707 research outputs found
Exploring an Objective Weighting System for Travel & Tourism Pillars
AbstractThe World Economic Forum employs Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Indexes (TTCI) to measure the travel & tourism (T&T) global competitiveness of a country. The TTCI overall scores are calculated with an arithmetic mean aggregation from the scores of the fourteen composite pillars with a subjective assumption of all the pillars having the same weights. This paper attempts to release such a subjective assumption by proposing a new solution framework to explore an objective weighting system for the pillars. The proposed solution framework employs the Expectation Maximization (EM) clustering algorithm to group the 139 ranked countries into three classes and then performs the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) analysis to explore the objective weighting system for the fourteen pillars. The results show that tourism infrastructure, ground transport infrastructure, air transport infrastructure, cultural resources, health and hygiene, and ICT infrastructure are the six most critical pillars contributing to the TTCI overall scores. Accordingly, the policy makers should allocate limited resources with priority to improve these six pillars to frog leap the T&T global competitiveness
PIN69 Cost Utility Analysis of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Malaysia
Farrando Sicilia, Jordi; Lecea, Ignasi de; Fuente Fuente, Carlos; Ribas Seix, Anna; Masana Padrós, Judit; Delgado, José L
The association between distal findings and proximal colorectal neoplasia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Objectives:
Whether screening participants with distal hyperplastic polyps (HPs) detected by flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) should be followed by subsequent colonoscopy is controversial. We evaluated the association between distal HPs and proximal neoplasia (PN)/advanced proximal neoplasia (APN) in asymptomatic, average-risk patients.
Methods:
We searched Ovid Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from inception to 30 June 2016 and included all screening studies that examined the relationship between different distal findings and PN/APN. Data were independently extracted by two reviewers with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer. We pooled absolute risks and odds ratios (ORs) with a random effects meta-analysis. Seven subgroup analyses were performed according to study characteristics. Heterogeneity was characterized with theI2 statistics.
Results:
We analyzed 28 studies (104,961 subjects). When compared with normal distal findings, distal HP was not associated with PN (OR=1.16, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.89–1.51,P=0.14,I2=40%) or APN (OR=1.09, 95% CI=0.87–1.36,P=0.39,I2=5%), while subjects with distal non-advanced or advanced adenoma had higher odds of PN/APN. Higher odds of PN/APN were observed for more severe distal lesions. Weaker association between distal and proximal findings was noticed in studies with higher quality, larger sample size, population-based design, and more stringent endoscopy quality-control measures. The Egger’s regression tests showed allP>0.05.
Conclusions:
Distal HP is not associated with PN/APN in asymptomatic screening population when compared with normal distal findings. Hence, the presence of distal HP alone detected by FS does not automatically indicate colonoscopy referral for all screening participants, as other risk factors of PN/APN should be considered
Skyrmion Excitations in Quantum Hall Systems
Using finite size calculations on the surface of a sphere we study the
topological (skyrmion) excitation in quantum Hall system with spin degree of
freedom at filling factors around . In the absence of Zeeman energy, we
find, in systems with one quasi-particle or one quasi-hole, the lowest energy
band consists of states with , where and are the total orbital and
spin angular momentum. These different spin states are almost degenerate in the
thermodynamic limit and their symmetry-breaking ground state is the state with
one skyrmion of infinite size. In the presence of Zeeman energy, the skyrmion
size is determined by the interplay of the Zeeman energy and electron-electron
interaction and the skyrmion shrinks to a spin texture of finite size. We have
calculated the energy gap of the system at infinite wave vector limit as a
function of the Zeeman energy and find there are kinks in the energy gap
associated with the shrinking of the size of the skyrmion. breaking ground
state is the state with one skyrmion of infinite size. In the presence of
Zeeman energy, the skyrmion size is determined by the interplay of the Zeeman
energy and electron-electronComment: 4 pages, 5 postscript figures available upon reques
On low temperature kinetic theory; spin diffusion, Bose Einstein condensates, anyons
The paper considers some typical problems for kinetic models evolving through
pair-collisions at temperatures not far from absolute zero, which illustrate
specific quantum behaviours. Based on these examples, a number of differences
between quantum and classical Boltzmann theory is then discussed in more
general terms.Comment: 25 pages, minor updates of previous versio
Energy, interaction, and photoluminescence of spin-reversed quasielectrons in fractional quantum Hall systems
The energy and photoluminescence spectra of a two-dimensional electron gas in
the fractional quantum Hall regime are studied. The single-particle properties
of reversed-spin quasielectrons (QE's) as well as the
pseudopotentials of their interaction with one another and with Laughlin
quasielectrons (QE's) and quasiholes (QH's) are calculated. Based on the
short-range character of the QE--QE and QE--QE
repulsion, the partially unpolarized incompressible states at the filling
factors and are postulated within Haldane's
hierarchy scheme. To describe photoluminescence, the family of bound
QE states of a valence hole and QE's are
predicted in analogy to the found earlier fractionally charged excitons
QE. The binding energy and optical selection rules for both families are
compared. The QE is found radiative in contrast to the dark QE,
and the QE is found non-radiative in contrast to the bright
QE.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
High pressure phases in highly piezoelectric Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3
Two novel room-temperature phase transitions are observed, via synchrotron
x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, in the Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 alloy under
hydrostatic pressures up to 16 GPa. A monoclinic (M)-to-rhombohedral (R1) phase
transition takes place around 2-3 GPa, while this R1 phase transforms into
another rhombohedral phase, R2, at about 6-7 GPa. First-principles calculations
assign the R3m and R3c symmetry to R1 and R2, respectively, and reveal that R2
acts as a pressure-induced structural bridge between the polar R3m and a
predicted antiferrodistortive R-3c phase.Comment: REVTeX, 4 pages with 3 figures embedded. Figs 1 and 3 in colo
Spin-current modulation and square-wave transmission through periodically stubbed electron waveguides
Ballistic spin transport through waveguides, with symmetric or asymmetric
double stubs attached to them periodically, is studied systematically in the
presence of a weak spin-orbit coupling that makes the electrons precess. By an
appropriate choice of the waveguide length and of the stub parameters injected
spin-polarized electrons can be blocked completely and the transmission shows a
periodic and nearly square-type behavior, with values 1 and 0, with wide gaps
when only one mode is allowed to propagate in the waveguide. A similar behavior
is possible for a certain range of the stub parameters even when two-modes can
propagate in the waveguide and the conductance is doubled. Such a structure is
a good candidate for establishing a realistic spin transistor. A further
modulation of the spin current can be achieved by inserting defects in a
finite-number stub superlattice. Finite-temperature effects on the spin
conductance are also considered.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figure
The Potts Fully Frustrated model: Thermodynamics, percolation and dynamics in 2 dimensions
We consider a Potts model diluted by fully frustrated Ising spins. The model
corresponds to a fully frustrated Potts model with variables having an integer
absolute value and a sign. This model presents precursor phenomena of a glass
transition in the high-temperature region. We show that the onset of these
phenomena can be related to a thermodynamic transition. Furthermore this
transition can be mapped onto a percolation transition. We numerically study
the phase diagram in 2 dimensions (2D) for this model with frustration and {\em
without} disorder and we compare it to the phase diagram of the model with
frustration {\em and} disorder and of the ferromagnetic model.
Introducing a parameter that connects the three models, we generalize the exact
expression of the ferromagnetic Potts transition temperature in 2D to the other
cases. Finally, we estimate the dynamic critical exponents related to the Potts
order parameter and to the energy.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, new result
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