692 research outputs found
Solving order constraints in logarithmic space.
We combine methods of order theory, finite model theory, and universal algebra to study, within the constraint satisfaction framework, the complexity of some well-known combinatorial problems connected with a finite poset. We identify some conditions on a poset which guarantee solvability of the problems in (deterministic, symmetric, or non-deterministic) logarithmic space. On the example of order constraints we study how a certain algebraic invariance property is related to solvability of a constraint satisfaction problem in non-deterministic logarithmic space
Selection of multiple donor gauges via Graphical Lasso for estimation of daily streamflow time series
A fundamental challenge in estimations of daily streamflow time series at
sites with incomplete records is how to effectively and efficiently select
reference or donor gauges from an existing gauge network to infer the missing
data. While research on estimating missing streamflow time series is not new,
the existing approaches either use a single reference streamflow gauge or
employ a set of "ad-hoc" reference gauges, leaving a systematic selection of
reference gauges as a long-standing open question. In this work, a novel method
is introduced that facilitates systematical selection of multiple reference
gauges from any given streamflow network. The idea is to mathematically
characterize the network-wise correlation structure of a streamflow network via
graphical Markov modeling, and further transforms a dense network into a
sparsely connected one. The resulted underlying sparse graph from the graphical
model encodes conditional independence conditions among all reference gauges
from the streamflow network, allowing determination of an optimum subset of the
donor gauges. The sparsity is discovered by using the Graphical Lasso algorithm
with an L1-norm regularization parameter and a thresholding parameter. These
two parameters are determined by a multi-objective optimization process.
Furthermore, the graphical modeling approach is employed to solve another open
problem in gauge removal planning decision (e.g., due to operation budget
constraints): which gauges to remove would statistically guarantee the least
loss of information by estimations from the remaining gauges? Our graphical
model-based method is demonstrated with daily streamflow data from a network of
34 gauges over the Ohio River basin.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2004.0137
Use of mobile phones and changes in cognitive function in adolescents
Background
Several studies have investigated the impact of mobile phone exposure on cognitive function in adults. However, children and adolescents are of special interest due to their developing nervous systems.
Methods
Data were derived from the Australian Mobile Radiofrequency Phone Exposed Users' Study (MoRPhEUS) which comprised a baseline examination of year 7 students during 2005/2006 and a 1-year follow-up. Sociodemographic and exposure data were collected with a questionnaire. Cognitive functions were assessed with a computerised test battery and the Stroop Color-Word test. Results
236 students participated in both examinations. The proportion of mobile phone owners and the number of voice calls and short message services (SMS) per week increased from baseline to follow-up. Participants with more voice calls and SMS at baseline showed less reductions in response times over the 1-year period in various computerised tasks. Furthermore, those with increased voice calls and SMS exposure over the 1-year period showed changes in response time in a simple reaction and a working memory task. No associations were seen between mobile phone exposure and the Stroop test.
Conclusions
We have observed that some changes in cognitive function, particularly in response time rather than accuracy, occurred with a latency period of 1 year and that some changes were associated with increased exposure. However, the increased exposure was mainly applied to those who had fewer voice calls and SMS at baseline, suggesting that these changes over time may relate to statistical regression to the mean, and not be the effect of mobile phone exposure
TELAMON: Effelsberg monitoring of AGN jets with very-high-energy astroparticle emission -- I. Program description and sample characterization
Aims. We introduce the TELAMON program which is using the Effelsberg 100-m
telescope to monitor the radio spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGN) under
scrutiny in astroparticle physics, specifically TeV blazars and candidate
neutrino-associated AGN. Here, we present and characterize our main sample of
TeV-detected blazars.
Methods. We analyze the data sample from the first ~2.5 years of observations
between August 2020 and February 2023 in the range from 14 GHz to 45 GHz.
During this pilot phase, we have observed all 59 TeV-detected blazars in the
Northern Hemisphere (i.e., Dec. >0{\deg}) known at the time of observation. We
discuss the basic data reduction and calibration procedures used for all
TELAMON data and introduce a sub-band averaging method used to calculate
average light curves for the sources in our sample.
