A Fast Algorithm for Sampling from the Posterior of a von Mises distribution

Motivated by molecular biology, there has been an upsurge of research activities in directional statistics in general and its Bayesian aspect in particular. The central distribution for the circular case is von Mises distribution which has two parameters (mean and concentration) akin to the univariate normal distribution. However, there has been a challenge to sample efficiently from the posterior distribution of the concentration parameter. We describe a novel, highly efficient algorithm to sample from the posterior distribution and fill this long-standing gap

EXPLORATION OF FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PATIENT ADHERENCE IN UPPER EXTREMITY REHABILITATION: A MIXED-METHODS EMBEDDED DESIGN

Adherence is considered a prerequisite for the success of exercise programs for musculoskeletal disorders. The negative effects of non-adherence to exercise recommendations impact the cost of care, and also treatment effectiveness, treatment duration, the therapeutic relationship, waiting times, the efficiency of personnel and use of equipment. Adherence to therapeutic exercise intervention is a multifaceted problem.The World Health Organization (WHO) established the multidimensional adherence model (MAM). The MAM describes five interactive dimensions (socioeconomic. healthcare team and system, condition-related, therapy-related, and patient-related factors) that have an effect on patient adherence.The first purpose of this dissertation was to explore the MAM dimension of condition-related factors to determine the Quick Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (QDASH) minimal clinical important difference (MCID) for three distal upper extremity conditions. The second purpose was to explore the MAM dimension of personal factors to learn from individuals who expressed incongruence between their QDASH and GROC scores; how they described their perceived change in therapy. The third purpose was to explore the MAM dimension of therapy-related factors to examine the effect of patient-therapist collaborative goal setting on patient adherence to treatment and QDASH outcomes.Results demonstrated in the first study that diagnosis specific MCID’s differed from the global MCID using multiple diagnoses. In the second study results demonstrated that patients expect to have a dedicated therapist who they can trust to work collaboratively with them to establish goals and spend time with them to achieve these goals. In the third study, our first hypothesis was not supported for all three measures of adherence. The median for home exercise program diary adherence was found to trend towards significance by 8.7 percent favoring the experimental group Mann-Whitney U (p\u3c .100). Our second hypothesis was not supported. The experimental group receiving collaborative goal setting intervention had similar QDASH mean change scores 45.9±27.6 compared to the control group 46.1±23.8, Mann-Whitney U (p\u3c .859)

EXPLORATION OF FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PATIENT ADHERENCE IN UPPER EXTREMITY REHABILITATION: A MIXED-METHODS EMBEDDED DESIGN

Adherence is considered a prerequisite for the success of exercise programs for musculoskeletal disorders. The negative effects of non-adherence to exercise recommendations impact the cost of care, and also treatment effectiveness, treatment duration, the therapeutic relationship, waiting times, the efficiency of personnel and use of equipment. Adherence to therapeutic exercise intervention is a multifaceted problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) established the multidimensional adherence model (MAM). The MAM describes five interactive dimensions (socioeconomic, healthcare team and system, condition-related, therapy-related, and patient-related factors) that have an effect on patient adherence. The first purpose of this dissertation was to explore the MAM dimension of condition-related factors to determine the Quick Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (QDASH) minimal clinical important difference (MCID) for three distal upper extremity conditions. The second purpose was to explore the MAM dimension of personal factors to learn from individuals who expressed incongruence between their QDASH and GROC scores; how they described their perceived change in therapy. The third purpose was to explore the MAM dimension of therapy-related factors to examine the effect of patient-therapist collaborative goal setting on patient adherence to treatment and QDASH outcomes. Results demonstrated in the first study that diagnosis specific MCID’s differed from the global MCID using multiple diagnoses. In the second study results demonstrated that patients expect to have a dedicated therapist who they can trust to work collaboratively with them to establish goals and spend time with them to achieve these goals. In the third study, our first hypothesis was not supported for all three measures of adherence. The median for home exercise program diary adherence was found to trend towards significance by 8.7 percent favoring the experimental group Mann-Whitney U (p \u3c .100). Our second hypothesis was not supported. The experimental group receiving collaborative goal setting intervention had similar QDASH mean change scores 45.9±27.6 compared to the control group 46.1±23.8, Mann-Whitney U (p \u3c .859)

