701 research outputs found
Tests for exponentiality against NBUE alternatives: a Monte Carlo comparison
Testing of various classes of life distributions has been addressed in the
literature for more than 45 years. In this paper, we consider the problem of
testing exponentiality (which essentially implies no ageing) against positive
ageing which is captured by the fairly large class of new better than used in
expectation (NBUE) distributions. These tests of exponentiality against NBUE
alternatives are discussed and compared. The empirical size of the tests is
obtained by simulations. Power comparisons for different popular alternatives
are done using Monte Carlo simulations. These comparisons are made for both
small and large sample sizes. The paper concludes with a discussion in which
suggestions are made regarding the choices of the test when a particular
alternative is suspected
Evaluation of a Medicaid Lock-in Program
Background: "Lock-in" programs (LIPs) identify beneficiaries demonstrating potential overutilization of opioids, and other controlled substances, and restrict their access to these medications. LIPs are expanding to address the opioid crisis and could be an effective tool for connecting people to opioid use disorder treatment. We examined the immediate and sustained effects of a Medicaid LIP on overdose risk and use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder. Methods: We analyzed North Carolina Medicaid claims from July 2009 through June 2013. We estimated daily risk differences and ratios of MAT use and overdose during lock-in and following release from the program, compared with periods before program enrollment. Results: The daily probability of MAT use during lock-in and following release was greater, when compared with a period just before LIP enrollment [daily risk ratios: 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18-1.91; 2.27, 95% CI: 1.07-4.80; respectively]. Beneficiaries' average overdose risk while enrolled in the program and following release was similar to their risk just before enrollment (daily risk ratios: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.79-1.28; 1.12, 95% CI: 0.82-1.54; respectively). Discussion: North Carolina's Medicaid LIP was associated with increased use of MAT during enrollment, and this increase was sustained in the year following release from the program. However, we did not observe parallel reductions in overdose risk during lock-in and following release. Identifying facilitators of MAT access and use among this population, as well as potential barriers to overdose reduction are important next steps to ensuring effective LIP design
Variational Field Theoretic Approach to Relativistic Scattering
Nonperturbative polaron variational methods are applied, within the so-called
particle or worldline representation of relativistic field theory, to study
scattering in the context of the scalar Wick - Cutkosky model. Important
features of the variational calculation are that it is a controlled
approximation scheme valid for arbitrary coupling strengths, the Green
functions have all the cuts and poles expected for the exact result at any
order in perturbation theory and that the variational parameters are
simultaneously sensitive to the infrared as well as the ultraviolet behaviour
of the theory. We generalize the previously used quadratic trial action by
allowing more freedom for off-shell propagation without a change in the
on-shell variational equations and evaluate the scattering amplitude at first
order in the variational scheme. Particular attention is paid to the
-channel scattering near threshold because here non-perturbative effects can
be large. We check the unitarity of a our numerical calculation and find it
greatly improved compared to perturbation theory and to the zeroth order
variational results.Comment: 26 pages, Latex, 5 postscript figures embedded with epsf, submitted
to Nucl. Phys.
X-Ray Scattering Measurements of the Transient Structure of a Driven Charge-Density-Wave
We report time-resolved x-ray scattering measurements of the transient
structural response of the sliding {\bf Q} charge-density-wave (CDW) in
NbSe to a reversal of the driving electric field. The observed time scale
characterizing this response at 70K varies from 15 msec for driving
fields near threshold to 2 msec for fields well above threshold. The
position and time-dependent strain of the CDW is analyzed in terms of a
phenomenological equation of motion for the phase of the CDW order parameter.
The value of the damping constant, eV
seconds \AA, is in excellent agreement with the value
determined from transport measurements. As the driving field approaches
threshold from above, the line shape becomes bimodal, suggesting that the CDW
does not depin throughout the entire sample at one well-defined voltage.Comment: revtex 3.0, 7 figure
Partitioned trace distances
New quantum distance is introduced as a half-sum of several singular values
of difference between two density operators. This is, up to factor, the metric
induced by so-called Ky Fan norm. The partitioned trace distances enjoy similar
properties to the standard trace distance, including the unitary invariance,
the strong convexity and the close relations to the classical distances. The
partitioned distances cannot increase under quantum operations of certain kind
including bistochastic maps. All the basic properties are re-formulated as
majorization relations. Possible applications to quantum information processing
are briefly discussed.Comment: 8 pages, no figures. Significant changes are made. New section on
majorization is added. Theorem 4.1 is extended. The bibliography is enlarged
Incorporation of Density Matrix Wavefunctions in Monte Carlo Simulations: Application to the Frustrated Heisenberg Model
We combine the Density Matrix Technique (DMRG) with Green Function Monte
Carlo (GFMC) simulations. The DMRG is most successful in 1-dimensional systems
and can only be extended to 2-dimensional systems for strips of limited width.
