart. Accordingly, a Divisia index is built-up for Turkish economy for the period 2006-2016 to see whether the utilization of the Divisia monetary aggregates in the conduct of monetary policy makes any difference compared to that of traditional simple sum money supply. Under different specifications, though the relative power of the Divisia aggregates in predicting quantity and price variables is found, still, it can be argued that theoretically well-rounded formation of the Divisia index is not that much empirically justified for the case of Turkey.

  1. Event Shape Sorting: selecting events with similar evolution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomášik Boris

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We present novel method for the organisation of events. The method is based on comparing event-by-event histograms of a chosen quantity Q that is measured for each particle in every event. The events are organised in such a way that those with similar shape of the Q-histograms end-up placed close to each other. We apply the method on histograms of azimuthal angle of the produced hadrons in ultrarelativsitic nuclear collisions. By selecting events with similar azimuthal shape of their hadron distribution one chooses events which are likely that they underwent similar evolution from the initial state to the freeze-out. Such events can more easily be compared to theoretical simulations where all conditions can be controlled. We illustrate the method on data simulated by the AMPT model.

  2. Fast weighted centroid algorithm for single particle localization near the information limit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fish, Jeremie; Scrimgeour, Jan

    2015-07-10

    A simple weighting scheme that enhances the localization precision of center of mass calculations for radially symmetric intensity distributions is presented. The algorithm effectively removes the biasing that is common in such center of mass calculations. Localization precision compares favorably with other localization algorithms used in super-resolution microscopy and particle tracking, while significantly reducing the processing time and memory usage. We expect that the algorithm presented will be of significant utility when fast computationally lightweight particle localization or tracking is desired.

  3. Gestational weight gain among minority adolescents predicts term birth weight.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ekambaram, Maheswari; Irigoyen, Matilde; DeFreitas, Johelin; Rajbhandari, Sharina; Geaney, Jessica Lynn; Braitman, Leonard Edward

    2018-03-07

    In adolescents, there is limited evidence on the independent and additive effect of prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain on infant birth weight. Data also show that this effect may vary by race. We sought to examine the impact of maternal prepregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain on birth weight and risk of large for gestational age (LGA) in term newborns of minority adolescent mothers. This was a retrospective cohort study of 411 singleton live term infants born to mothers ≤ 18 years. Data were abstracted from electronic medical records. Gestational weight gain was related to infant birth weight (ρ = 0.36, P gain, gestational age and Hispanic ethnicity were independent predictors of birth weight, controlling for maternal age, BMI, parity, tobacco/drug use and preeclampsia. The probability of having an LGA infant increased with weight gain [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-1.21] but not with BMI. Mothers who gained weight in excess of 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations had a greater risk of having an LGA infant compared to those who gained within recommendations (aOR 5.7, 95% CI 1.6-19.5). Minority adolescents with greater gestational weight gain had infants with higher birth weight and greater risk of LGA; BMI was not associated with either outcome. Further studies are needed to examine the applicability of the 2009 BMI-specific IOM gestational weight gain recommendations to adolescents in minority populations.

  4. An application of the weighted horizontal magnetic gradient to solar compact and eruptive events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korsós, M. B.; Ruderman, Michael S.; Erdélyi, R.

    2018-01-01

    We propose to apply the weighted horizontal magnetic gradient (WGM), introduced in Korsós et al., 2015, for analysing the pre-flare and pre-CME behaviour and evolution of Active Regions (ARs) using the SDO/HMI-Debrecen Data catalogue. To demonstrate the power of investigative capabilities of the WGM method, in terms of flare and CME eruptions, we studied two typical ARs, namely, AR 12158 and AR 12192. The choice of ARs represent canonical cases. AR 12158 produced an X1.6 flare with fast "halo" CME (vlinear = 1267 kms-1) while in AR 12192 there occurred a range of powerful X-class eruptions, i.e. X1.1, X1.6, X3.1, X1.0, X2.0 and X2.0-class energetic flares, interestingly, none with an accompanying CME. The value itself and temporal variation of WGM is found to possess potentially important diagnostic information about the intensity of the expected flare class. Furthermore, we have also estimated the flare onset time from the relationship of duration of converging and diverging motions of the area-weighted barycenters of two subgroups of opposite magnetic polarities. This test turns out not only to provide information about the intensity of the expected flare-class and the flare onset time but may also indicate whether a flare will occur with/without fast CME. We have also found that, in the case when the negative polarity barycenter has moved around and the positive one "remained" at the same coordinates preceding eruption, the flare occurred with fast "halo" CME. Otherwise, when both the negative and the positive polarity barycenters have moved around, the AR produced flares without CME. If these properties found for the movement of the barycenters are generic pre-cursors of CME eruption (or lack of it), identifying them may serve as an excellent pre-condition for refining the forecast of the lift-off of CMEs.

