A Distribution of the First Order Statistic When the Sample Size is Random

Statistical distributions also known as probability distributions are used to model a random experiment. Probability distributions consist of probability density functions (pdf) and cumulative density functions (cdf). Probability distributions are widely used in the area of engineering, actuarial science, computer science, biological science, physics, and other applicable areas of study. Statistics are used to draw conclusions about the population through probability models. Sample statistics such as the minimum, first quartile, median, third quartile, and maximum, referred to as the five-number summary, are examples of order statistics. The minimum and maximum observations are important in extreme value theory. This paper will focus on the probability distribution of the minimum observation, also known as the first order statistic, when the sample size is random

Political witchcraft

Der Fall von North Berwick mag zwar anfangs als unbedeutender Zwischenfall gegolten, doch gewann während der öffentlichen Verhandlungen, die in Edinburgh unter sorgfältiger Aufsicht von König James VI von Schottland abgehalten wurden, rasch mehr an Komplexität und Bedeutung für die Monarchie als je ein Hexenverfolgungsprozess zuvor. Wie der Titel dieser Arbeit zeigt („Politische Hexenjagd: Eine Neuaufnahme von Stewart Conns Drama „The Burning“ in seinem historischen Kontext“) ist es ihr Ziel, alle Unterschiede zwischen den tatsächlichen und den fiktionalen Ereignissen des Theaterstücks zu identifizieren und zu vergleichen. Um diesen wichtigen Kontrast herauszuarbeiten wird eine genaue Analyse des historischen Kontexts und theatrischen Umfelds, zusammen mit der Verschwörungstheorie gegeben, gefolgt von einer ausführlichen Diskussion der Hexenprozesse. Ein weiteres Kapitel beschäftigt sich mit den Hauptfiguren des Dramas im Vergleich mit ihren historischen Vorbildern. Abschließend werden die historischen Fakten mit den Ereignissen im Drama verglichen.Researchers who study the North Berwick witch-hunt (1590-1) are in a unique position, for these accusations marked the beginning of a long tradition that included enormous literary corpus and authentic documentation. This fortunate situation of dealing with such a fascinating material is thanked on the one hand, to the personal involvement of King James VI, whose person gained special prominence to the events and continues to distinguish the affair from other Scottish witchcraft cases even today, but on the other, also to the fact that, these trials embodied much more than simple witchcraft charges. The case of North Berwick was the most extensive – yet not the first – political witch-hunt in the history of Scotland that aimed to eliminate one particular rival (Bothwell) whom James VI and his court – seemingly – feared the most. The craze started as a relatively marginal affair – the healing potency of a maid, Gilles Duncan became suspicious – and ended with the fierce removal of the King's cousin, Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell from the royal court. This thesis explores and compares the original historical events of the actual witch-hunt with the incidents portrayed by Stewart Conn in his play, The Burning. In doing so, the paper introduces the reader to the author and his play, examines the theory of witchcraft and absolutism, analyzes the historical background of the event and compares it with its fictional counterpart, deals with the witchcraft trials, focuses on the dramatic characters and reviews both the historical and fictional outcome

Addressing Follower Motivation Within the Kelley Typology of Followership Using Significance Quest Theory

This thesis sought to build upon the Kelley typology of followership by examining the motivational factors that affect follower behavior in follower-leader interactions that the original theory did not explore. The motivational mechanism I argued accounted for differences in follower behavior was Significance Quest theory. This thesis examined whether the interaction between the activation of an individual’s significance quest and the closeness to a network perceived as valuable to them would influence follower behavior. Additional factors, such as narratives valued by the network and regulatory focus orientation, are also explored. Partial support was found for two hypotheses. Implications and future directions of these findings are discussed

Functional compounds of einkorn and emmer genotypes

Three einkorn and two emmer genotypes were analysed for concentration of microelements (Fe, Zn and Se) and lipid soluble antioxidants (α-tocopherol, α-tocotrienol and β-carotene). A diversity was observed in micronutrient content, but most of the genotypes have significantly higher trace element and antioxidant contents than the control wheat variety. The emmer genotypes contain lower Fe and β-carotene concentration than einkorn genotypes. The einkorn genotypes have significant higher antioxidant content than the wheat control. On average einkorn has more than three times more β-carotene than the wheat variety. Our results are useful for species/variety choice in functional food production not only for organic but also for conventional farmers, who have/want to operate under low input conditions, especially in Central Europe

Sécurité des données de capteurs ambiants dans les habitats à l’aide d’autoencodeurs