Results. The TeV-selected sources in our sample exhibit a median flux density
of 0.12 Jy at 20 mm, 0.20 Jy at 14 mm and 0.60 Jy at 7 mm. The spectrum for
most of the sources is consistent with a flat radio spectrum and we find a
median spectral index () of . Our
results on flux density and spectral index are consistent with previous studies
of TeV-selected blazars. Compared to the GeV-selected F-GAMMA sample, TELAMON
sources are significantly fainter in the radio band. This is consistent with
the double-humped spectrum of blazars being shifted towards higher frequencies
for TeV-emitters (in particular for high-synchrotron peaked BL Lac type
objects), which results in a lower radio flux density. The spectral index
distribution of our TeV-selected blazar sample is not significantly different
from the GeV-selected F-GAMMA sample. Moreover, we present a strategy to track
the light curve evolution of sources in our sample for future variability and
correlation analysis.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in A&
Original Contribution Occupational Exposure to Pesticides and Risk of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Pesticide exposure may be a risk factor for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but it is not certain which types of pesticides are involved. A population-based case-control study was undertaken in 2000-2001 using detailed methods of assessing occupational pesticide exposure. Cases with incident non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in two Australian states (n ¼ 694) and controls (n ¼ 694) were chosen from Australian electoral rolls. Logistic regression was used to estimate the risks of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma associated with exposure to subgroups of pesticides after adjustment for age, sex, ethnic origin, and residence. Approximately 10% of cases and controls had incurred pesticide exposure. Substantial exposure to any pesticide was associated with a trebling of the risk of nonHodgkin's lymphoma (odds ratio ¼ 3.09, 95% confidence interval: 1.42, 6.70). Subjects with substantial exposure to organochlorines, organophosphates, and ''other pesticides'' (all other pesticides excluding herbicides) and herbicides other than phenoxy herbicides had similarly increased risks, although the increase was statistically significant only for ''other pesticides.'' None of the exposure metrics (probability, level, frequency, duration, or years of exposure) were associated with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Analyses of the major World Health Organization subtypes of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma suggested a stronger effect for follicular lymphoma. These increases in risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with substantial occupational pesticide exposure are consistent with previous work
Occupational exposures to solvents and metals are associated with fixed airflow obstruction
peer-reviewedOur study is the first to investigate the associations between exposures to solvents and metals using lifetime work history calendars and fixed airflow obstruction (AO). We have shown that increasing cumulative exposure-unit years to chlorinated solvents is associated with fixed AO. We found that women were at increased risk of fixed AO with increasing cumulative exposed-unit-years to chlorinated solvents but not men
Traumatic Stress Interacts With Bipolar Disorder Genetic Risk to Increase Risk for Suicide Attempts
Objective
Bipolar disorder (BD) is one of the most heritable psychiatric conditions and is associated with high suicide risk. To explore the reasons for this link, this study examined the interaction between traumatic stress and BD polygenic risk score in relation to suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescent and young adult offspring and relatives of persons with BD (BD-relatives) compared with adolescent and young adult offspring of individuals without psychiatric disorders (controls).
Method
Data were collected from 4 sites in the United States and 1 site in Australia from 2006 through 2012. Generalized estimating equation models were used to compare rates of ideation, attempts, and NSSI between BD-relatives (n = 307) and controls (n = 166) and to determine the contribution of demographic factors, traumatic stress exposure, lifetime mood or substance (alcohol/drug) use disorders, and BD polygenic risk score.
Results
After adjusting for demographic characteristics and mood and substance use disorders, BD-relatives were at increased risk for suicidal ideation and attempts but not for NSSI. Independent of BD-relative versus control status, demographic factors, or mood and substance use disorders, exposure to trauma within the past year (including bullying, sexual abuse, and domestic violence) was associated with suicide attempts (p = .014), and BD polygenic risk score was marginally associated with attempts (p = .061). Importantly, the interaction between BD polygenic risk score and traumatic event exposures was significantly associated with attempts, independent of demographics, relative versus control status, and mood and substance use disorders (p = .041).
Conclusion
BD-relatives are at increased risk for suicide attempts and ideation, especially if they are exposed to trauma and have evidence of increased genetic vulnerability
Coronary-Artery Bypass Surgery in Patients with Ischemic Cardiomyopathy
BACKGROUND: The survival benefit of a strategy of coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) added to guideline-directed medical therapy, as compared with medical therapy alone, in patients with coronary artery disease, heart failure, and severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction remains unclear. METHODS: From July 2002 to May 2007, a total of 1212 patients with an ejection fraction of 35% or less and coronary artery disease amenable to CABG were randomly assigned to undergo CABG plus medical therapy (CABG group, 610 patients) or medical therapy alone (medical-therapy group, 602 patients). The primary outcome was death from any cause. Major secondary outcomes included death from cardiovascular causes and death from any cause or hospitalization for cardiovascular causes. The median duration of follow-up, including the current extended-follow-up study, was 9.8 years. RESULTS: A primary outcome event occurred in 359 patients (58.9%) in the CABG group and in 398 patients (66.1%) in the medical-therapy group (hazard ratio with CABG vs. medical therapy, 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73 to 0.97; P=0.02 by log-rank test). A total of 247 patients (40.5%) in the CABG group and 297 patients (49.3%) in the medical-therapy group died from cardiovascular causes (hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.66 to 0.93; P=0.006 by log-rank test). Death from any cause or hospitalization for cardiovascular causes occurred in 467 patients (76.6%) in the CABG group and in 524 patients (87.0%) in the medical-therapy group (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.64 to 0.82; P<0.001 by log-rank test). CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, the rates of death from any cause, death from cardiovascular causes, and death from any cause or hospitalization for cardiovascular causes were significantly lower over 10 years among patients who underwent CABG in addition to receiving medical therapy than among those who received medical therapy alone. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health; STICH [and STICHES] ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00023595.)
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