11,807 research outputs found
The impact of income shocks on health: evidence from cohort data
We study the effect of permanent income innovations on health for a prime-aged population. Using information
on more than half a million individuals sampled over a twenty-five year period in three different cross-sectional
surveys we aggregate data by date-of-birth cohort to construct a ’synthetic cohort’ dataset with details of income, expenditure, socio-demographic factors, health outcomes and selected risk factors. We then exploit structural and arguably exogenous changes in cohort incomes over the eighties and nineties to uncover causal effects of
permanent income shocks on health. We find that such income innovations have little effects on health, but do
affect health behaviour and mortality
Model validation for a noninvasive arterial stenosis detection problem
Copyright @ 2013 American Institute of Mathematical SciencesA current thrust in medical research is the development of a non-invasive method for detection, localization, and characterization of an arterial stenosis (a blockage or partial blockage in an artery). A method has been proposed to detect shear waves in the chest cavity which have been generated by disturbances in the blood flow resulting from a stenosis. In order to develop this methodology further, we use both one-dimensional pressure and shear wave experimental data from novel acoustic phantoms to validate corresponding viscoelastic mathematical models, which were developed in a concept paper [8] and refined herein. We estimate model parameters which give a good fit (in a sense to be precisely defined) to the experimental data, and use asymptotic error theory to provide confidence intervals for parameter estimates. Finally, since a robust error model is necessary for accurate parameter estimates and confidence analysis, we include a comparison of absolute and relative models for measurement error.The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Deopartment of Education and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
On damping mechanisms in beams
A partial differential equation model of a cantilevered beam with a tip mass at its free end is used to study damping in a composite. Four separate damping mechanisms consisting of air damping, strain rate damping, spatial hysteresis and time hysteresis are considered experimentally. Dynamic tests were performed to produce time histories. The time history data is then used along with an approximate model to form a sequence of least squares problems. The solution of the least squares problem yields the estimated damping coefficients. The resulting experimentally determined analytical model is compared with the time histories via numerical simulation of the dynamic response. The procedure suggested here is compared with a standard modal damping ratio model commonly used in experimental modal analysis
Parameter identification in continuum models
Approximation techniques for use in numerical schemes for estimating spatially varying coefficients in continuum models such as those for Euler-Bernoulli beams are discussed. The techniques are based on quintic spline state approximations and cubic spline parameter approximations. Both theoretical and numerical results are presented
Supersymmetry, the Cosmological Constant and a Theory of Quantum Gravity in Our Universe
There are many theories of quantum gravity, depending on asymptotic boundary
conditions, and the amount of supersymmetry. The cosmological constant is one
of the fundamental parameters that characterize different theories. If it is
positive, supersymmetry must be broken. A heuristic calculation shows that a
cosmological constant of the observed size predicts superpartners in the TeV
range. This mechanism for SUSY breaking also puts important constraints on low
energy particle physics models. This essay was submitted to the Gravity
Research Foundation Competition and is based on a longer article, which will be
submitted in the near future
Open String on Symmetric Product
We develop some basic properties of the open string on the symmetric product
which is supposed to describe the open string field theory in discrete
lightcone quantization (DLCQ). After preparing the consistency conditions of
the twisted boundary conditions for Annulus/M\"obius/Klein Bottle amplitudes in
generic non-abelian orbifold, we classify the most general solutions of the
constraints when the discrete group is . We calculate the corresponding
orbifold amplitudes from two viewpoints -- from the boundary state formalism
and from the trace over the open string Hilbert space. It is shown that the
topology of the world sheet for the short string and that of the long string in
general do not coincide. For example the annulus sector for the short string
contains all the sectors (torus, annulus, Klein bottle, M\"obius strip) of the
long strings. The boundary/cross-cap states of the short strings are classified
into three categories in terms of the long string, the ordinary boundary and
the cross-cap states, and the ``joint'' state which describes the connection of
two short strings. We show that the sum of the all possible boundary conditions
is equal to the exponential of the sum of the irreducible amplitude -- one body
amplitude of long open (closed) strings. This is typical structure of DLCQ
partition function. We examined that the tadpole cancellation condition in our
language and derived the well-known gauge group .Comment: 56 pages, 11 figures, Late
Optimal control of linear time delay systems
Obtaining optimal control for linear time varying system with time dela
A comparison of time domain boundary conditions for acoustic waves in wave guides
Researchers consider several types of boundary conditions in the context of time domain models for acoustic waves. Experiments with four different duct terminations (hard wall, free radiation, foam, and wedge) were carried out in a wave duct from which reflection coefficients over a wide frequency range were measured. These reflection coefficients were used to estimate parameters in the time domain boundary conditions. A comparison of the relative merits of the models in describing the data is presented. Boundary conditions which yield a good fit of the model to the experimental data were found for all duct terminations except the wedge
Interaction of molecular nitrogen with Free-Electron-Laser radiation
We compute molecular continuum orbitals in the single center expansion
scheme. We then employ these orbitals to obtain molecular Auger rates and
single-photon ionization cross sections to study the interaction of N2 with
Free-Electron-Laser (FEL) pulses. The nuclei are kept fixed. We formulate rate
equations for the energetically allowed molecular and atomic transitions and we
account for dissociation through additional terms in the rate equations.
Solving these equations for different parameters of the FEL pulse, allows us to
identify the most efficient parameters of the FEL pulse for obtaining the
highest contribution of double core hole states (DCH) in the final atomic ion
fragments. Finally we identify the contribution of DCH states in the electron
spectra and show that the DCH state contribution is more easily identified in
the photo-ionization rather than the Auger transitions
Methods for the identification of material parameters in distributed models for flexible structures
Theoretical and numerical results are presented for inverse problems involving estimation of spatially varying parameters such as stiffness and damping in distributed models for elastic structures such as Euler-Bernoulli beams. An outline of algorithms used and a summary of computational experiences are presented
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