612 research outputs found
A note on an example by van Mill
Improving on an earlier example by J. van Mill, we prove that there exists a
zero-dimensional compact space of countable pi-weight and uncountable character
which is homogeneous under MA+notCH, but not under CH.Comment: Revision after referee's comment
The Success Of Stock Selection Strategies In Emerging Markets: Is It Risk Or Behavioral Bias?
We examine competing explanations, based on risk and behavioral models, for the profitability of
stock selection strategies in emerging markets. We document that both emerging market risk and global risk factors cannot account for the significant excess returns of selection strategies based on value, momentum and earnings revisions indicators. The findings for value and momentum strategies are consistent with the evidence from developed markets supporting behavioral explanations. In addition, for value stocks, the most important behavioral bias
appears to be related to underestimation of long-term growth prospects, as indicated by overly pessimistic analysts' earnings forecasts and above average earnings revisions for longer postformation horizons and by quite rapidly improving earnings growth expectations. Furthermore, we find that overreaction effects play a limited role for the earnings revisions strategy, as there is no clear return reversal up until five years after portfolio formation, setting this strategy apart from momentum strategies
Solving non-uniqueness in agglomerative hierarchical clustering using multidendrograms
In agglomerative hierarchical clustering, pair-group methods suffer from a
problem of non-uniqueness when two or more distances between different clusters
coincide during the amalgamation process. The traditional approach for solving
this drawback has been to take any arbitrary criterion in order to break ties
between distances, which results in different hierarchical classifications
depending on the criterion followed. In this article we propose a
variable-group algorithm that consists in grouping more than two clusters at
the same time when ties occur. We give a tree representation for the results of
the algorithm, which we call a multidendrogram, as well as a generalization of
the Lance and Williams' formula which enables the implementation of the
algorithm in a recursive way.Comment: Free Software for Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering using
Multidendrograms available at
http://deim.urv.cat/~sgomez/multidendrograms.ph
General practice registration networks in the Netherlands: a brief report
In the Netherlands, several general practice registrations exist. Groups
of general practitioners register elements of patient care according to
agreed-upon criteria, and these data are collected in a central database.
By means of a questionnaire the authors interviewed the managers of all
nine computerized registration networks extensively about the
possibilities and limitations of their registration. In addition,
respondents answered some questions with data from the central database of
their network. Various items are collected by nearly all the registration
networks, while other items are collected by only one network. Answering
questions with data from the central database turned out to be difficult.
Organization and manpower are the main obstacles
A cross-sectional study in healthy elderly subjects aimed at development of an algorithm to increase identification of Alzheimer pathology for the purpose of clinical trial participation
In the current study, we aimed to develop an algorithm based on biomarkers obtained through nonor minimally invasive procedures to identify healthy elderly subjects who have an increased risk of abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid beta42 (AÎČ) levels consistent with the presence of Alzheimerâs disease (AD) pathology. The use of the algorithm may help to identify subjects with preclinical AD who are eligible for potential participation in trials with disease modifying compounds being developed for AD. Due to this pre-selection, fewer lumbar punctures will be needed, decreasing overall burden for study subjects and costs.Perioperative Medicine: Efficacy, Safety and Outcome (Anesthesiology/Intensive Care
A pre-post study of behavioural determinants and practice change in Ugandan clinical officers
Background. Understanding the drivers of âprovider behaviourâ has been highlighted as one of the six domains of behaviour change in strengthening healthcare systems.Objectives. To assess changes in healthcare provider behaviour, i.e. use of the Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure (ABCDE) approach in acute illness management, after participating in a 1-day course on the assessment and management of acutely ill patients. We aimed to assess whether changes in psychological determinants of the ABCDE approach were associated with changes in the use of the approach.Methods. We used a pre-post design to study self-reported change in behaviour after a 1-day training course from pre-course to follow-up 1 month later. We also measured psychological determinants of behaviour immediately before and after and at 1-month follow-up. We explored if changes in psychological determinants were associated with change in practice 1 month later.Results. We found the following: firstly, use of the ABCDE approach increased at 1 month post-course from a median use of 50 - 90%. Secondly, the increase in the ABCDE approach was associated with a positive change in only one of the determinants of practice from pre- to post-course: perception of environmental determinants (r=0.323; p<0.05). Finally, there were no other significant associations with practice change or practice at follow-up.Conclusions. Change in perceptions of availability of resources was associated with increased use of an ABCDE approach, but evidence was limited owing to the pre-post design
