4,613 research outputs found
Lie algebra solution of population models based on time-inhomogeneous Markov chains
Many natural populations are well modelled through time-inhomogeneous
stochastic processes. Such processes have been analysed in the physical
sciences using a method based on Lie algebras, but this methodology is not
widely used for models with ecological, medical and social applications. This
paper presents the Lie algebraic method, and applies it to three biologically
well motivated examples. The result of this is a solution form that is often
highly computationally advantageous.Comment: 10 pages; 1 figure; 2 tables. To appear in Applied Probabilit
Demographic characteristics and opportunistic diseases associated with attrition during preparation for antiretroviral therapy in primary health centres in Kibera, Kenya.
Using routine data from HIV-positive adult patients eligible for antiretroviral therapy (ART), we report on routinely collected demographic characteristics and opportunistic diseases associated with pre-ART attrition (deaths and loss to follow-up). Among 2471 ART eligible patients, enrolled between January 2005 and November 2008, 446 (18%) were lost to attrition pre-ART. Adjusted risk factors significantly associated with pre-ART attrition included age <35 years (Odds Ratio, OR 1.4, 95% Confidence Interval, CI 1.1-1.8), severe malnutrition (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.0), active pulmonary tuberculosis (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.4), severe bacterial infections including severe bacterial pneumonia (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-2.8) and prolonged unexplained fever (>1 month), (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.3-5.2). This study highlights a number of clinical markers associated with pre-ART attrition that could serve as 'pointers' or screening tools to identify patients who merit fast-tracking onto ART and/or closer clinical attention and follow-up
On the stability and ergodicity of adaptive scaling Metropolis algorithms
The stability and ergodicity properties of two adaptive random walk
Metropolis algorithms are considered. The both algorithms adjust the scaling of
the proposal distribution continuously based on the observed acceptance
probability. Unlike the previously proposed forms of the algorithms, the
adapted scaling parameter is not constrained within a predefined compact
interval. The first algorithm is based on scale adaptation only, while the
second one incorporates also covariance adaptation. A strong law of large
numbers is shown to hold assuming that the target density is smooth enough and
has either compact support or super-exponentially decaying tails.Comment: 24 pages, 1 figure; major revisio
Crosslinking of Styrene Homopolymers and Copolymers by p-Di(chloromethyl) Benzene
This thesis is principally concerned with the kinetics of the crosslinking of polystyrene using p-di(chloromethyl)benzene (DCMB), in the presence of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst, and the effect of this crosslinking on the thermal properties of polystyrene. As the polymerisation of styrene and the condensation of DCMB with aromatic nuclei can both be initiated by Friedel-Crafts catalysts, an attempt was made to produce crosslinked polystyrene by mixing styrene DCMB and stannic chloride in 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) at 3
Alien Registration- Gilks, Leonard (Bridgewater, Aroostook County)
https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/26283/thumbnail.jp
Catching Super Massive Black Hole Binaries Without a Net
The gravitational wave signals from coalescing Supermassive Black Hole
Binaries are prime targets for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA).
With optimal data processing techniques, the LISA observatory should be able to
detect black hole mergers anywhere in the Universe. The challenge is to find
ways to dig the signals out of a combination of instrument noise and the large
foreground from stellar mass binaries in our own galaxy. The standard procedure
of matched filtering against a grid of templates can be computationally
prohibitive, especially when the black holes are spinning or the mass ratio is
large. Here we develop an alternative approach based on Metropolis-Hastings
sampling and simulated annealing that is orders of magnitude cheaper than a
grid search. We demonstrate our approach on simulated LISA data streams that
contain the signals from binary systems of Schwarzschild Black Holes, embedded
in instrument noise and a foreground containing 26 million galactic binaries.
The search algorithm is able to accurately recover the 9 parameters that
describe the black hole binary without first having to remove any of the bright
foreground sources, even when the black hole system has low signal-to-noise.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Refined search algorithm, added low SNR exampl
Mining Frequent Graph Patterns with Differential Privacy
Discovering frequent graph patterns in a graph database offers valuable
information in a variety of applications. However, if the graph dataset
contains sensitive data of individuals such as mobile phone-call graphs and
web-click graphs, releasing discovered frequent patterns may present a threat
to the privacy of individuals. {\em Differential privacy} has recently emerged
as the {\em de facto} standard for private data analysis due to its provable
privacy guarantee. In this paper we propose the first differentially private
algorithm for mining frequent graph patterns.
We first show that previous techniques on differentially private discovery of
frequent {\em itemsets} cannot apply in mining frequent graph patterns due to
the inherent complexity of handling structural information in graphs. We then
address this challenge by proposing a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling
based algorithm. Unlike previous work on frequent itemset mining, our
techniques do not rely on the output of a non-private mining algorithm.
Instead, we observe that both frequent graph pattern mining and the guarantee
of differential privacy can be unified into an MCMC sampling framework. In
addition, we establish the privacy and utility guarantee of our algorithm and
propose an efficient neighboring pattern counting technique as well.
Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is able to output
frequent patterns with good precision
Estimating population cardinal health state valuation models from individual ordinal (rank) health state preference data
Ranking exercises have routinely been used as warm-up exercises within health state valuation surveys. Very little use has been made of the information obtained in this process. Instead, research has focussed upon the analysis of health state valuation data obtained using the visual analogue scale, standard gamble and time trade off methods.
Thurstone’s law of comparative judgement postulates a stable relationship between ordinal and cardinal preferences, based upon the information provided by pairwise choices. McFadden proposed that this relationship could be modelled by estimating conditional logistic regression models where alternatives had been ranked. In this paper we report the estimation of such models for the Health Utilities Index Mark 2 and the SF-6D. The results are compared to the conventional regression models estimated from standard gamble data, and to the observed mean standard gamble health state valuations.
For both the HUI2 and the SF-6D, the models estimated using rank data are broadly comparable to the models estimated on standard gamble data and the predictive performance of these models is close to that of the standard gamble models. Our research indicates that rank data has the potential to provide useful insights into community health state preferences. However, important questions remain
Using the SUBER model for assessing the impact of cork debarking rotation on equivalent annual annuity in Portuguese stands
Research ArticleAim of study: Use the SUBER model to evaluate the influence of the cork debarking rotation period (CDR) on equivalent annual annuity (EAA) value.
Area of study: Nine simulated stands, varying in site index (14.4, 15.6, 17.1) and cork quality characteristics (high, medium, low).
Material and methods: EAA values were computed considering CDR periods varying from 9 to 14 years, two contrasting structures of cork prices (high and low cork price scenarios), and three discount rate values (0.5%, 2% and 5%).
Main results: For discount rates of 0.5% and 2% the impact of different CDR on the EAA is similar. In stands characterized by high to average site index values or high to medium cork quality characteristics, CDR of 9 and 11 years are associated with similar values of EAA. The variation of the CDR in stands characterized by low site index values and/or low cork quality characteristics did not have a relevant effect on the variation of EAA. For the simulations carried out with a discount rate of 5% the EAA decreases with the increase of CDR, indicating that the minimum legal value of 9 years for CDR should be applied.
Research highlights: In stands characterized by high to average site index values or high to medium cork quality characteristics, a delay in the debarking may result in a significant increase of cork thickness and, as a result, of cork price. Detailed knowledge of cork and stand characteristics and updated information on cork prices structure and values are essential for the best usage of management tools such as the SUBER model, which can contribute to the decision-making process concerning the debarking operationinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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