627 research outputs found
Variance component models for survival data
Extensions of the Cox proportional hazards model for survival data are studied where allowance is made for unobserved heterogeneity and for correlation between the life times of several individuals The extended models are frailtymodels inspired by Yashin et al Estimation is carried out using the EM algorithm Inference is discussed and potential applications are outlined in particular to statistical research in human genetics using twin data or adoption data aimed at separating the eects of genetic and environmental factors on mortalit
Estudio agroeconomico del proceso de produccion de frijol (Phaseolus vulgaris) en Colombia
A methodology is presented on how to study bean production processes and its on-farm application in Colombia. The main objectives are to identify the factors limiting production and productivity, availability and use of resources, credit, technical assistance, markets, pest and weed distribution and intensity, production costs, and crop profit. The study consists of various stages: definition of the problem, antecedents, interviews with technicians and administrators, bibliographic review, definition of objectives and variables, questionnaires, pilot and final surveys, selection of areas (Antioquia, Huila, Narino, and Valle del Cauca), municipalities, and producers (177 farms with an av. of 25 ha). The av. area of bean crops is 6 ha with great differences among states; more than 60 percent of the cultivation is shared with other crops such as maize, coffee, plantain, soybeans, cassava, aracacha, peas and potatoes. Except farmers of the Valle, and to a lesser extent, those that only cultivate beans in Huila, the great majority of cultivators did not have adequate mechanical equipment for preparation, planting, harvesting, and irrigation. Seventy percentage are landowners, 10 percent tenants, and 17 percent sharecroppers. It is considered that beans need less irrigation, should be harvested quickly, and that it is the crop that produces the greatest profit; however, it is considered to be the crop representing the highest risk. Planting systems are described: on flat rows; multiple cropping on ridges; multiple cropping without rows; multiple cropping in the same flat row; multiple cropping in different rows, and mixed multiple cropping. Only 12 percent of the cultivators use improved seed and during the study, 86, 48 and 34 percent planted red, black, and both types of beans, resp. Data are presented on the intensity of land use; principle pests, diseases, and weeds are evaluated. Information on costs, storage, and marketing are also included. (CIAT
Catch crop strategy and nitrate leaching following grazed grass-clover
Cultivation of grassland presents a high risk of nitrate leaching. This study aimed to determine if leaching could be reduced by growing spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) as a green crop for silage with undersown Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) compared with barley grown to maturity with or without an undersown conventional catch crop of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). All treatments received 0,60 or 120 kg of ammonium-N ha-1 in cattle slurry. In spring 2003, two grass-clover fields (3 and 5 years old, respectively, with different management histories) were ploughed. The effects of the treatments on yield and nitrate leaching were determined in the first year, while the residual effects of the treatments were determined in the second year in a crop of spring barley⁄perennial ryegrass. Nitrate leaching was estimated in selected treatments using soil water samples from ceramic cups. The experiment showed that compared with treatments without catch crop, green barley⁄Italian ryegrass reduced leaching by 163–320 kg Nha-1, corresponding to 95–99%, and the perennial ryegrass reduced leaching to between 34 and 86 kg Nha-1, corresponding to a reduction of 80 and 66%. Also, in the second growing season, leaching following catchcrops was reduced compared with the bare soil treatment. It was concluded that the green barley⁄Italian ryegrass offers advantages not only for the environment but also for farmers, for whom it provides a fodder high in roughage and avoids the difficulties with clover fatigue increasingly experienced by Danish farmers
A jump-growth model for predator-prey dynamics: derivation and application to marine ecosystems
This paper investigates the dynamics of biomass in a marine ecosystem. A
stochastic process is defined in which organisms undergo jumps in body size as
they catch and eat smaller organisms. Using a systematic expansion of the
master equation, we derive a deterministic equation for the macroscopic
dynamics, which we call the deterministic jump-growth equation, and a linear
Fokker-Planck equation for the stochastic fluctuations. The McKendrick--von
Foerster equation, used in previous studies, is shown to be a first-order
approximation, appropriate in equilibrium systems where predators are much
larger than their prey. The model has a power-law steady state consistent with
the approximate constancy of mass density in logarithmic intervals of body mass
often observed in marine ecosystems. The behaviours of the stochastic process,
the deterministic jump-growth equation and the McKendrick--von Foerster
equation are compared using numerical methods. The numerical analysis shows two
classes of attractors: steady states and travelling waves.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures. Final version as published. Only minor change
Electronic structure, phase stability and chemical bonding in ThAl and ThAlH
We present the results of theoretical investigation on the electronic
structure, bonding nature and ground state properties of ThAl and