The pp -> pp pi pi pi reaction channels in the threshold region
The cross section for prompt neutral and charged three pion production in pp
interactions was measured at excess energies in the range 160 - 217 MeV. That
comprises the first measurement of the pp->pp pi0pi0pi0 reaction and the
comparison with the pp->pp pi+pi-pi0 reaction, in a very direct way. The
experiment was performed above the eta meson production threshold and the cross
section normalization was obtained from a concurrent measurement of the
reaction pp->pp eta with the eta decaying into 3 pions. Since the same final
states are selected, the measurement has a low systematical error. The measured
cross section ratio sigma(pp->pp pi+pi-pi0)/sigma(pp->pp pi0\pi0\pi0) is
compared to predictions of dominance of different isobars in the intermediate
state.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures New discussion on the pp->pp3pi reaction
mechanis
The Two-Loop Pinch Technique in the Electroweak Sector
The generalization of the two-loop Pinch Technique to the Electroweak Sector
of the Standard Model is presented. We restrict ourselves to the case of
conserved external currents, and provide a detailed analysis of both the
charged and neutral sectors. The crucial ingredient for this construction is
the identification of the parts discarded during the pinching procedure with
well-defined contributions to the Slavnov-Taylor identity satisfied by the
off-shell one-loop gauge-boson vertices; the latter are nested inside the
conventional two-loop self-energies. It is shown by resorting to a set of
powerful identities that the two-loop effective Pinch Technique self-energies
coincide with the corresponding ones computed in the Background Feynman gauge.
The aforementioned identities are derived in the context of the
Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism, a fact which enables the individual treatment of
the self-energies of the photon and the -boson. Some possible
phenomenological applications are briefly discussed.Comment: 50 pages, uses axodra
Microlensing as a probe of the Galactic structure; 20 years of microlensing optical depth studies
Microlensing is now a very popular observational astronomical technique. The
investigations accessible through this effect range from the dark matter
problem to the search for extra-solar planets. In this review, the techniques
to search for microlensing effects and to determine optical depths through the
monitoring of large samples of stars will be described. The consequences of the
published results on the knowledge of the Milky-Way structure and its dark
matter component will be discussed. The difficulties and limitations of the
ongoing programs and the perspectives of the microlensing optical depth
technique as a probe of the Galaxy structure will also be detailed.Comment: Accepted for publication in General Relativity and Gravitation.
General Relativity and Gravitation in press (2010) 0
Spatial comparison of CT-based surrogates of lung ventilation with hyperpolarized Helium-3 and Xenon-129 gas MRI in patients undergoing radiation therapy
Purpose
To develop and apply an image acquisition and analysis strategy for spatial comparison of CT-ventilation images with hyperpolarized gas MRI.
Methods
11 lung cancer patients underwent 129Xe and 3He ventilation MRI and co-registered 1H anatomical MRI. Expiratory and inspiratory breath-hold CTs were used for deformable image registration and calculation of three CT-ventilation metrics: Hounsfield unit (CTHU), Jacobian (CTJac) and specific gas volume change (CTSGV). Inspiration CT and hyperpolarized gas ventilation MRI were registered via same-breath anatomical 1H-MRI. Voxel-wise Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated between each CT-ventilation image and its corresponding 3He/129Xe-MRI, and for the mean values in regions of interest (ROIs) ranging from fine to coarse in-plane dimensions of 5x5, 10x10, 15x15 and 20x20, located within the lungs as defined by the same-breath 1H-MRI lung mask. Correlation of 3He and 129Xe-MRI was also assessed.
Results
Spatial correlation of CT-ventilation against 3He/129Xe-MRI increased with ROI size. For example, for CTHU, mean±SD Spearman coefficients were 0.37±0.19/0.33±0.17 at the voxel-level and 0.52±0.20/0.51±0.18 for 20x20 ROIs, respectively. Correlations were stronger for CTHU than for CTJac or CTSGV. Correlation of 3He with 129Xe-MRI was consistently higher than either gas against CT-ventilation maps over all ROIs (p<0.05). No significant differences were observed between CT-ventilation vs 3He-MRI and CT-ventilation vs 129Xe-MRI.
Conclusion
Comparison of ventilation-related measures from CT and registered hyperpolarized gas MRI is feasible at a voxel level using a dedicated acquisition and analysis protocol. Moderate correlation between CT-ventilation and MRI exists at a regional level. Correlation between MRI and CT is significantly less than between 3He and 129Xe-MRI, suggesting that CT-ventilation surrogate measures may not be measuring lung ventilation alone
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