Application of asymptotic expansions of maximum likelihood estimators errors to gravitational waves from binary mergers: the single interferometer case

In this paper we describe a new methodology to calculate analytically the error for a maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) for physical parameters from Gravitational wave signals. All the existing litterature focuses on the usage of the Cramer Rao Lower bounds (CRLB) as a mean to approximate the errors for large signal to noise ratios. We show here how the variance and the bias of a MLE estimate can be expressed instead in inverse powers of the signal to noise ratios where the first order in the variance expansion is the CRLB. As an application we compute the second order of the variance and bias for MLE of physical parameters from the inspiral phase of binary mergers and for noises of gravitational wave interferometers . We also compare the improved error estimate with existing numerical estimates. The value of the second order of the variance expansions allows to get error predictions closer to what is observed in numerical simulations. It also predicts correctly the necessary SNR to approximate the error with the CRLB and provides new insight on the relationship between waveform properties SNR and estimation errors. For example the timing match filtering becomes optimal only if the SNR is larger than the kurtosis of the gravitational wave spectrum

Multiplicative random walk Metropolis-Hastings on the real line

In this article we propose multiplication based random walk Metropolis Hastings (MH) algorithm on the real line. We call it the random dive MH (RDMH) algorithm. This algorithm, even if simple to apply, was not studied earlier in Markov chain Monte Carlo literature. The associated kernel is shown to have standard properties like irreducibility, aperiodicity and Harris recurrence under some mild assumptions. These ensure basic convergence (ergodicity) of the kernel. Further the kernel is shown to be geometric ergodic for a large class of target densities on $\mathbb{R}$. This class even contains realistic target densities for which random walk or Langevin MH are not geometrically ergodic. Three simulation studies are given to demonstrate the mixing property and superiority of RDMH to standard MH algorithms on real line. A share-price return data is also analyzed and the results are compared with those available in the literature

Emergency medicine physicians infrequently perform pediatric critical procedures: a national perspective

Objective To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study using a nationally representative database to estimate the frequency of critical procedures (endotracheal tube intubation [ETI], cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR], and central line insertion [CLI]) in children and adults. Methods The study was based on the secondary analysis of the 2010-2014 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. We included adult and pediatric patients undergoing critical procedures in the emergency department. We extracted demographic and clinical information, including the performance of critical procedures. For frequent procedures (≥1 per year), we estimated the annual number of critical procedures per emergency physician (EP) by dividing the total number of annual critical procedures by the total number of EPs (estimated at 40,000). For infrequent procedures, we calculated the average interval between procedures. We summarized the data with descriptive statistics and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results There were an estimated 668 million total emergency department visits (24% pediatric). On average, a single EP performed 8.6 (95% CI, 5.5 to 11.7) CLIs, 3.7 (95% CI, 2.4 to 5.0) CPRs, and 6.3 (95% CI, 5.3 to 7.4) ETIs per year in adults. In comparison, a single EP performed one pediatric CLI, CPR, and ETI every 3.2 (95% CI, 1.9 to 9.8), 5.2 (95% CI, 2.8 to 33.5), and 2.8 (95% CI, 1.6 to 8.9) years, respectively. Conclusion Our nationwide findings confirm those of previous smaller studies that critical procedures are significantly fewer in children than adults. We suggest that methods to retain skills in pediatric critical procedures should be developed for general EPs to ensure that they deliver the highest level of care across the entire age spectrum

