Astrometric Effects of Gravitational Wave Backgrounds with non-Luminal Propagation Speeds

A passing gravitational wave causes a deflection in the apparent astrometric positions of distant stars. The effect of the speed of the gravitational wave on this astrometric shift is discussed. A stochastic background of gravitational waves would result in a pattern of astrometric deflections which are correlated on large angular scales. These correlations are quantified and investigated for backgrounds of gravitational waves with sub- and super-luminal group velocities. The statistical properties of the correlations are depicted in two equivalent and related ways: as correlation curves and as angular power spectra. Sub-(super-)luminal gravitational wave backgrounds have the effect of enhancing (suppressing) the power in low-order angular modes. Analytical representations of the redshift-redshift and redshift-astrometry correlations are also derived. The potential for using this effect for constraining the speed of gravity is discussed

Mathematical Formulation of DMH-Based Inverse Optimization

Purpose: To introduce the concept of dose-mass based inverse optimization for radiotherapy applications.Materials and Methods: Mathematical derivation of the dose-mass based formalism is presented. This mathematical representation is compared to the most commonly used dose-volume based formulation used in inverse optimization. A simple example on digitally created phantom is presented. The phantom consists of three regions: a target surrounded by high and low density regions. The target is irradiated with two beams through those regions and inverse optimization with dose-volume and dose-mass based objective functions is performed. The basic properties of the two optimization types are demonstrated on the phantom.Results: It is demonstrated that dose-volume optimization is a special case of dose-mass optimization. In a homogenous media dose-mass optimization turns into dose-volume optimization. The dose calculations performed on the digital phantom show that in this very simple case dose-mass optimization tends to penalize more the dose delivery through the high density region and therefore it results in delivering more dose through the low density region.Conclusions: It was demonstrated that dose-mass based optimization is mathematically more general than dose-volume based optimization. In the case of constant density media dose-mass optimization transforms into dose-volume optimization

REX: Recursive, Delta-Based Data-Centric Computation

In today's Web and social network environments, query workloads include ad hoc and OLAP queries, as well as iterative algorithms that analyze data relationships (e.g., link analysis, clustering, learning). Modern DBMSs support ad hoc and OLAP queries, but most are not robust enough to scale to large clusters. Conversely, "cloud" platforms like MapReduce execute chains of batch tasks across clusters in a fault tolerant way, but have too much overhead to support ad hoc queries. Moreover, both classes of platform incur significant overhead in executing iterative data analysis algorithms. Most such iterative algorithms repeatedly refine portions of their answers, until some convergence criterion is reached. However, general cloud platforms typically must reprocess all data in each step. DBMSs that support recursive SQL are more efficient in that they propagate only the changes in each step -- but they still accumulate each iteration's state, even if it is no longer useful. User-defined functions are also typically harder to write for DBMSs than for cloud platforms. We seek to unify the strengths of both styles of platforms, with a focus on supporting iterative computations in which changes, in the form of deltas, are propagated from iteration to iteration, and state is efficiently updated in an extensible way. We present a programming model oriented around deltas, describe how we execute and optimize such programs in our REX runtime system, and validate that our platform also handles failures gracefully. We experimentally validate our techniques, and show speedups over the competing methods ranging from 2.5 to nearly 100 times.Comment: VLDB201

Tax compliance behaviour in Australian self-managed superannuation funds

The rapid growth of self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) in Australia over the past two decades has been mirrored by a host of legislative and taxation rulings regulating the sector. The need for trustees to remain compliant with the relevant regulations is of paramount importance given the severity of the penalties they face for contraventions. We review the main rules governing SMSF compliance along with several notable legal cases of non-compliance. We then provide a comprehensive quantitative analysis of compliance outcomes in 321 SMSFs from across Australia. This research paper focusses only on SMSF trustee behaviour in respect of funds where the auditor has reported a breach. It does not refer to SMSF funds that are technically non-compliant as that term is defined in s 42A of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (Cth) (SIS Act). Therefore, in terms of this paper, whenever a SMSF is referred to as non-complying regard is only had to a SMSF where an auditor has reported a breach of any of the regulatory rules. The results of our research suggest that trustee literacy is positively associated with fund compliance, whereas trustee overconfidence cannot be linked with compliance outcomes for the sample. Moreover, compliant funds also appear more likely to allocate a greater share of their superannuation portfolios to conservative asset classes (cash and domestic equities), typically linked with under-diversification in SMSFs. Our findings therefore suggest that the financial risks borne by under-diversified SMSFs may at least in part be offset by a lower compliance burden for these funds.George Mihaylov, John Tretola, Alfred Yawson and Ralf Zurbrueg

Astrometric effects of gravitational wave backgrounds with non-Einsteinian polarizations

The Gaia mission offers a new opportunity to search for the low-frequency gravitational wave background using astrometric measurements. In this paper, the astrometric effect of gravitational waves is reviewed, with a particular focus on the effect of non-Einsteinian gravitational wave polarizations. A stochastic gravitational wave background generates a correlated vector field of astrometric deflections on the sky. A convenient decomposition for the correlation matrix is introduced, enabling it to be calculated for all possible gravitational wave polarizations and compared to the redshift correlations from the pulsar-timing literature; in the case of a general relativity background of transverse traceless gravitational waves, this also allows us to identify an astrometric analog of the famous Hellings-Downs curve. Finally, the cross correlation between the redshift and astrometric signal is also calculated; this may form the basis for future joint pulsar-timing and astrometry searches for arbitrarily polarized gravitational wave backgrounds.D. M. is funded by the STFC. C. M. acknowledges financial support provided under the European Union’s H2020 ERC Consolidator Grant “Matter and strong-field gravity: New frontiers in Einsteins theory” grant agreement no. MaGRaTh646597. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 690904 and C. M. would like to acknowledge networking support by the COST Action CA16104

