3,439 research outputs found
Affective bias and current, past and future adolescent depression: A familial high risk study.
Affective bias is a common feature of depressive disorder. However, a lack of longitudinal studies means that the temporal relationship between affective bias and depression is not well understood. One group where studies of affective bias may be particularly warranted is the adolescent offspring of depressed parents, given observations of high rates of depression and a severe and impairing course of disorder in this group
Hydrodynamic modelling of accretion flows
In the proceedings of this, and of several recent close binary conferences,
there have been several contributions describing smoothed particle
hydrodynamics simulations of accretion disks. It is apposite therefore to
review the numerical scheme itself with emphasis on its advantages for disk
modelling, and the methods used for modelling viscous processes.Comment: 3 pages, to appear in proceedings of IAU Colloquium 194: Compact
binaries in the galaxy and beyon
The effect of quantization on the FCIQMC sign problem
The sign problem in Full Configuration Interaction Quantum Monte Carlo
(FCIQMC) without annihilation can be understood as an instability of the
psi-particle population to the ground state of the matrix obtained by making
all off-diagonal elements of the Hamiltonian negative. Such a matrix, and hence
the sign problem, is basis dependent. In this paper we discuss the properties
of a physically important basis choice: first versus second quantization. For a
given choice of single-particle orbitals, we identify the conditions under
which the fermion sign problem in the second quantized basis of antisymmetric
Slater determinants is identical to the sign problem in the first quantized
basis of unsymmetrized Hartree products. We also show that, when the two
differ, the fermion sign problem is always less severe in the second quantized
basis. This supports the idea that FCIQMC, even in the absence of annihilation,
improves the sign problem relative to first quantized methods. Finally, we
point out some theoretically interesting classes of Hamiltonians where first
and second quantized sign problems differ, and others where they do not.Comment: 4 pages w/ 2 page appendix, 2 figures, 1 tabl
Discovery of disc precession in the M31 dipping X-ray binary Bo 158
We present results from three XMM-Newton observations of the M31 low mass
X-ray binary XMMU J004314.4+410726.3 (Bo 158), spaced over 3 days in 2004,
July. Bo 158 was the first dipping LMXB to be discovered in M31. Periodic
intensity dips were previously seen to occur on a 2.78-hr period, due to
absorption in material that is raised out of the plane of the accretion disc.
The report of these observations stated that the dip depth was anti-correlated
with source intensity. However, our new observations do not favour a strict
intensity dependance, but rather suggest that the dip variation is due to
precession of the accretion disc. This is to be expected in LMXBs with a mass
ratio <~ 0.3 (period <~ 4 hr), as the disc reaches the 3:1 resonance with the
binary companion, causing elongation and precession of the disc. A smoothed
particle hydrodynamics simulation of the disc in this system shows retrograde
rotation of a disc warp on a period of ~11 P_orb, and prograde disc precession
on a period of ~29 P_orb. This is consistent with the observed variation in the
depth of the dips. We find that the dipping behaviour is most likely to be
modified by the disc precession, hence we predict that the dipping behaviour
repeats on a 81+/-3 hr cycle.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication by MNRAS, changed
conten
Open-source development experiences in scientific software: the HANDE quantum Monte Carlo project
The HANDE quantum Monte Carlo project offers accessible stochastic algorithms
for general use for scientists in the field of quantum chemistry. HANDE is an
ambitious and general high-performance code developed by a
geographically-dispersed team with a variety of backgrounds in computational
science. In the course of preparing a public, open-source release, we have
taken this opportunity to step back and look at what we have done and what we
hope to do in the future. We pay particular attention to development processes,
the approach taken to train students joining the project, and how a flat
hierarchical structure aids communicationComment: 6 pages. Submission to WSSSPE
Prediction-based classification for longitudinal biomarkers
Assessment of circulating CD4 count change over time in HIV-infected subjects
on antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a central component of disease monitoring.
The increasing number of HIV-infected subjects starting therapy and the limited
capacity to support CD4 count testing within resource-limited settings have
fueled interest in identifying correlates of CD4 count change such as total
lymphocyte count, among others. The application of modeling techniques will be
essential to this endeavor due to the typically nonlinear CD4 trajectory over
time and the multiple input variables necessary for capturing CD4 variability.
We propose a prediction-based classification approach that involves first stage
modeling and subsequent classification based on clinically meaningful
thresholds. This approach draws on existing analytical methods described in the
receiver operating characteristic curve literature while presenting an
extension for handling a continuous outcome. Application of this method to an
independent test sample results in greater than 98% positive predictive value
for CD4 count change. The prediction algorithm is derived based on a cohort of
HIV-1 infected individuals from the Royal Free Hospital, London who
were followed for up to three years from initiation of ART. A test sample
comprised of individuals from Philadelphia and followed for a similar
length of time is used for validation. Results suggest that this approach may
be a useful tool for prioritizing limited laboratory resources for CD4 testing
after subjects start antiretroviral therapy.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-AOAS326 the Annals of
Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of
Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Riding a Spiral Wave: Numerical Simulation of Spiral Waves in a Co-Moving Frame of Reference
We describe an approach to numerical simulation of spiral waves dynamics of
large spatial extent, using small computational grids.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, as accepted by Phys Rev E 2010/03/2
Using a model of group psychotherapy to support social research on sensitive topics
This article describes the exploratory use of professional therapeutic support by social researchers working on a sensitive topic. Talking to recently bereaved parents about the financial implications of their child's death was expected to be demanding work, and the research design included access to an independent psychotherapeutic service. Using this kind of professional support is rare within the general social research community, and it is useful to reflect on the process. There are likely to be implications for collection and interpretation of data, research output and the role and experience of the therapist. Here, the primary focus is the potential impact on researcher well-being
Developmental stage-specific regulation of the circadian Clock by Temperature in Zebrafish
The circadian clock enables animals to adapt their physiology and behaviour in anticipation of the day-night cycle. Light and temperature represent two key environmental timing cues (zeitgebers) able to reset this mechanism and so maintain its synchronization with the environmental cycle. One key challenge is to unravel how the regulation of the clock by zeitgebers matures during early development. The zebrafish is an ideal model for studying circadian clock ontogeny since the process of development occurs ex utero in an optically transparent chorion and many tools are available for genetic analysis. However, the role played by temperature in regulating the clock during zebrafish development is poorly understood. Here, we have established a clock-regulated luciferase reporter transgenic zebrafish line (Tg (−3.1) per1b::luc) to study the effects of temperature on clock entrainment. We reveal that under complete darkness, from an early developmental stage onwards (48 to 72 hpf), exposure to temperature cycles is a prerequisite for the establishment of self-sustaining rhythms of zfper1b, zfaanat2, and zfirbp expression and also for circadian cell cycle rhythms. Furthermore, we show that following the 5–9 somite stage, the expression of zfper1b is regulated by acute temperature shifts
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