Revista de Vertebrados de la Estación Biológica de Doñana

Página 298 con error de impresiónEstudio cariológico en dos especies de Serránidos del Mediterráneo (Peces: PerciformesRelaciones morfométricas de Atherina boyeri Risso (Pisces: Atherinidae) de la laguna de Zoñar (Córdoba, España)Contribución al conocimiento de la biometríay osteología de Barbus barbus bocagei, Steindachner, 1866 (Pisces: CyprinidaeLa actividad de la salamandra, Salamandra salamandra (L.), en Galicia.Estudios sobre el sapo corredor (Bufo calamita) en el Sur de España.1. BiometríaEstudios sobre el sapo corredor (Bufo calamita) en el Sur de España. II. AlimentaciónBiología de la reproducción de Rana iberica Boulenger 1879 en zonas simpátridas con Rana temporaria Linneo, 1758Nuevos datos sobre la distribución geográfica de Lacerta monticola cantabrica Mertens, 1929. (Sauria, lacertidae).Datos sobre Lacerta monticola Boulenger, 1905 (Saurio: lacertidae)en el oeste del Sistema Central.Nueva especie de Anolis (lacertilia, Iguanidae) para CubaEtograma cuantificado del cortejo en Falco naumannOntogénesis del comportamiento predador en Falco naumanniContaminación xenobiótica del Parque Nacional de Doñana. 1. Residuos de insecticidas organoclorados, bifenilos policlorados y mercurio en anseriformes y gruiformesReproducción del críalo (Clamator glandarius) en Sierra Morena CentraNidificación de Picus viridis en taludes de arcilla en Ramblas de Guadix (Granada)Comportamiento del calamón Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus, 1758) en Doñana, Marismas del GuadalquiviBiología y ecología de la malvasía (Oxyura leucocephala) en Andalucía.On the differential diet of Carnivora in islands:a method for analysing it and a particular case.Notas sobre la distribución pasada y actual del meloncillo Herpestes ichneumon (L.) en la Península IbéricaEstructuración de las interacciones en una camada de lobos (Canís lupus)Nuevos datos sobre la distribución del Cottus gobio L. (pisces, cottidae) en EspañaSobre la alimentación de Callopistes maculatus (Reptilia,teiidaeObservación de Lacerta lepida depredando un nido de Alectoris rufaNueva cita del galápago leproso Mauremys leprosa (Scheigger, 1812) en los pirineosPrimera cita de Psammodromus hispanicus (Fitzinger) para GaliciaSobre la presencia de Gallotia (=Lacerta) atlantica (Peters y Doria, 1882) en Gran CanariaNota sobre las Lacerta monticola Boulenger, 1905 de las zonas del norte de GaliciaPrimeras notas herpetológicas de la provincia de Soria.Datos sobre selección de hábitat y ecología alimenticia del porrón pardo (Aythya nyroca)Probable nueva área de cría del pechiazul (Luscinia svecica cyanecula) en el sistema central. PerisPredación de Falco peregrinus y Falco subbuteo sobre quirópterosResultados de la producción de Oxyura leucocephala en el año 1981 en las lagunas de Zóñar y el rincónAnálisis de la dieta de Tyto alba en un medio árido antropógeno de los alrededores de Almería¿Son Eudocimus ruber y E. albus distintas especies?EL Estornino pinto (Sturnus vulgaris) en Canarias: nueva especie nidifiante en el archipiélagoDatos sobre la alimentación otoñal del cárabo (Strix aluco) en la sierra de CádizObservación primaveral de rapaces y otras aves en el páramo del estado de Mérida (Venezuela).Murciélago hematófago (Desmodus rotundus) parasitando a un chigüire (Hidrochoerus hydrochaeris)Observaciones sobre la reproducción del zacatuche o teporinho Romerolagus diazi (Mammalia: lagomorpha)Estudio electroforético de hemoglobinas y esterasas sanguíneas en Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Chiroptera: rhinolophidae) y de hemoglobinas en Tadaria taeniotis (chiroptera: molossidae)Peer reviewe

Malignant inflammation in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: a hostile takeover

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) are characterized by the presence of chronically inflamed skin lesions containing malignant T cells. Early disease presents as limited skin patches or plaques and exhibits an indolent behavior. For many patients, the disease never progresses beyond this stage, but in approximately one third of patients, the disease becomes progressive, and the skin lesions start to expand and evolve. Eventually, overt tumors develop and the malignant T cells may disseminate to the blood, lymph nodes, bone marrow, and visceral organs, often with a fatal outcome. The transition from early indolent to progressive and advanced disease is accompanied by a significant shift in the nature of the tumor-associated inflammation. This shift does not appear to be an epiphenomenon but rather a critical step in disease progression. Emerging evidence supports that the malignant T cells take control of the inflammatory environment, suppressing cellular immunity and anti-tumor responses while promoting a chronic inflammatory milieu that fuels their own expansion. Here, we review the inflammatory changes associated with disease progression in CTCL and point to their wider relevance in other cancer contexts. We further define the term "malignant inflammation" as a pro-tumorigenic inflammatory environment orchestrated by the tumor cells and discuss some of the mechanisms driving the development of malignant inflammation in CTCL

Delegation of GP-home visits to qualified practice assistants: assessment of economic effects in an ambulatory healthcare centre