Laparoscopic vs. open surgical access radical cystectomy with subsequent orthotopic reconstruction in the treatment of invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder

Introduction: Radical cystectomy combined with extended lymph node dissection is the treatment of choice for muscle-invasive bladder cancer and can be performed using open, laparoscopic, or robot-assisted surgical access. Aim: To compare the outcomes of laparoscopic (LRC) and open-access (ORC) radical cystectomy in terms of surgery, oncology, functional outcomes, and complications. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 200 patients who had all undergone cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer within the last 4 years. All patients were divided into groups according to the surgical access: LRC in 30 patients and ORC in 170 patients. Oncologic outcomes, expressed as perioperative complications and postoperative results, were analyzed. Results: Overall survival rates were most significantly associated with the histological type, as well as the ‘positive’ lymph nodes and positive resection margin. The average duration of the procedure was shorter in ORC than in LRC (245.5 min and 345.3 min, respectively). Hospital stay was on average 9.18 days in LRC and 12.63 days in ORC, and this duration could vary depending on the type of diversion. The average blood loss in LRC (250-320 ml) was lower than that in ORC (200-720 ml). The complications rate was lower with LRC than with ORC; however, with subsequent orthotopic reconstruction, the functional results were better in ORC. Conclusions: LRC is an alternative option to ORC, considering the fewer complications, less amount of blood loss, and greater surgical precision, as well as shorter hospital stay. Orthotopic diversion has better functional outcomes in ORC

Cyber Intelligence in the Era of Big Data

Three key moments have to be solved for this complex problem proper ap- proaching: (i) selection of suitable formalism for fast and easy modelling, im- plementing both experts’ data and cyber incidents statistics on past and future cyberattacks trends; (ii) model quantification is necessary to be added, achieving a suitable machine interpretation for discrete optimization; (iii) some probabilistic elements have also to be considered, in order to achieve realistic models, practi- cal implementation decision support, benefitting from the “big data” knowledge context of the task. Practical implementation of these moments will be given further

Uncertainty in energy yield estimation based on C-Si module roundrobin results.

Results of the European FP7 Sophia project roundrobin of c-Si module power measurements at STC and low irradiance and temperature coefficients were used to calculate annual energy yield at four sites. The deviation in the estimates solely due to the different measurement results is reported, neglecting the uncertainty in the meteorological data and losses unrelated to the performed measurements. While minimising the deviation in Pmax measurements remains the key challenge, the low irradiance and temperature coefficient contributions are shown to be significant. Propagating the measurement deviation in c-Si module measurements would suggest that expanded uncertainty in energy yield due to module characterization alone can be as high as ±3-4%

Results of the Sophia module intercomparison part-1: stc, low irradiance conditions and temperature coefficients measurements of C-Si technologies

The results of a measurement intercomparison between eleven European laboratories measuring PV energy relevant parameters are reported. The purpose of the round-robin was to assess the uncertainty analyses of the participating laboratories on c-Si modules and to establish a baseline for the following thin-film round-robin. Alongside the STC measurements, low irradiance conditions (200W/m2) and temperature coefficients measurements were performed. The largest measurement deviation from the median at STC was for HIT modules from -3.6% to +2.7% in PMAX, but in agreement with the stated uncertainties of the participants. This was not the case for low irradiance conditions and temperature coefficients measurements with some partners underestimating their uncertainties. Larger deviations from the median from -5% to +3% in PMAX at low irradiance conditions and -6.6% to +18.3% for the PMAX temperature coefficient were observed. The main sources of uncertainties contributing to the spread in measurements were the RC calibration, mismatch factor and capacitive effects at STC and low irradiance conditions as well as the additional light inhomogeneity for the latter. The uncertainty in the junction temperature and the temperature deviation across the module were the major contributors for temperature coefficients measurements

Study protocol: Determinants of participation and quality of life of adolescents with cerebral palsy: a longitudinal study (SPARCLE2)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Children and adults with impairments such as cerebral palsy have lower participation in life situations than able-bodied people. Less is known about their subjective perception of their lives, called their quality of life.</p> <p>During adolescence, rapid physical and psychological changes occur; although these may be more difficult for disabled than for able-bodied adolescents, little research has examined the lives of disabled adolescents.</p> <p>In 2003-4 a European Union funded project, SPARCLE, visited 818 children aged 8-12 years with cerebral palsy, sampled from population-based registers in nine European regions. The quality of life reported by these disabled children was similar to that of the general population but their participation was lower; levels of participation varied between countries even for children with similar severity of cerebral palsy.</p> <p>We are currently following up these children, now aged 13-17 years, to identify (i) to what extent contemporaneous factors (pain, impairment, psychological health and parental stress) predict their participation and quality of life, (ii) what factors modify how participation and quality of life at age 8-12 years are associated with participation and quality of life in adolescence, and (iii) whether differences between European countries in participation and quality of life can be explained by variations in environmental factors.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>Trained researchers will visit families to administer questionnaires to capture the adolescents' type and severity of impairment, socio-demographic characteristics, participation, quality of life, psychological health, pain, environmental access and parental stress. We will use multivariable models (linear, logistic or ordinal) to assess how adolescent participation, quality of life, psychological health, pain, environmental access and parental stress, vary with impairment and socio-demographic characteristics and, where possible, how these outcomes compare with general population data. For participation and quality of life, longitudinal analyses will assess to what extent these are predicted by corresponding levels in childhood and what factors modify this relationship. Structural equation modelling will be used to identify indirect relationships mediated by other factors.</p