GFMC is not restricted to low dimensions but is limited by the efficiency of
the sampling. This limitation is crucial when the system exhibits a so-called
sign problem, which on the other hand is not a particular obstacle for the
DMRG. We show how to combine the virtues of both methods by using a DMRG
wavefunction as guiding wave function for the GFMC. This requires a special
representation of the DMRG wavefunction to make the simulations possible within
reasonable computational time. As a test case we apply the method to the
2-dimensional frustrated Heisenberg antiferromagnet. By supplementing the
branching in GFMC with Stochastic Reconfiguration (SR) we get a stable
simulation with a small variance also in the region where the fluctuations due
to minus sign problem are maximal. The sensitivity of the results to the choice
of the guiding wavefunction is extensively investigated. We analyse the model
as a function of the ratio of the next-nearest to nearest neighbor coupling
strength. We observe in the frustrated regime a pattern of the spin
correlations which is in-between dimerlike and plaquette type ordering, states
that have recently been suggested. It is a state with strong dimerization in
one direction and weaker dimerization in the perpendicular direction.Comment: slightly revised version with added reference
Upper critical field for underdoped high-T_c superconductors. Pseudogap and stripe--phase
We investigate the upper critical field in a stripe--phase and in the
presence of a phenomenological pseudogap. Our results indicate that the
formation of stripes affects the Landau orbits and results in an enhancement of
. On the other hand, phenomenologically introduced pseudogap leads to a
reduction of the upper critical field. This effect is of particular importance
when the magnitude of the gap is of the order of the superconducting transition
temperature. We have found that a suppression of the upper critical field takes
place also for the gap that originates from the charge--density waves.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Toward an internally consistent astronomical distance scale
Accurate astronomical distance determination is crucial for all fields in
astrophysics, from Galactic to cosmological scales. Despite, or perhaps because
of, significant efforts to determine accurate distances, using a wide range of
methods, tracers, and techniques, an internally consistent astronomical
distance framework has not yet been established. We review current efforts to
homogenize the Local Group's distance framework, with particular emphasis on
the potential of RR Lyrae stars as distance indicators, and attempt to extend
this in an internally consistent manner to cosmological distances. Calibration
based on Type Ia supernovae and distance determinations based on gravitational
lensing represent particularly promising approaches. We provide a positive
outlook to improvements to the status quo expected from future surveys,
missions, and facilities. Astronomical distance determination has clearly
reached maturity and near-consistency.Comment: Review article, 59 pages (4 figures); Space Science Reviews, in press
(chapter 8 of a special collection resulting from the May 2016 ISSI-BJ
workshop on Astronomical Distance Determination in the Space Age
Radiotherapy exposure directly damages the uterus and causes pregnancy loss
Female cancer survivors are significantly more likely to experience infertility than the general population. It is well established that chemotherapy and radiotherapy can damage the ovary and compromise fertility, yet the ability of cancer treatments to induce uterine damage, and the underlying mechanisms, have been understudied. Here, we show that in mice total-body γ-irradiation (TBI) induced extensive DNA damage and apoptosis in uterine cells. We then transferred healthy donor embryos into ovariectomized adolescent female mice that were previously exposed to TBI to study the impacts of radiotherapy on the uterus independent from effects to ovarian endocrine function. Following TBI, embryo attachment and implantation were unaffected, but fetal resorption was evident at midgestation in 100% of dams, suggesting failed placental development. Consistent with this hypothesis, TBI impaired the decidual response in mice and primary human endometrial stromal cells. TBI also caused uterine artery endothelial dysfunction, likely preventing adequate blood vessel remodeling in early pregnancy. Notably, when pro-apoptotic protein Puma-deficient (Puma-/-) mice were exposed to TBI, apoptosis within the uterus was prevented, and decidualization, vascular function, and pregnancy were restored, identifying PUMA-mediated apoptosis as a key mechanism. Collectively, these data show that TBI damages the uterus and compromises pregnancy success, suggesting that optimal fertility preservation during radiotherapy may require protection of both the ovaries and uterus. In this regard, inhibition of PUMA may represent a potential fertility preservation strategy.</p
The MACHO Project 2nd Year LMC Microlensing Results and Dark Matter Implications
The MACHO Project is searching for galactic dark matter in the form of
massive compact halo objects (Machos). Millions of stars in the Large
Magellanic Cloud (LMC), Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), and Galactic bulge are
photometrically monitored in an attempt to detect rare gravitational
microlensing events caused by otherwise invisible Machos. Analysis of two years
of photometry on 8.5 million stars in the LMC reveals 8 candidate microlensing
events, far more than the event expected from lensing by low-mass stars
in known galactic populations. From these eight events we estimate the optical
depth towards the LMC from events with 2 < \that < 200 days to be
\tau_2^{200} \approx 2.9 ^{+1.4}_{-0.9} \ten{-7}. This exceeds the optical
depth of 0.5\ten{-7} expected from known stars and is to be compared with an
optical depth of 4.7\ten{-7} predicted for a ``standard'' halo composed
entirely of Machos. The total mass in this lensing population is \approx
2^{+1.2}_{-0.7} \ten{11} \msun (within 50 kpc from the Galactic center). Event
timescales yield a most probable Macho mass of 0.5^{+0.3}_{-0.2}\msun,
although this value is quite model dependent.Comment: 10 pages, 6 epsf figures and style file included, 451k, also at
http://wwwmacho.mcmaster.ca/Pubs/Pubs.html; To appear in the Proceedings of
"Sources and Detection of Dark Matter in the Universe", Santa Monica, CA,
Feb., 199
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