  5. Inverse odds ratio-weighted estimation for causal mediation analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tchetgen Tchetgen, Eric J

    2013-11-20

    An important scientific goal of studies in the health and social sciences is increasingly to determine to what extent the total effect of a point exposure is mediated by an intermediate variable on the causal pathway between the exposure and the outcome. A causal framework has recently been proposed for mediation analysis, which gives rise to new definitions, formal identification results and novel estimators of direct and indirect effects. In the present paper, the author describes a new inverse odds ratio-weighted approach to estimate so-called natural direct and indirect effects. The approach, which uses as a weight the inverse of an estimate of the odds ratio function relating the exposure and the mediator, is universal in that it can be used to decompose total effects in a number of regression models commonly used in practice. Specifically, the approach may be used for effect decomposition in generalized linear models with a nonlinear link function, and in a number of other commonly used models such as the Cox proportional hazards regression for a survival outcome. The approach is simple and can be implemented in standard software provided a weight can be specified for each observation. An additional advantage of the method is that it easily incorporates multiple mediators of a categorical, discrete or continuous nature. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Limits on the efficiency of event-based algorithms for Monte Carlo neutron transport

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul K. Romano

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The traditional form of parallelism in Monte Carlo particle transport simulations, wherein each individual particle history is considered a unit of work, does not lend itself well to data-level parallelism. Event-based algorithms, which were originally used for simulations on vector processors, may offer a path toward better utilizing data-level parallelism in modern computer architectures. In this study, a simple model is developed for estimating the efficiency of the event-based particle transport algorithm under two sets of assumptions. Data collected from simulations of four reactor problems using OpenMC was then used in conjunction with the models to calculate the speedup due to vectorization as a function of the size of the particle bank and the vector width. When each event type is assumed to have constant execution time, the achievable speedup is directly related to the particle bank size. We observed that the bank size generally needs to be at least 20 times greater than vector size to achieve vector efficiency greater than 90%. When the execution times for events are allowed to vary, the vector speedup is also limited by differences in the execution time for events being carried out in a single event-iteration.

  7. Simple prostatectomy

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Han M, Partin AW. Simple prostatectomy: open and robot-assisted laparoscopic approaches. In: Wein AJ, Kavoussi LR, ... M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health ...

  8. Association between maternal weight gain and birth weight

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rode, Line; Hegaard, Hanne K; Kjaergaard, Hanne

    2007-01-01

    To investigate the association between maternal weight gain and birth weight less than 3,000 g and greater than or equal to 4,000 g in underweight (body mass index [BMI] less than 19.8 kg/m(2)), normal weight (BMI 19.8-26.0 kg/m(2)), overweight (BMI 26.1-29.0 kg/m(2)), and obese (BMI greater than...

  9. An integrated logit model for contamination event detection in water distribution systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Housh, Mashor; Ostfeld, Avi

    2015-05-15

    The problem of contamination event detection in water distribution systems has become one of the most challenging research topics in water distribution systems analysis. Current attempts for event detection utilize a variety of approaches including statistical, heuristics, machine learning, and optimization methods. Several existing event detection systems share a common feature in which alarms are obtained separately for each of the water quality indicators. Unifying those single alarms from different indicators is usually performed by means of simple heuristics. A salient feature of the current developed approach is using a statistically oriented model for discrete choice prediction which is estimated using the maximum likelihood method for integrating the single alarms. The discrete choice model is jointly calibrated with other components of the event detection system framework in a training data set using genetic algorithms. The fusing process of each indicator probabilities, which is left out of focus in many existing event detection system models, is confirmed to be a crucial part of the system which could be modelled by exploiting a discrete choice model for improving its performance. The developed methodology is tested on real water quality data, showing improved performances in decreasing the number of false positive alarms and in its ability to detect events with higher probabilities, compared to previous studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Molecular weight determination of bisbenzyl-isoquinoline alkaloids by 252Cf-plasma desorption mass spectrometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kohno, Hiroyuki; Tatsunami, Shinobu; Hiroi, Tomoko; Kouyama, Hiroshi; Taniguchi, Masashi; Yago, Nagasumi; Nakamura, Iwao

    1995-01-01

    Bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids of Stephania cepharantha have been used for various clinical purposes and recently reevaluated as stimulators of interleukin secretion in tissues. We analyzed molecular stuctures of bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids by determining their molecular weights using the 252 Cf-plasma desorption mass spectrometry (PDMS). The spectra were accumulated for 500 000 fission events. The acceleration voltage used here was 15 kV. Samples were analyzed using nitrocellulose-coated sample targets. Of the 5 alkaloids studied here, cepharanthine gave a main peak of molecular weight of 606.1 for the theoretical molecular weight of 606.7. The other minor peaks were considered to be demethylated fragment ions. 252 Cf-PDMS should be quite useful in studying structure, metabolism and pharmacokinetics of various drugs with extremely low coefficients of variation. (author)

  11. Body weight perception and body weight control behaviors in adolescents

    OpenAIRE

    Frank, Robson; Claumann, Gaia S.; Felden, Érico P.G.; Silva, Diego A.S.; Pelegrini, Andreia

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Objective: To investigate the association between the perception of body weight (as above or below the desired) and behaviors for body weight control in adolescents. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that included 1051 adolescents (aged 15-19 years) who were high school students attending public schools. The authors collected information on the perception of body weight (dependent variable), weight control behaviors (initiative to change the weight, physical exercise, eatin...

  12. Weight and weight gain during early infancy predict childhood obesity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Lise Geisler; Holst, Claus; Michaelsen, Kim F.

