1,651 research outputs found
Lossy gossip and composition of metrics
We study the monoid generated by n-by-n distance matrices under tropical (or
min-plus) multiplication. Using the tropical geometry of the orthogonal group,
we prove that this monoid is a finite polyhedral fan of dimension n(n-1)/2, and
we compute the structure of this fan for n up to 5. The monoid captures gossip
among n gossipers over lossy phone lines, and contains the gossip monoid over
ordinary phone lines as a submonoid. We prove several new results about this
submonoid, as well. In particular, we establish a sharp bound on chains of
calls in each of which someone learns something new.Comment: Minor textual edits, final versio
Equivalent Results in Minimax Theory
In this paper we review known minimax results with applications ingame theory and show that these results are easy consequences of thefirst minimax result for a two person zero sum game with finite strategysets published by von Neumann in 1928: Among these results are thewell known minimax theorems of Wald, Ville and Kneser and their generalizationsdue to Kakutani, Ky-Fan, KĂÂśnig, Neumann and Gwinner-Oettli. Actually it is shown that these results form an equivalent chainand this chain includes the strong separation result in finite dimensionalspaces between two disjoint closed convex sets of which one is compact.To show these implications the authors only use simple propertiesof compact sets and the well-known Weierstrass Lebesgue lemma.convex analysis;game theory;finite dimensional separation of convex sets;generalized convexity;minimax theory
Two-dimensional rectangle packing: on-line methods and results
The first algorithms for the on-line two-dimensional rectangle packing problem were introduced by Coppersmith and Raghavan. They showed that for a family of heuristics 13/4 is an upper bound for the asymptotic worst-case ratios. We have investigated the Next Fit and the First Fit variants of their method. We proved that the asymptotic worst-case ratio equals 13/4 for the Next Fit variant and that 49/16 is an upper bound of the asymptotic worst-case ratio for the First Fit variant.
The Global Health System: Strengthening National Health Systems as the Next Step for Global Progress
In the second in a series of articles on the changing nature of global health institutions, Julio Frenk offers a framework to better understand national health systems and their role in global health
Network Structure Explains the Impact of Attitudes on Voting Decisions
Attitudes can have a profound impact on socially relevant behaviours, such as
voting. However, this effect is not uniform across situations or individuals,
and it is at present difficult to predict whether attitudes will predict
behaviour in any given circumstance. Using a network model, we demonstrate that
(a) more strongly connected attitude networks have a stronger impact on
behaviour, and (b) within any given attitude network, the most central attitude
elements have the strongest impact. We test these hypotheses using data on
voting and attitudes toward presidential candidates in the US presidential
elections from 1980 to 2012. These analyses confirm that the predictive value
of attitude networks depends almost entirely on their level of connectivity,
with more central attitude elements having stronger impact. The impact of
attitudes on voting behaviour can thus be reliably determined before elections
take place by using network analyses.Comment: Final version published in Scientific Report
A Comparison of Semi-Analytic and Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Galaxy Formation
We compare the statistical properties of galaxies found in two different
models of hierarchical galaxy formation: the semi-analytic model of Cole et al.
and the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of Pearce et al.
Using a `stripped-down' version of the semi-analytic model which mimics the
resolution of the SPH simulations and excludes physical processes not included
in them, we find that the two models produce an ensemble of galaxies with
remarkably similar properties, although there are some differences in the gas
cooling rates and in the number of galaxies that populate halos of different
mass. The full semi-analytic model, which has effectively no resolution limit
and includes a treatment of star formation and supernovae feedback, produces
somewhat different (but readily understandable) results. Agreement is
particularly good for the present-day global fractions of hot gas, cold dense
(i.e. galactic) gas and uncollapsed gas, for which the SPH and stripped-down
semi-analytic calculations differ by at most 25%. In the most massive halos,
the stripped-down semi-analytic model predicts, on the whole, up to 50% less
gas in galaxies than is seen in the SPH simulations. The two techniques
apportion this cold gas somewhat differently amongst galaxies in a given halo.
This difference can be tracked down to the greater cooling rate in massive
halos in the SPH simulation compared to the semi-analytic model. (abridged)Comment: 19 pages, 13 figures, to appear in MNRAS. Significantly extended to
explore galaxy progenitor distributions and behaviour of models at high
redshift
Overcoming gaps to advance global health equity: a symposium on new directions for research
<p>Abstract</p> <p>The 20<sup>th </sup>anniversary of the groundbreaking report of the Commission on Health Research for Development inspired a Symposium to assess progress made in strengthening essential national health research capacity in developing countries and in global research partnerships. Significant aspects of the health gains achieved in the 20<sup>th </sup>century can be attributed to the advancement and translation of knowledge, and knowledge continues to occupy center stage amidst growing complexity that characterizes the global health field. The way forward will entail a reinvigoration of research-generated knowledge as a crucial ingredient for global cooperation and global health advances. To do this we will need to overcome daunting gaps, including the divides between domestic and global health, among the disciplines of research (biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, health systems), between clinical and public health approaches, public and private investments, and between knowledge gained and action implemented. Overcoming systematically these obstacles can accelerate progress towards research for equity in health and development.</p
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