Quantum diffusion on a cyclic one dimensional lattice

The quantum diffusion of a particle in an initially localized state on a cyclic lattice with N sites is studied. Diffusion and reconstruction time are calculated. Strong differences are found for even or odd number of sites and the limit N->infinit is studied. The predictions of the model could be tested with micro - and nanotechnology devices.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure

Great Bay Nitrogen Non-Point Source Study

The Great Bay Estuary is 21 square miles of tidal waters located in southeastern New Hampshire. It is one of 28 “estuaries of national significance” established under the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program. The estuary is experiencing the signs of eutrophication, specifically, low dissolved oxygen, macroalgae blooms, and declining eelgrass habitat (DES, 2012). Sixty-eight percent of the nitrogen that ends up in the Great Bay Estuary originates from sources spread across the watershed; the remainder derives from direct discharges of municipal wastewater treatment facilities (DES, 2010; PREP, 2013). In this report, these sources of nitrogen are called non-point sources and consist of atmospheric deposition, fertilizers, human waste disposed into septic systems, and animal waste. The purpose of this study is to determine how much nitrogen each non-point source type contributes to the estuary. The nitrogen loads from municipal wastewater treatment facilities have been reported elsewhere (DES, 2010; PREP, 2012; PREP, 2013) and, therefore, are not included in this study except to provide context. The intended use of this study is for planning purposes, and is not meant for regulatory allocations or specific reduction requirements. The results of the model may be useful for towns or watershed groups for prioritizing nitrogen reduction efforts or as a starting point for more detailed studies of non-point sources. However, more detailed inventories of non-point sources will be needed to track the effects of nitrogen reduction efforts in smaller areas. In addition, the model makes no conclusions about the benefits of nitrogen reductions to receiving waters or overall estuarine health

Eruption of magnetic flux ropes during flux emergence

Aims: We investigate the formation of flux ropes in a flux emergence region and their rise into the outer atmosphere of the Sun. Methods: We perform 3D numerical experiments solving the time-dependent and resistive MHD equations. Results: A sub-photospheric twisted flux tube rises from the solar interior and expands into the corona. A flux rope is formed within the expanding field, due to shearing and reconnection of field lines at low atmospheric heights. If the tube emerges into a non-magnetized atmosphere, the flux rope rises, but remains confined inside the expanding magnetized volume. On the contrary, if the expanding tube is allowed to reconnect with a preexisting coronal field, the flux rope experiences a full eruption with a rise profile which is in qualitative agreement with erupting filaments and Coronal Mass Ejections

Exposure to Coastal Hazards in a Rapidly Expanding Northern Urban Centre, Iqaluit, Nunavut