    2012-01-01

    Infant weight and weight gain are positively associated with later obesity, but whether there is a particular critical time during infancy remains uncertain.......Infant weight and weight gain are positively associated with later obesity, but whether there is a particular critical time during infancy remains uncertain....

  13. Behavior coordination of mobile robotics using supervisory control of fuzzy discrete event systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayasiri, Awantha; Mann, George K I; Gosine, Raymond G

    2011-10-01

    In order to incorporate the uncertainty and impreciseness present in real-world event-driven asynchronous systems, fuzzy discrete event systems (DESs) (FDESs) have been proposed as an extension to crisp DESs. In this paper, first, we propose an extension to the supervisory control theory of FDES by redefining fuzzy controllable and uncontrollable events. The proposed supervisor is capable of enabling feasible uncontrollable and controllable events with different possibilities. Then, the extended supervisory control framework of FDES is employed to model and control several navigational tasks of a mobile robot using the behavior-based approach. The robot has limited sensory capabilities, and the navigations have been performed in several unmodeled environments. The reactive and deliberative behaviors of the mobile robotic system are weighted through fuzzy uncontrollable and controllable events, respectively. By employing the proposed supervisory controller, a command-fusion-type behavior coordination is achieved. The observability of fuzzy events is incorporated to represent the sensory imprecision. As a systematic analysis of the system, a fuzzy-state-based controllability measure is introduced. The approach is implemented in both simulation and real time. A performance evaluation is performed to quantitatively estimate the validity of the proposed approach over its counterparts.

  14. Weighted Clustering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ackerman, Margareta; Ben-David, Shai; Branzei, Simina

    2012-01-01

    We investigate a natural generalization of the classical clustering problem, considering clustering tasks in which different instances may have different weights.We conduct the first extensive theoretical analysis on the influence of weighted data on standard clustering algorithms in both...... the partitional and hierarchical settings, characterizing the conditions under which algorithms react to weights. Extending a recent framework for clustering algorithm selection, we propose intuitive properties that would allow users to choose between clustering algorithms in the weighted setting and classify...

  15. SimpleTimeseries: Towards a Standard Representation of Astronomical Time-Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brewer, John Michael; Bloom, J. S.; Starr, D.

    2010-01-01

    Centuries of astrophysical data will soon be eclipsed by the unprecedented number of novel events regularly captured by large scale synoptic surveys. In the past, a stately accumulation of data could await inclusion in catalogs. More recently, digital catalogs have been placed on websites, or forwarded in e-mails. Fully exploiting the science opportunities of this new era will require much more rapid and standardized data exchange. With abundant novel sources to choose from, the limited followup resources available will need regularized data formats to help in decision making, whether the ultimate decisions lie with a human or a machine. The Berkeley Transients Classification Pipeline (TCP) has developed an XML based time-series format to exchange data within the context of the Palomar Transients Factory (PTF). The benefit of a standard time-series representation lies in promulgating it beyond just one collaboration and so we are publicly releasing the format, SimpleTimeseries. It is also slated to describe time-series within the the Virtual Observatory's upcoming VOEvent 2.0 specification. An XML based format allows easy processing by both machines and humans. We have put together examples and documentation which show the flexibilty of SimpleTimeseries on dotastro.org, where you can also find the XML schema, and public light curves in the new format.

  16. An Operational Event Announcer for the LHC Control Centre Using Speech Synthesis

    CERN Document Server

    Page, S

    2011-01-01

    The LHC Island of the CERN Control Centre is a busy working environment with many status displays and running software applications. An audible event announcer was developed in order to provide a simple and efficient method to notify the operations team of events occurring within the many subsystems of the accelerator. The LHC Announcer uses speech synthesis to report messages based upon data received from multiple sources. General accelerator information such as injections, beam energies and beam dumps are derived from data received from the LHC Timing System. Additionally, a software interface is provided that allows other surveillance processes to send messages to the Announcer using the standard control system middleware. Events are divided into categories which the user can enable or disable depending upon their interest. Use of the LHC Announcer is not limited to the Control Centre and is intended to be available to a wide audience, both inside and outside CERN. To accommodate this, it...

  17. Influence of Type of Frequency Weighting Function On VDV Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kowalska-Koczwara, Alicja; Stypuła, Krzysztof

    2017-10-01

    Transport vibrations are the subject of many research, mostly their influence on structural elements of the building is investigated. However, nowadays, especially in the centres of large cities were apartments, residential buildings are closer to the transport vibration sources, an increasing attention is given to providing vibrational comfort to humans in buildings. Currently, in most countries, two main methods of evaluation are used: root mean squared method (RMS) and vibration dose value (VDV). In this article, VDV method is presented and the analysis of the weighting functions selection on value of VDV is made. Measurements required for the analysis were made in Krakow, on masonry, residential, two storey building located in the city centre. The building is subjected into two transport vibration sources: tram passages and vehicle passages on very close located road. Measurement points were located on the basement wall at ground level to control the excitation and in the middle of the floor on the highest storey (in the place where people percept vibration). The room chosen for measurements is located closest to the transport excitation sources. During the measurements, 25 vibration events were recorded and analysed. VDV values were calculated for three different weighting functions according to standard: ISO 2631-1, ISO 2631-2 and BS-6841. Differences in VDV values are shown, but also influence of the weighting function selection on result of evaluation is also presented. VDV analysis was performed not only for the individual vibration event but also all day and night vibration exposure were calculated using formulas contained in the annex to the standard BS-6841. It is demonstrated that, although there are differences in the values of VDV, an influence on all day and night exposure is no longer so significant.