ThAlH using generalized-gradient-corrected first-principles
full-potential density-functional calculations. ThAlH has been reported
to violate the "2 \AA rule" of H-H separation in hydrides. From our total
energy as well as force-minimization calculations, we found a shortest H-H
separation of 1.95 {\AA} in accordance with recent high resolution powder
neutron diffraction experiments. When the ThAl matrix is hydrogenated, the
volume expansion is highly anisotropic, which is quite opposite to other
hydrides having the same crystal structure. The bonding nature of these
materials are analyzed from the density of states, crystal-orbital Hamiltonian
population and valence-charge-density analyses. Our calculation predicts
different nature of bonding for the H atoms along and . The strongest
bonding in ThAlH is between Th and H along which form dumb-bell
shaped H-Th-H subunits. Due to this strong covalent interaction there is very
small amount of electrons present between H atoms along which makes
repulsive interaction between the H atoms smaller and this is the precise
reason why the 2 {\AA} rule is violated. The large difference in the
interatomic distances between the interstitial region where one can accommodate
H in the and planes along with the strong covalent interaction
between Th and H are the main reasons for highly anisotropic volume expansion
on hydrogenation of ThAl.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure
Thermodynamic gauge-theory cascade
It is proposed that the cooling of a thermalized SU() gauge theory can be
formulated in terms of a cascade involving three effective theories with
successively reduced (and spontaneously broken) gauge symmetries, SU()
U(1) Z. The approach is based on the assumption that away
from a phase transition the bulk of the quantum interaction inherent to the
system is implicitly encoded in the (incomplete) classical dynamics of a
collective part made of low-energy condensed degrees of freedom. The properties
of (some of the) statistically fluctuating fields are determined by these
condensate(s). This leads to a quasi-particle description at tree-level. It
appears that radiative corrections, which are sizable at large gauge coupling,
do not change the tree-level picture qualitatively. The thermodynamic
self-consistency of the quasi-particle approach implies nonperturbative
evolution equations for the associated masses. The temperature dependence of
these masses, in turn, determine the evolution of the gauge coupling(s). The
hot gauge system approaches the behavior of an ideal gas of massless gluons at
asymptotically large temperature. A negative equation of state is possible at a
stage where the system is about to settle into the phase of the (spontaneously
broken) Z symmetry.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures, 1 reference added, minor corrections in text,
errors in Sec. 3.2 corrected, PRD versio
Strangeness Enhancement in p-A Collisions: Consequences for the Interpretation of Strangeness Production in A-A Collisions
Published measurements of semi-inclusive Lambda production in p-Au collisions
at the AGS are used to estimate the yields of singly strange hadrons in
nucleus-nucleus A-A collisions. Results of a described extrapolation technique
are shown and compared to measurements of K+ production in Si-Al, Si-Au, and
Au-Au collisions at the AGS and net Lambda production in Su-Su, S-Ag, Pb-Pb,
and inclusive p-A collisions at the SPS. The extrapolations can account for
more than 75% of the measured strange particle yields in all of the studied
systems except for very central Au-Au collisions at the AGS where RQMD
comparisons suggest large re-scattering contributions.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and blood pressure in pregnancy among 1436 women from the Odense Child Cohort.
BACKGROUND: Previous studies of association between exposure to poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and gestational hypertension (GH) and preeclampsia (PE) have shown conflicting results, but most dichotomized outcome and did not study continuous blood pressure (BP) changes. OBJECTIVES: To study the association between PFAS exposure in early pregnancy and maternal BP trajectories in pregnancy, gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. METHODS: 1436 women were enrolled in the Odense Child Cohort in early pregnancy and had a serum sample drawn, from which perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) were measured using LC-MS/MS. Repeated BP measurements through pregnancy and information on PE were obtained from hospital files. Adjusted linear mixed models were used to investigate association between PFAS exposure and BP trajectory. Associations between PFAS and PE and GH were assessed by Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: All women had measurable concentrations of PFAS. In all of many comparisons higher PFAS exposure (apart from PFHxS) was associated with higher systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures, although not all were significant, which is unlikely to be due to chance. After adjustment, each doubling in PFOS or PFOA exposure was associated with 0.47 mmHg (95% CI: -0.13; 1.08) and 0.36 mmHg (-0.19; 0.92) higher SBP; and 0.58 mmHg (0.13; 1.04) and 0.37 mmHg (-0.05; 0.79) higher DBP. No clear associations between PFAS exposure and PE or GH were found. DISCUSSION: The magnitude of the association between PFAS exposure and BP might appear small, statistically non-significant and the possible clinical importance low. However, at a population level this may slightly shift the distribution of BP towards an increased incidence of GH. If BP increases in pregnancy, it may have long-term impact on health not only of the pregnant woman but also of her offspring
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