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KurSL: model of anharmonic coupled oscillations based on Kuramoto coupling and SturmâLiouville problem
Physiological signaling is often oscillatory and shows nonlinearity due to complex interactions of underlying processes or signal propagation delays. This is particularly evident in case of brain activity which is subject to various feedback loop interactions between different brain structures, that coordinate their activity to support normal function. In order to understand such signaling in health and disease, methods are needed that can deal with such complex oscillatory phenomena. In this paper, a data-driven method for analyzing anharmonic oscillations is introduced. The KurSL model incorporates two well-studied components, which in the past have been used separately to analyze oscillatory behavior. The SturmâLiouville equations describe a form of a general oscillation, and the Kuramoto coupling model represents a set of oscillators interacting in the phase domain. Integration of these components provides a flexible framework for capturing complex interactions of oscillatory processes of more general form than the most commonly used harmonic oscillators. The paper introduces a mathematical framework of the KurSL model and analyzes its behavior for a variety of parameter ranges. The significance of the model follows from its ability to provide information about coupled oscillatorsâ phase dynamics directly from the time series. KurSL offers a novel framework for analyzing a wide range of complex oscillatory behaviors, such as the ones encountered in physiological signals
Generalised chiral QED2 : Anomaly and Exotic Statistics
We study the influence of the anomaly on the physical quantum picture of the
generalized chiral Schwinger model defined on the circle. We show that the
anomaly i) results in the background linearly rising electric field and ii)
makes the spectrum of the physical Hamiltonian nonrelativistic without a
massive boson. The physical matter fields acquire exotic statistics . We
construct explicitly the algebra of the Poincare generators and show that it
differs from the Poincare one. We exhibit the role of the vacuum Berry phase in
the failure of the Poincare algebra to close. We prove that, in spite of the
background electric field, such phenomenon as the total screening of external
charges characteristic for the standard Schwinger model takes place in the
generalized chiral Schwinger model, too.Comment: LATEX file, 36 pp., to appear in Phys.Rev.
Learning physics in context: a study of student learning about electricity and magnetism
This paper re-centres the discussion of student learning in physics to focus
on context. In order to do so, a theoretically-motivated understanding of
context is developed. Given a well-defined notion of context, data from a novel
university class in electricity and magnetism are analyzed to demonstrate the
central and inextricable role of context in student learning. This work sits
within a broader effort to create and analyze environments which support
student learning in the sciencesComment: 36 pages, 4 Figure
Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between knee joint effusion and osteoarthritic structural changes in older adults
Evolution of Cartesian Genetic Programs for Development of Learning Neural Architecture
Comparison of the estimated incidence of acute leptospirosis in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania between 2007-08 and 2012-14
Background:
The sole report of annual leptospirosis incidence in continental Africa of 75â102 cases per 100,000 population is from a study performed in August 2007 through September 2008 in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. To evaluate the stability of this estimate over time, we estimated the incidence of acute leptospirosis in Kilimanjaro Region, northern Tanzania for the time period 2012â2014.