  18. Efficacy and tolerability of an herbal formulation for weight management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stern, Judith S; Peerson, Jan; Mishra, Artatrana T; Mathukumalli, Venkata Sadasiva Rao; Konda, Poorna Rajeswari

    2013-06-01

    The clinical effects and tolerability of a novel herbal formulation comprising the extracts of Sphaeranthus indicus and Garcinia mangostana were assessed in two similarly designed randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trials in 100 human subjects with a body mass index (BMI) between 30 and 40 kg/m². Participants were randomized into two groups receiving either 400 mg of herbal blend twice daily or two identical placebo capsules. All subjects received three meals (2000 kcal/day) throughout the study and walked 5 days a week for 30 min. The primary outcome was reduction in body weight. Secondary outcomes were reduction in BMI and in waist and hip circumference. Serum glycemic, lipid, and adiponectin levels were also measured. Ninety-five subjects completed the trials, and data from these two studies were pooled and analyzed. At study conclusion (8 weeks), statistically significant reductions in body weight (5.2 kg; P<.0001), BMI (2.2 kg/m²; P<.0001), as well as waist (11.9 cm; P<.0001) and hip circumferences (6.3 cm; P=.0001) were observed in the herbal group compared with placebo. An increase in serum adiponectin concentration was also found in the herbal group versus placebo (P=.0008) at study conclusion along with reductions in fasting blood glucose (12.2%, P=.01), cholesterol (13.8%, P=.002), and triglyceride (41.6%, P<.0001) concentrations. No changes were seen across organ function panels, multiple vital signs, and no major adverse events were reported. The minor adverse events were equally distributed between the two groups. Our findings suggest that the herbal blend appears to be a well-tolerated and effective ingredient for weight management.

  19. The relationship between childhood body weight and dental caries experience: an umbrella systematic review protocol

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susan J. Carson

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Obesity and dental caries are global public health problems which can impact in childhood and throughout the life course. In simple terms, childhood dental caries and body weight are linked via the common risk factor of diet. An association between dental caries and obesity has been described in a number of studies and reviews. However, similarly, a relationship has also been noted between low body weight and caries experience in children. This protocol will provide the framework for an umbrella review to address the following question: Does the available evidence support a relationship between dental caries experience and body weight in the child population? Methods This review protocol outlines the process to carry out an umbrella systematic review which will synthesise previous reviews of childhood dental caries experience and body weight. An umbrella review methodology will be used to examine the methodological and reporting quality of existing reviews. Discussion The final umbrella review aims to aggregate the available evidence in order to provide a summary for policymakers and to inform healthcare interventions. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42016047304

  20. The relationship between childhood body weight and dental caries experience: an umbrella systematic review protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carson, Susan J; Abuhaloob, Lamis; Richards, Derek; Hector, Mark P; Freeman, Ruth

    2017-10-25

    Obesity and dental caries are global public health problems which can impact in childhood and throughout the life course. In simple terms, childhood dental caries and body weight are linked via the common risk factor of diet. An association between dental caries and obesity has been described in a number of studies and reviews. However, similarly, a relationship has also been noted between low body weight and caries experience in children. This protocol will provide the framework for an umbrella review to address the following question: Does the available evidence support a relationship between dental caries experience and body weight in the child population? This review protocol outlines the process to carry out an umbrella systematic review which will synthesise previous reviews of childhood dental caries experience and body weight. An umbrella review methodology will be used to examine the methodological and reporting quality of existing reviews. The final umbrella review aims to aggregate the available evidence in order to provide a summary for policymakers and to inform healthcare interventions. PROSPERO CRD42016047304.

  1. Geometrically weighted semiconductor Frisch grid radiation spectrometers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McGregor, D.S. [Dept. of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2104 (United States); Rojeski, R.A. [Etec Systems, Inc., 26460 Corporate Ave., Hayward, CA 94545 (United States); He, Z. [Dept. of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2104 (United States); Wehe, D.K. [Dept. of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2104 (United States); Driver, M. [eV Products, 375 Saxonburg Blvd., Saxonburg, PA 16056 (United States); Blakely, M. [eV Products, 375 Saxonburg Blvd., Saxonburg, PA 16056 (United States)

    1999-02-11

    A new detector geometry is described with relatively high gamma ray energy resolution at room temperature. The device uses the geometric weighting effect, the small pixel effect and the Frisch grid effect to produce high gamma ray energy resolution. The design is simple and easy to construct. The device performs as a gamma ray spectrometer without the need for pulse shape rejection or correction, and it requires only one signal output to any commercially available charge sensitive preamplifier. The device operates very well with conventional NIM electronic systems. Presently, room temperature (23 deg. C) energy resolutions of 2.68% FWHM at 662 keV and 2.45% FWHM at 1.332 MeV have been measured with a 1 cm{sup 3} prism shaped CdZnTe device.

