2,000 research outputs found
Testing the assumptions of linear prediction analysis in normal vowels
This paper develops an improved surrogate data test to show experimental evidence, for all the simple vowels of US English, for both male and female speakers, that Gaussian linear prediction analysis, a ubiquitous technique in current speech technologies, cannot be used to extract all the dynamical structure of real speech time series. The test provides robust evidence undermining the validity of these linear techniques, supporting the assumptions of either dynamical nonlinearity and/or non-Gaussianity common to more recent, complex, efforts at dynamical modelling speech time series. However, an additional finding is that the classical assumptions cannot be ruled out entirely, and plausible evidence is given to explain the success of the linear Gaussian theory as a weak approximation to the true, nonlinear/non-Gaussian dynamics. This supports the use of appropriate hybrid linear/nonlinear/non-Gaussian modelling. With a calibrated calculation of statistic and particular choice of experimental protocol, some of the known systematic problems of the method of surrogate data testing are circumvented to obtain results to support the conclusions to a high level of significance
Attachment as a framework to facilitate empowerment for people with severe mental illness
Objectives: Recovery and empowerment have evolved into key objectives in the treatment and care of people with severe mental illness (SMI), and interest has grown in the role of social relationships in recovery. This study is the first to explore whether attachment styles are related to levels of empowerment, and secondly, whether attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance are associated with lower empowerment levels, independently of quality and frequency of social contact. Design: We used a cross-sectional design. Methods: In a sample of 157 participants with SMI in outpatient care, associations between attachment (Revised Adult Attachment Scale), self-reported social functioning, and empowerment (Netherlands Empowerment List) were assessed. Results: Attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were both associated with lower levels of empowerment. A stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the prediction of empowerment was significantly improved by adding attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance to quality and frequency of social contact. Attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and quality of social contact were significant predictors; frequency of social contact was not. Conclusions: Although our design does not allow causal conclusions, our results highlight the importance of interpersonal processes and behaviours as routes to improving empowerment for people with SMI. A promising approach might thus consist of securing attachment bonds with significant others so that the self and the other are perceived as reliable resources. Our findings also feature the importance of reciprocity and equality in social relationships. Taken together, our study emphasizes the value of social, contextualized interventions in recovery work for people with SMI. Practitioner points: Working towards attachment safety in interpersonal relations may be important in recovery-oriented treatment and care for people with severe mental illness (SMI). Helping people with SMI to recognize and change how they tend to relate themselves to others may promote engagement and effectiveness of recovery-oriented treatment and care. Reciprocity and equality in social relationships as vital complements to the more one-sided nature of ‘standing alongside’ and offering support may be important requisites for empowerment
Conformally flat black hole initial data, with one cylindrical end
We give a complete analytical proof of existence and uniqueness of
extreme-like black hole initial data for Einstein equations, which possess a
cilindrical end, analogous to extreme Kerr, extreme Reissner Nordstrom, and
extreme Bowen-York's initial data. This extends and refines a previous result
\cite{dain-gabach09} to a general case of conformally flat, maximal initial
data with angular momentum, linear momentum and matter.Comment: Minor changes and formula (21) revised according to the published
version in Class. Quantum Grav. (2010). Results unchange
Caracterização molecular parcial de duas regiões do genoma do equine infectious anemia virus a partir de uma amostra de campo de um cavalo do pantanal brasileiro.
No presente estudo foi feita a caracterização molecular parcial de duas regiões do genoma do EIAV de uma amostra de campo de um cavalo proveniente do município de Poconé/Mato Grosso
Shuttle Planning for Link Closures in Urban Public Transport Networks
Urban Public Transport systems must periodically close certain links for main- tenance, which can have significant effects on the service provided to passengers. In practice, the effects of closures are mitigated by replacing the link with a simple shuttle service. However, alternative shuttle services could reduce inconvenience at lower op- erating cost. This paper proposes a model to select shuttle lines and frequencies under budget constraints. A new formulation is proposed that allows a minimal frequency restriction on any line that is operated, and minimizes passenger inconvenience cost, including transfers and frequency-dependent waiting time. This model is applied to a shuttle design problem based on a real world case study of the MBTA network of Boston (USA). The results show that additional shuttle routes can reduce passenger delay in comparison to the standard industry practice, while also distributing delay more equally over passengers, at the same operating budget. The results are robust under different assumptions about passenger route choice behavior. Computational experiments show that the proposed formulation, coupled with a preprocessing step, can be solved faster than prior formulations
Extreme Bowen-York initial data
The Bowen-York family of spinning black hole initial data depends essentially
on one, positive, free parameter. The extreme limit corresponds to making this
parameter equal to zero. This choice represents a singular limit for the
constraint equations. We prove that in this limit a new solution of the
constraint equations is obtained. These initial data have similar properties to
the extreme Kerr and Reissner-Nordstrom black hole initial data. In particular,
in this limit one of the asymptotic ends changes from asymptotically flat to
cylindrical. The existence proof is constructive, we actually show that a
sequence of Bowen-York data converges to the extreme solution.Comment: 21 page
Genetic resistance to Mycobacterium Tuberculosis infection and disease
CITATION: Möller, M. et al. 2018. Genetic resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease. Frontier in Immunology, 9:2219, 1-13. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2018.02219.The original publication is available from https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology#Natural history studies of tuberculosis (TB) have revealed a spectrum of clinical outcomes
after exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the cause of TB. Not all individuals
exposed to the bacteriumwill become diseased and depending on the infection pressure,
many will remain infection-free. Intriguingly, complete resistance to infection is observed
in some individuals (termed resisters) after intense, continuing M. tuberculosis exposure.
After successful infection, the majority of individuals will develop latent TB infection
(LTBI). This infection state is currently (and perhaps imperfectly) defined by the presence
of a positive tuberculin skin test (TST) and/or interferon gamma release assay (IGRA),
but no detectable clinical disease symptoms. The majority of healthy individuals with
LTBI are resistant to clinical TB, indicating that infection is remarkably well-contained in
these non-progressors. The remaining 5–15% of LTBI positive individuals will progress to
active TB. Epidemiological investigations have indicated that the host genetic component
contributes to these infection and disease phenotypes, influencing both susceptibility and
resistance. Elucidating these genetic correlates is therefore a priority as it may translate
to new interventions to prevent, diagnose or treat TB. The most successful approaches
in resistance/susceptibility investigation have focused on specific infection and disease
phenotypes and the resister phenotype may hold the key to the discovery of actionable
genetic variants in TB infection and disease. This review will not only discuss lessons
from epidemiological studies, but will also focus on the contribution of epidemiology and
functional genetics to human genetic resistance to M. tuberculosis infection and disease.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.02219/fullhttps://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.02219Published review articlePublishers versio
"Peeling property" for linearized gravity in null coordinates
A complete description of the linearized gravitational field on a flat
background is given in terms of gauge-independent quasilocal quantities. This
is an extension of the results from gr-qc/9801068. Asymptotic spherical
quasilocal parameterization of the Weyl field and its relation with Einstein
equations is presented. The field equations are equivalent to the wave
equation. A generalization for Schwarzschild background is developed and the
axial part of gravitational field is fully analyzed. In the case of axial
degree of freedom for linearized gravitational field the corresponding
generalization of the d'Alembert operator is a Regge-Wheeler equation. Finally,
the asymptotics at null infinity is investigated and strong peeling property
for axial waves is proved.Comment: 27 page
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