Methodology and Principal Findings:
Leptospirosis cases were identified among febrile patients at two sentinel hospitals in the Kilimanjaro Region. Leptospirosis was diagnosed by serum microscopic agglutination testing using a panel of 20 Leptospira serovars belonging to 17 separate serogroups. Serum was taken at enrolment and patients were asked to return 4â6 weeks later to provide convalescent serum. Confirmed cases required a 4-fold rise in titre and probable cases required a single titre of â„800. Findings from a healthcare utilisation survey were used to estimate multipliers to adjust for cases not seen at sentinel hospitals. We identified 19 (1.7%) confirmed or probable cases among 1,115 patients who presented with a febrile illness. Of cases, the predominant reactive serogroups were Australis 8 (42.1%), Sejroe 3 (15.8%), Grippotyphosa 2 (10.5%), Icterohaemorrhagiae 2 (10.5%), Pyrogenes 2 (10.5%), Djasiman 1 (5.3%), Tarassovi 1 (5.3%). We estimated that the annual incidence of leptospirosis was 11â18 cases per 100,000 population. This was a significantly lower incidence than 2007â08 (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
We estimated a much lower incidence of acute leptospirosis than previously, with a notable absence of cases due to the previously predominant serogroup Mini. Our findings indicate a dynamic epidemiology of leptospirosis in this area and highlight the value of multi-year surveillance to understand leptospirosis epidemiology
An Experimental Platform for Pulsed-Power Driven Magnetic Reconnection
We describe a versatile pulsed-power driven platform for magnetic
reconnection experiments, based on exploding wire arrays driven in parallel
[Suttle, L. G. et al. PRL, 116, 225001]. This platform produces inherently
magnetised plasma flows for the duration of the generator current pulse (250
ns), resulting in a long-lasting reconnection layer. The layer exists for long
enough to allow evolution of complex processes such as plasmoid formation and
movement to be diagnosed by a suite of high spatial and temporal resolution
laser-based diagnostics. We can access a wide range of magnetic reconnection
regimes by changing the wire material or moving the electrodes inside the wire
arrays. We present results with aluminium and carbon wires, in which the
parameters of the inflows and the layer which forms are significantly
different. By moving the electrodes inside the wire arrays, we change how
strongly the inflows are driven. This enables us to study both symmetric
reconnection in a range of different regimes, and asymmetric reconnection.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures. Version revised to include referee's comments.
Submitted to Physics of Plasma
Formation and Structure of a Current Sheet in Pulsed-Power Driven Magnetic Reconnection Experiments
We describe magnetic reconnection experiments using a new, pulsed-power
driven experimental platform in which the inflows are super-sonic but
sub-Alfv\'enic.The intrinsically magnetised plasma flows are long lasting,
producing a well-defined reconnection layer that persists over many
hydrodynamic time scales.The layer is diagnosed using a suite of high
resolution laser based diagnostics which provide measurements of the electron
density, reconnecting magnetic field, inflow and outflow velocities and the
electron and ion temperatures.Using these measurements we observe a balance
between the power flow into and out of the layer, and we find that the heating
rates for the electrons and ions are significantly in excess of the classical
predictions. The formation of plasmoids is observed in laser interferometry and
optical self-emission, and the magnetic O-point structure of these plasmoids is
confirmed using magnetic probes.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in Physics of Plasma
Health behaviour modelling for prenatal diagnosis in Australia: a geodemographic framework for health service utilisation and policy development
BACKGROUND: Despite the wide availability of prenatal screening and diagnosis, a number of studies have reported no decrease in the rate of babies born with Down syndrome. The objective of this study was to investigate the geodemographic characteristics of women who have prenatal diagnosis in Victoria, Australia, by applying a novel consumer behaviour modelling technique in the analysis of health data. METHODS: A descriptive analysis of data on all prenatal diagnostic tests, births (1998 and 2002) and births of babies with Down syndrome (1998 to 2002) was undertaken using a Geographic Information System and socioeconomic lifestyle segmentation classifications. RESULTS: Most metropolitan women in Victoria have average or above State average levels of uptake of prenatal diagnosis. Inner city women residing in high socioeconomic lifestyle segments who have high rates of prenatal diagnosis spend 20% more on specialist physician's fees when compared to those whose rates are average. Rates of prenatal diagnosis are generally low amongst women in rural Victoria, with the lowest rates observed in farming districts. Reasons for this are likely to be a combination of lack of access to services (remoteness) and individual opportunity (lack of transportation, low levels of support and income). However, there are additional reasons for low uptake rates in farming areas that could not be explained by the behaviour modelling. These may relate to women's attitudes and choices. CONCLUSION: A lack of statewide geodemographic consistency in uptake of prenatal diagnosis implies that there is a need to target health professionals and pregnant women in specific areas to ensure there is increased equity of access to services and that all pregnant women can make informed choices that are best for them. Equally as important is appropriate health service provision for families of children with Down syndrome. Our findings show that these potential interventions are particularly relevant in rural areas. Classifying data to lifestyle segments allowed for practical comparisons of the geodemographic characteristics of women having prenatal diagnosis in Australia at a population level. This methodology may in future be a feasible and cost-effective tool for service planners and policy developers
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