  2. Acceleration of a Static Observer Near the Event Horizon of a Static Isolated Black Hole.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doughty, Noel A.

    1981-01-01

    Compares the magnitude of the proper acceleration of a static observer in a static, isolated, spherically symmetric space-time region with the Newtonian result including the situation in the interior of a perfect-fluid star. This provides a simple physical interpretation of surface gravity and illustrates the global nature of the event horizon.…

  3. Gestational weight gain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kominiarek, Michelle A; Peaceman, Alan M

    2017-12-01

    Prenatal care providers are advised to evaluate maternal weight at each regularly scheduled prenatal visit, monitor progress toward meeting weight gain goals, and provide individualized counseling if significant deviations from a woman's goals occur. Today, nearly 50% of women exceed their weight gain goals with overweight and obese women having the highest prevalence of excessive weight gain. Risks of inadequate weight gain include low birthweight and failure to initiate breast-feeding whereas the risks of excessive weight gain include cesarean deliveries and postpartum weight retention for the mother and large-for-gestational-age infants, macrosomia, and childhood overweight or obesity for the offspring. Prenatal care providers have many resources and tools to incorporate weight and other health behavior counseling into routine prenatal practices. Because many women are motivated to improve health behaviors, pregnancy is often considered the optimal time to intervene for issues related to eating habits and physical activity to prevent excessive weight gain. Gestational weight gain is a potentially modifiable risk factor for a number of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials report that diet or exercise interventions during pregnancy can help reduce excessive weight gain. However, health behavior interventions for gestational weight gain have not significantly improved other maternal and neonatal outcomes and have limited effectiveness in overweight and obese women. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Conductivity, dielectric behavior and FTIR studies of high molecular weight poly(vinylchloride)-lithium triflate polymer electrolytes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramesh, S. [Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Setapak, 53300 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)]. E-mail: ramesh@mail.utar.edu.my; Chai, M.F. [Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Setapak, 53300 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

    2007-05-15

    Thin films of high molecular weight polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with lithium triflate (LiCF{sub 3}SO{sub 3}) salt were prepared by solution casting method. The ionic conductivity and dielectric measurements were carried out on these films over a wide frequency regime at various temperatures. The conductivity-temperature plots were found to obey classical Arrhenius relationship. The dielectric behavior was analysed using dielectric permittivity and dielectric modulus of the samples. FTIR studies show some simple overlapping and shift in peaks between high molecular weight polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with lithium triflate (LiCF{sub 3}SO{sub 3}) salt in the polymer electrolyte complexes.

  5. The Weight-Inclusive versus Weight-Normative Approach to Health: Evaluating the Evidence for Prioritizing Well-Being over Weight Loss

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tracy L. Tylka

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Using an ethical lens, this review evaluates two methods of working within patient care and public health: the weight-normative approach (emphasis on weight and weight loss when defining health and well-being and the weight-inclusive approach (emphasis on viewing health and well-being as multifaceted while directing efforts toward improving health access and reducing weight stigma. Data reveal that the weight-normative approach is not effective for most people because of high rates of weight regain and cycling from weight loss interventions, which are linked to adverse health and well-being. Its predominant focus on weight may also foster stigma in health care and society, and data show that weight stigma is also linked to adverse health and well-being. In contrast, data support a weight-inclusive approach, which is included in models such as Health at Every Size for improving physical (e.g., blood pressure, behavioral (e.g., binge eating, and psychological (e.g., depression indices, as well as acceptability of public health messages. Therefore, the weight-inclusive approach upholds nonmaleficience and beneficience, whereas the weight-normative approach does not. We offer a theoretical framework that organizes the research included in this review and discuss how it can guide research efforts and help health professionals intervene with their patients and community.

  6. Measurement of the polarized forward-backward asymmetry of B quarks using momentum-weighted track charge at SLD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Junk, T.R.

    1995-11-01

    This thesis presents a direct measurement of the parity-violating parameter A b by analyzing the polarized forward-backward asymmetry of b quarks in e + e - → Z 0 → b bar b. Data were taken at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), with the Stanford Large Detector (SLD), which records the products of e + e - interactions at a center of mass energy √s = 91.2 GeV/c 2 at the SLAC Linear Collider (SLC). The SLC/SLD experimental apparatus provides a unique and ideal environment for measuring electroweak asymmetries. Heavy flavor decays of the Z 0 were identified inclusively by taking advantage of the long lifetime of B hadrons, the small, stable SLC beam spot, and SLD's precise tracking detectors. Two analysis techniques for measuring A b are presented: a binned fit to the left-right forward-backwards asymmetry of tagged events signed with momentum-weighted track charge, and a self-calibrating maximum-likelihood technique using momentum-weighted charge from the two hemispheres in each tagged event. From our 1994-1995 sample of 3.6 pb -1 , having a luminosity-weighted average e - polarization of 77.3%, and our 1993 sample of 1.8 pb -1 , having a luminosity-weighted polarization of 63.1%, we obtain A b = 0.848 ± 0.046(stat.) ± 0.050(syst.)