Dans ce mémoire, nous visons à implémenter un prototype d’algorithme de cryptographie basé sur les réseaux de neurones. Dans le cadre des travaux sur la reconnaissance d’activités au sein d’habitats intelligents opérés par le LIARA (Laboratoire d’Intelligence Ambiante pour la Reconnaissance d’Activités), une attention est portée de plus en plus sur la protection de la vie privée des individus. En effet pendant longtemps, on a eu affaire à des données de capteurs simples comme les tapis de pressions, les détecteurs électromagnétiques, les détecteurs de mouvement. Comme ces données ne permettent pas d’avoir accès à des informations génériques basiques sur ce qui se déroulait au sein des murs des résidences suivies, l’aspect sécurité occupait une petite place dans les travaux. Dans le cadre d’un projet de déploiement à grande échelle de maisons intelligentes financé par MEDTEQ (le Consortium pancanadien de recherche industrielle et d’innovation en technologies médicales du Québec) et Age-Well (un réseau canadien visant à élaborer des technologies et des services pour le vieillissement en santé) notre équipe explore l’utilisation des réseaux de neurones pour sécuriser les données transmises entre les maisons intelligentes et les serveurs de traitement de données. Afin de bien comprendre nos besoins, il est important de poursuivre cette question cruciale en parallèle avec une étude du potentiel des réseaux de neurones pour remplacer la cryptographie traditionnelle dans l’encodage de données plus complexes. En effet, ces derniers temps, nous avons étudié des capteurs plus informatifs tels que les caméras thermiques, les caméras de profondeurs, les capteurs RFID et les radars à ultra large bande. Ces capteurs ont plus d’informations sur les activités qui se déroulent dans une résidence, mais ils impliquent une plus grande charge de traitement. En conséquence, il semble donc intéressant d’étudier la possibilité d’utiliser une architecture de réseau de neurones artificiels pour encoder localement les données et les décoder à distance afin d’augmenter la sécurité, de réduire les calculs supplémentaires et de diminuer la taille des données à transmettre. En somme, cette étude portera sur l’étude comparative de ces encodages au sein d’habitats intelligents et consistera à mettre en place un système d’encodage de données fonctionnel basé sur des autoencodeurs

Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis: A Review on Heritability and Genetics

Carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, and therefore, assessing the genetic versus environmental background of CAS traits is of key importance. Carotid intima-media-thickness and plaque characteristics seem to be moderately heritable, with remarkable differences in both heritability and presence or severity of these traits among ethnicities. Although the considerable role of additive genetic effects is obvious, based on the results so far, there is an important emphasis on non-shared environmental factors as well. We aimed to collect and summarize the papers that investigate twin and family studies assessing the phenotypic variance attributable to genetic associations with CAS. Genes in relation to CAS markers were overviewed with a focus on genetic association studies and genome-wide association studies. Although the role of certain genes is confirmed by studies conducted on large populations and meta-analyses, many of them show conflicting results. A great focus should be on future studies elucidating the exact pathomechanism of these genes in CAS in order to imply them as novel therapeutic targets

Timing of Revascularization and Parenteral Antibiotic Treatment Associated with Therapeutic Failures in Ischemic Diabetic Foot Infections

For ischemic diabetic foot infections (DFIs), revascularization ideally occurs before surgery, while a parenteral antibiotic treatment could be more efficacious than oral agents. In our tertiary center, we investigated the effects of the sequence between revascularization and surgery (emphasizing the perioperative period of 2 weeks before and after surgery), and the influence of administering parenteral antibiotic therapy on the outcomes of DFIs. Among 838 ischemic DFIs with moderate-to-severe symptomatic peripheral arterial disease, we revascularized 608 (72%; 562 angioplasties, 62 vascular surgeries) and surgically debrided all. The median length of postsurgical antibiotic therapy was 21 days (given parenterally for the initial 7 days). The median time delay between revascularization and debridement surgery was 7 days. During the long-term follow-up, treatment failed and required reoperation in 182 DFI episodes (30%). By multivariate Cox regression analyses, neither a delay between surgery and angioplasty (hazard ratio 1.0, 95% confidence interval 1.0-1.0), nor the postsurgical sequence of angioplasty (HR 0.9, 95% CI 0.5-1.8), nor long-duration parenteral antibiotic therapy (HR 1.0, 95% CI 0.9-1.1) prevented failures. Our results might indicate the feasibility of a more practical approach to ischemic DFIs in terms of timing of vascularization and more oral antibiotic use

Venous thromboembolism and chronic venous disease among people who inject drugs: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Intravenous drug use continues to pose a substantial burden worldwide and little is known about the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and its sequelae in people who inject drugs (PWID). Methods A systematic literature search was conducted on the prevalence of VTE and chronic venous disease in intravenous drug users, as well as on the prevalence of intravenous drug use among selected VTE patients. Two reviewers independently selected the articles and appraised their quality. A random-effect meta-analysis was performed to pool risks across studies. Results We included 18 studies with a total of 7691 patients. The overall prevalence of VTE among PWID was 29% (95%CI: 19–40%). Among patients diagnosed with VTE, 15% (95%CI: 10–20%) were PWID. Similar rates were confirmed in more recent studies published in the past decade, although these studies are often based on the general population from higher-risk areas. Reported rates of chronic venous disease ranged between 58% and 61%. The majority of the included studies had a low to moderate quality of evidence. We could not exclude a selection bias in the studies in geographical regions with high intravenous drug use prevalence. Conclusion VTE and chronic venous disease appear to be common and understudied complications of injective drug use. National programs for PWID patients should also focus on early and late VTE-associated complications