 The City of Iqaluit, Nunavut, is an expanding urban centre with important infrastructure located in the coastal zone. This study investigates the exposure of this infrastructure to coastal hazards (rising mean sea level, extreme water levels, wave run-up, and sea ice). Using a coastal digital elevation model, we evaluate the inundation and flooding that may result from projected sea level rise. Some public and private infrastructure is already subject to flooding during extreme high water events. Using a near upper-limit scenario of 0.7 m for relative sea level rise from 2010 to 2100, we estimate that critical infrastructure will have a remaining freeboard of 0.3–0.8 m above high spring tide, and some subsistence infrastructure will be inundated. The large tidal range, limited over-water fetch, and wide intertidal flats reduce the risk of wave impacts. When present, the shorefast ice foot provides protection for coastal infrastructure. The ice-free season has expanded by 1.0–1.5 days per year since 1979, increasing the opportunity for storm-wave generation and thus exposure to wave run-up. Overtopping of critical infrastructure and displacement by flooding of subsistence infrastructure are potential issues requiring better projections of relative sea level change and extreme high water levels. These results can inform decisions on adaptation, providing measurable limits for safe development. La ville d’Iqaluit, au Nunavut, est un centre urbain en plein essor doté d’infrastructures importantes sur la zone côtière. Cette étude se penche sur l’exposition de cette infrastructure aux risques côtiers (niveau de la mer montant, niveaux d’eau extrêmes, vagues et glace de mer). À l’aide d’un modèle numérique de l’élévation côtière, nous évaluons les inondations et les submersions susceptibles de découler de la montée projetée du niveau de la mer. Certaines infrastructures publiques et privées sont déjà la cible d’inondations en présence de très hautes eaux. En nous appuyant sur un scénario dont la limite supérieure est de près de 0,7 m pour la hausse relative du niveau de la mer de 2010 à 2100, nous estimons que les infrastructures critiques auront un franc bord de 0,3 à 0,8 m au-dessus de la marée haute de vives-eaux, et une partie des infrastructures de subsistance sera inondée. La grande amplitude de la marée, le fetch limité sur l’eau et les larges battures intertidales réduisent le risque de l’impact des vagues. Lorsqu’elle est présente, la glace de rive offre une protection aux infrastructures côtières. Depuis 1979, la saison sans glace s’est prolongée de 1,0 à 1,5 jour par année, ce qui augmente la possibilité de la formation de vagues de tempête et, par conséquent, l’exposition aux jets de rive. La submersion des infrastructures critiques et le déplacement des infrastructures de subsistance par les inondations constituent des enjeux potentiels qui doivent faire l’objet de meilleures projections du changement relatif du niveau de la mer et des niveaux d’eau extrêmes. Ces résultats pourront éclairer les décisions en matière d’adaptation, ce qui permettra d’obtenir des limites mesurables en vue d’aménagements sécuritaires

Indeterminacy and instability in Petschek reconnection

We explain two puzzling aspects of Petschek's model for fast reconnection. One is its failure to occur in plasma simulations with uniform resistivity. The other is its inability to provide anything more than an upper limit for the reconnection rate. We have found that previously published analytical solutions based on Petschek's model are structurally unstable if the electrical resistivity is uniform. The structural instability is associated with the presence of an essential singularity at the X-line that is unphysical. By requiring that such a singularity does not exist, we obtain a formula that predicts a specific rate of reconnection. For uniform resistivity, reconnection can only occur at the slow, Sweet-Parker rate. For nonuniform resistivity, reconnection can occur at a much faster rate provided that the resistivity profile is not too flat near the X-line. If this condition is satisfied, then the scale length of the nonuniformity determines the reconnection rate

Roadmap on structured light

Structured light refers to the generation and application of custom light fields. As the tools and technology to create and detect structured light have evolved, steadily the applications have begun to emerge. This roadmap touches on the key fields within structured light from the perspective of experts in those areas, providing insight into the current state and the challenges their respective fields face. Collectively the roadmap outlines the venerable nature of structured light research and the exciting prospects for the future that are yet to be realized.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

CIVIC EPISTEMOLOGIES – Development of a Roadmap for Citizen Researchers in the Age of Digital Culture

The CIVIC EPISTEMOLOGIES project investigates citizen science and crowdsourcing in the domain of the research in Digital Cultural Heritage and Humanities (DCHH). The ultimate aim is to produce a validated Roadmap indicating the suggested direction that the deployment of services and infrastructures should take, in order to support the participation of citizens in the research processes and the participation of creative industries in the exploitation of digital cultural content. The case of DCHH is particularly relevant because of the major cross-cutting role that the humanities play in European research and innovation, recently acknowledged in a clear way in the Horizon2020 Community Programme for Research and Innovation. Cultural heritage and humanities also represent a subject area in which citizens are particularly active, counting several – still spread - experiences of their involvement in recording, annotating and cataloguing activities on an individual or group basis, as volunteers and amateurs. The case of broadening e-Infrastructure deployment to support the participation of citizens to DCHH research, even if holding a strong impact potential for social cohesion and job development, is not yet fully explored. The paper discusses about the multidisciplinary approach to citizen science and how this method can contribute to the benefit of many scientific domains, research communities, and technology advancements as well as delivering novel social and economic impact