  7. Difference in peak weight transfer and timing based on golf handicap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Queen, Robin M; Butler, Robert J; Dai, Boyi; Barnes, C Lowry

    2013-09-01

    Weight shift during the golf swing has been a topic of discussion among golf professionals; however, it is still unclear how weight shift varies in golfers of different performance levels. The main purpose of this study was to examine the following: (a) the changes in the peak ground reaction forces (GRF) and the timing of these events between high (HHCP) and low handicap (LHCP) golfers and (b) the differences between the leading and trailing legs. Twenty-eight male golfers were recruited and divided based on having an LHCP 9. Three-dimensional GRF peaks and the timing of the peaks were recorded bilaterally during a golf swing. The golf swing was divided into different phases: (a) address to the top of the backswing, (b) top of the backswing to ball contact, and (c) ball contact to the end of follow through. Repeated measures analyses of variance (α = 0.05) were completed for each study variable: the magnitude and the timing of peak vertical GRF, peak lateral GRF, and peak medial GRF (α = 0.05). The LHCP group had a greater transfer of vertical force from the trailing foot to the leading foot in phase 2 than the HHCP group. The LHCP group also demonstrated earlier timing of peak vertical force throughout the golf swing than the HHCP group. The LHCP and HHCP groups demonstrated different magnitudes of peak lateral force. The LHCP group had an earlier timing of peak lateral GRF in phase 2 and earlier timing of peak medial GRF in phases 1 and 2 than the HHCP group. In general, LHCP golfers demonstrated greater and earlier force generation than HHCP golfers. It may be relevant to consider both the magnitude of the forces and the timing of these events during golf-specific training to improve performance. These data reveal weight shifting differences that can be addressed by teaching professionals to help their students better understand weight transfer during the golf swing to optimize performance.

  8. Risk-Based Sampling: I Don't Want to Weight in Vain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powell, Mark R

    2015-12-01

    Recently, there has been considerable interest in developing risk-based sampling for food safety and animal and plant health for efficient allocation of inspection and surveillance resources. The problem of risk-based sampling allocation presents a challenge similar to financial portfolio analysis. Markowitz (1952) laid the foundation for modern portfolio theory based on mean-variance optimization. However, a persistent challenge in implementing portfolio optimization is the problem of estimation error, leading to false "optimal" portfolios and unstable asset weights. In some cases, portfolio diversification based on simple heuristics (e.g., equal allocation) has better out-of-sample performance than complex portfolio optimization methods due to estimation uncertainty. Even for portfolios with a modest number of assets, the estimation window required for true optimization may imply an implausibly long stationary period. The implications for risk-based sampling are illustrated by a simple simulation model of lot inspection for a small, heterogeneous group of producers. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

  9. Ultra-light-weight high torque density brushless PM machine design: considering driving-cycle of a four-wheel drive race car (EVER15-138)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Paulides, J.J.H.; Encica, L.; Beernaert, T.F.; Velden, van der H.H.F.; Parfant, A.G.P.; Lomonova, E.A.

    2015-01-01

    This paper explores the design of an ultra-light-weight power and torque dense motor to enhance the performance of a light-weight electric racing vehicle. Such a racing vehicle is to compete in formula student racing events. The state-of-the-art powertrain in these vehicles are axial-field machines

  10. Event generators for address event representation transmitters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serrano-Gotarredona, Rafael; Serrano-Gotarredona, Teresa; Linares Barranco, Bernabe

    2005-06-01

    Address Event Representation (AER) is an emergent neuromorphic interchip communication protocol that allows for real-time virtual massive connectivity between huge number neurons located on different chips. By exploiting high speed digital communication circuits (with nano-seconds timings), synaptic neural connections can be time multiplexed, while neural activity signals (with mili-seconds timings) are sampled at low frequencies. Also, neurons generate 'events' according to their activity levels. More active neurons generate more events per unit time, and access the interchip communication channel more frequently, while neurons with low activity consume less communication bandwidth. In a typical AER transmitter chip, there is an array of neurons that generate events. They send events to a peripheral circuitry (let's call it "AER Generator") that transforms those events to neurons coordinates (addresses) which are put sequentially on an interchip high speed digital bus. This bus includes a parallel multi-bit address word plus a Rqst (request) and Ack (acknowledge) handshaking signals for asynchronous data exchange. There have been two main approaches published in the literature for implementing such "AER Generator" circuits. They differ on the way of handling event collisions coming from the array of neurons. One approach is based on detecting and discarding collisions, while the other incorporates arbitration for sequencing colliding events . The first approach is supposed to be simpler and faster, while the second is able to handle much higher event traffic. In this article we will concentrate on the second arbiter-based approach. Boahen has been publishing several techniques for implementing and improving the arbiter based approach. Originally, he proposed an arbitration squeme by rows, followed by a column arbitration. In this scheme, while one neuron was selected by the arbiters to transmit his event out of the chip, the rest of neurons in the array were

  11. Vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes on aluminum as a light-weight positive electrode for lithium-polysulfide batteries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liatard, S; Benhamouda, K; Fournier, A; Ramos, R; Barchasz, C; Dijon, J

    2015-05-04

    A light-weight, high specific surface current collector made of vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes grown on an aluminum substrate was fabricated and studied as a positive electrode in a semi-liquid lithium/polysulfide battery. This simple system delivered stable capacities over 1000 mA h gS(-1) and 2 mA h cm(-2) with almost no capacity loss over 50 cycles.

  12. Gestational Weight Gain and its Relation with Birth Weight of the Newborn.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thapa, Meena; Paneru, Rupa

    2017-01-01

    Gestational weight gain is an important predictor of the health of the newborn. It is affected by body mass index of the women. This study was conducted to find out gestational weight gain according to Institute of Medicine 2009 recommendation and relationship of newborn birth weight to body mass index and gestational weight gain of the women. It was cross sectional, hospital based study. The women, who attended at term pregnancy for delivery and having recorded first trimester body weight, were included in the study. Their body mass index was calculated and they were stratified into 4 groups according to body mass index. The gestational weight gain was calculated by subtracting first trimester body weight from body weight at the time of admission for delivery. All the women were followed till delivery. The newborn birth weight was taken immediately after delivery. A total of 227 women were enrolled in the study. More than half of the women had normal body mass index. There were 84 (37%) overweight and obese women. Mean gestational weight gain was 10.21 kg, and mean weight of the newborn was 3.05 kg. There were equal number of women who had adequate weight gain and less weight gain according to recommendation. Excess weight gain was seen in 34 (15%) women. Women of higher body mass index and women who had gain more weight during pregnancy had larger newborns. Body mass index and gestational weight gain of the women were important predictors of birth weight of the newborn. There is a positive correlation between gestational weight gain of the women and birth weight of the newborn.

  13. Simple mathematical law benchmarks human confrontations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Neil F.; Medina, Pablo; Zhao, Guannan; Messinger, Daniel S.; Horgan, John; Gill, Paul; Bohorquez, Juan Camilo; Mattson, Whitney; Gangi, Devon; Qi, Hong; Manrique, Pedro; Velasquez, Nicolas; Morgenstern, Ana; Restrepo, Elvira; Johnson, Nicholas; Spagat, Michael; Zarama, Roberto

    2013-01-01

    Many high-profile societal problems involve an individual or group repeatedly attacking another – from child-parent disputes, sexual violence against women, civil unrest, violent conflicts and acts of terror, to current cyber-attacks on national infrastructure and ultrafast cyber-trades attacking stockholders. There is an urgent need to quantify the likely severity and timing of such future acts, shed light on likely perpetrators, and identify intervention strategies. Here we present a combined analysis of multiple datasets across all these domains which account for >100,000 events, and show that a simple mathematical law can benchmark them all. We derive this benchmark and interpret it, using a minimal mechanistic model grounded by state-of-the-art fieldwork. Our findings provide quantitative predictions concerning future attacks; a tool to help detect common perpetrators and abnormal behaviors; insight into the trajectory of a ‘lone wolf'; identification of a critical threshold for spreading a message or idea among perpetrators; an intervention strategy to erode the most lethal clusters; and more broadly, a quantitative starting point for cross-disciplinary theorizing about human aggression at the individual and group level, in both real and online worlds. PMID:24322528

  14. Simple mathematical law benchmarks human confrontations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Neil F.; Medina, Pablo; Zhao, Guannan; Messinger, Daniel S.; Horgan, John; Gill, Paul; Bohorquez, Juan Camilo; Mattson, Whitney; Gangi, Devon; Qi, Hong; Manrique, Pedro; Velasquez, Nicolas; Morgenstern, Ana; Restrepo, Elvira; Johnson, Nicholas; Spagat, Michael; Zarama, Roberto

    2013-12-01

    Many high-profile societal problems involve an individual or group repeatedly attacking another - from child-parent disputes, sexual violence against women, civil unrest, violent conflicts and acts of terror, to current cyber-attacks on national infrastructure and ultrafast cyber-trades attacking stockholders. There is an urgent need to quantify the likely severity and timing of such future acts, shed light on likely perpetrators, and identify intervention strategies. Here we present a combined analysis of multiple datasets across all these domains which account for >100,000 events, and show that a simple mathematical law can benchmark them all. We derive this benchmark and interpret it, using a minimal mechanistic model grounded by state-of-the-art fieldwork. Our findings provide quantitative predictions concerning future attacks; a tool to help detect common perpetrators and abnormal behaviors; insight into the trajectory of a `lone wolf' identification of a critical threshold for spreading a message or idea among perpetrators; an intervention strategy to erode the most lethal clusters; and more broadly, a quantitative starting point for cross-disciplinary theorizing about human aggression at the individual and group level, in both real and online worlds.

  15. Studies on the measurement of differential luminosity using Bhabha events at the International Linear Collider

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sailer, Andre Philippe

    2009-04-15

    The International Linear Collider (ILC) is an electron-positron-collider with a variable center-of-mass energy {radical}(2) between 200 and 500 GeV. The small bunch sizes needed to reach the design luminosity of L{sub Peak}=2.10{sup 34} cm{sup -2}s{sup -1} necessary for the physics goals of the ILC, cause the particles to radiate beamstrahlung during the bunch crossings. Beamstrahlung reduces the center-of-mass energy from its nominal value to the effective center-of-mass energy {radical}(2'). The spectrum of the effective center-of-mass energy {radical}(2') is the differential luminosity dL/d{radical}(2'), which has to be known to precisely measure particle masses through threshold scans. The differential luminosity can be measured by using Bhabha events. The real differential luminosity is simulated by the GuineaPig software. The energy spectrum of the Bhabha events is measured by the detector and compared to the energy spectrum of Monte Carlo (MC) Bhabha events with a known differential luminosity given by an approximate parameterization. The parameterization is used to assign each MC event a weight. By re-weighting the events, until the energy spectra from the real and the MC Bhabha events match, the differential luminosity can be measured. The approximate parameterization of the differential luminosity is given by the Circe parameterization introduced by T. Ohl (1997), which does not include the correlation between the particle energies due to beamstrahlung. The Circe parameterization is extended to include the correlation and better describe the differential luminosity. With this new parameterization of the differential luminosity it is possible to predict the observed production cross section of a MC toy particle with a mass of 250 GeV/c{sup 2} to a precision better than 0.2%. Using the re-weighting fit with the extended parameterization also allows the measurement of the beam energy spreads of {sigma}{sub E}=0.0014 for electrons and {sigma

  16. Studies on the measurement of differential luminosity using Bhabha events at the International Linear Collider

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sailer, Andre Philippe

    2009-04-01

    The International Linear Collider (ILC) is an electron-positron-collider with a variable center-of-mass energy √(2) between 200 and 500 GeV. The small bunch sizes needed to reach the design luminosity of L Peak =2.10 34 cm -2 s -1 necessary for the physics goals of the ILC, cause the particles to radiate beamstrahlung during the bunch crossings. Beamstrahlung reduces the center-of-mass energy from its nominal value to the effective center-of-mass energy √(2'). The spectrum of the effective center-of-mass energy √(2') is the differential luminosity dL/d√(2'), which has to be known to precisely measure particle masses through threshold scans. The differential luminosity can be measured by using Bhabha events. The real differential luminosity is simulated by the GuineaPig software. The energy spectrum of the Bhabha events is measured by the detector and compared to the energy spectrum of Monte Carlo (MC) Bhabha events with a known differential luminosity given by an approximate parameterization. The parameterization is used to assign each MC event a weight. By re-weighting the events, until the energy spectra from the real and the MC Bhabha events match, the differential luminosity can be measured. The approximate parameterization of the differential luminosity is given by the Circe parameterization introduced by T. Ohl (1997), which does not include the correlation between the particle energies due to beamstrahlung. The Circe parameterization is extended to include the correlation and better describe the differential luminosity. With this new parameterization of the differential luminosity it is possible to predict the observed production cross section of a MC toy particle with a mass of 250 GeV/c 2 to a precision better than 0.2%. Using the re-weighting fit with the extended parameterization also allows the measurement of the beam energy spreads of σ E =0.0014 for electrons and σ E = 0.0010 for positrons with a precision of a few percent. The total error

  17. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome using weight and weight indices ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Notions about the metabolic syndrome (MS) emphasized the importance of obesity. This may prevent the early diagnosis of the condition in normal weight individuals. Aim: To determine variations in prevalence of MS according to different weight and weight indices. Materials and Methods: 342 apparently ...

  18. Merging expert and empirical data for rare event frequency estimation: Pool homogenisation for empirical Bayes models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quigley, John; Hardman, Gavin; Bedford, Tim; Walls, Lesley

    2011-01-01

    Empirical Bayes provides one approach to estimating the frequency of rare events as a weighted average of the frequencies of an event and a pool of events. The pool will draw upon, for example, events with similar precursors. The higher the degree of homogeneity of the pool, then the Empirical Bayes estimator will be more accurate. We propose and evaluate a new method using homogenisation factors under the assumption that events are generated from a Homogeneous Poisson Process. The homogenisation factors are scaling constants, which can be elicited through structured expert judgement and used to align the frequencies of different events, hence homogenising the pool. The estimation error relative to the homogeneity of the pool is examined theoretically indicating that reduced error is associated with larger pool homogeneity. The effects of misspecified expert assessments of the homogenisation factors are examined theoretically and through simulation experiments. Our results show that the proposed Empirical Bayes method using homogenisation factors is robust under different degrees of misspecification.

  19. Weight Loss Surgery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weight loss surgery helps people with extreme obesity to lose weight. It may be an option if you cannot lose weight ... obesity. There are different types of weight loss surgery. They often limit the amount of food you ...

  20. An integrated video- and weight-monitoring system for the surveillance of highly enriched uranium blend down operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lenarduzzi, R.; Castleberry, K.; Whitaker, M.; Martinez, R.

    1998-01-01

    An integrated video-surveillance and weight-monitoring system has been designed and constructed for tracking the blending down of weapons-grade uranium by the US Department of Energy. The instrumentation is being used by the International Atomic Energy Agency in its task of tracking and verifying the blended material at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Portsmouth, Ohio. The weight instrumentation developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory monitors and records the weight of cylinders of the highly enriched uranium as their contents are fed into the blending facility while the video equipment provided by Sandia National Laboratory records periodic and event triggered images of the blending area. A secure data network between the scales, cameras, and computers insures data integrity and eliminates the possibility of tampering. The details of the weight monitoring instrumentation, video- and weight-system interaction, and the secure data network is discussed