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Against the background of a decreasing number of general practitioners (GPs) in rural regions in Germany, the AGnES-concept (AGnES = GP-supporting, community-based, e-health-assisted, systemic intervention) supports the delegation of regular GP-home visits to qualified practice assistants. The concept was implemented and evaluated in different model projects in Germany.</p> <p>To explore the economic effects of this concept, the development of the number of home visits in an ambulatory healthcare centre was analysed and compared with the number of home visits in the surrounding county.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Information about GP-home visits was derived from reimbursement data of the ambulatory healthcare centre and a statutory health insurance. Information about home visits conducted by AGnES-practice assistants was collected from the project documentation over a time period of 12 consecutive quarter years, four quarter years before the beginning of the project and 8 quarter years while the project was implemented, considering background temporal trends on the population level in the study region.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Within the ambulatory healthcare centre, the home visits by the GPs significantly decreased, especially the number of medically urgent home visits. However, the overall rate of home visits (conducted by the GPs and the AGnES-practice assistants together) did not change significantly after implementation of the AGnES-concept. In the surrounding county, the home visit rates of the GPs were continuous; the temporal patterns were approximately equal for both usual and urgent home visits.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results of the analyses show that the support by AGnES-practice assistants led to a decrease of GP-home visits rather than an induction of additional home visits by the AGnES-practice assistants. The most extended effect is related to the medically urgent home visits rather than to the usual home visits.</p

Three-dimensional beam pattern of regular sperm whale clicks confirms bent-horn hypothesis

Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 2005. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 117 (2005): 1473-1485, doi:10.1121/1.1828501.The three-dimensional beam pattern of a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) tagged in the Ligurian Sea was derived using data on regular clicks from the tag and from hydrophones towed behind a ship circling the tagged whale. The tag defined the orientation of the whale, while sightings and beamformer data were used to locate the whale with respect to the ship. The existence of a narrow, forward-directed P1 beam with source levels exceeding 210 dBpeak re: 1 µPa at 1 m is confirmed. A modeled forward-beam pattern, that matches clicks >20° off-axis, predicts a directivity index of 26.7 dB and source levels of up to 229 dBpeak re: 1 µPa at 1 m. A broader backward-directed beam is produced by the P0 pulse with source levels near 200 dBpeak re: 1 µPa at 1 m and a directivity index of 7.4 dB. A low-frequency component with source levels near 190 dBpeak re: 1 µPa at 1 m is generated at the onset of the P0 pulse by air resonance. The results support the bent-horn model of sound production in sperm whales. While the sperm whale nose appears primarily adapted to produce an intense forward-directed sonar signal, less-directional click components convey information to conspecifics, and give rise to echoes from the seafloor and the surface, which may be useful for orientation during dives.This work was funded by grants from the Office of Naval Research Grants N00014-99-1-0819 and N00014-01-1-0705, and the Packard Foundation

<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> enterotoxins induce FOXP3 in neoplastic T cells in Sézary syndrome

Sezary syndrome (SS) is a heterogeneous leukemic subtype of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) with generalized erythroderma, lymphadenopathy, and a poor prognosis. Advanced disease is invariably associated with severe immune dysregulation and the majority of patients die from infectious complications caused by microorganisms such as, Staphylococcus aureus, rather than from the lymphoma per se. Here, we examined if staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE) may shape the phenotype of malignant SS cells, including expression of the regulatory T-cell-associated marker FOXP3. Our studies with primary and cultured malignant cells show that SE induce expression of FOXP3 in malignant cells when exposed to nonmalignant cells. Mutations in the MHC class II binding domain of SE-A (SEA) largely block the effect indicating that the response relies at least in part on the MHC class II-mediated antigen presentation. Transwell experiments show that the effect is induced by soluble factors, partly blocked by anti-IL-2 antibody, and depends on STAT5 activation in malignant cells. Collectively, these findings show that SE stimulate nonmalignant cells to induce FOXP3 expression in malignant cells. Thus, differences in exposure to environmental factors, such as bacterial toxins may explain the heterogeneous FOXP3 expression in malignant cells in SS.Dermatology-oncolog

Treatment delay of bone tumours, compilation of a sociodemographic risk profile: A retrospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bone tumours are comparatively rare tumours and delays in diagnosis and treatment are common. The purpose of this study was to analyse sociodemographic risk factors for bone tumour patients in order to identify those at risk of prolonged patients delay (time span from first symptoms to consultation), professional delay (from consultation to treatment) or symptom interval (from first symptoms to treatment). Understanding these relationships might enable us to shorten time to diagnosis and therapy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We carried out a retrospective analysis of 265 patients with bone tumours documenting sociodemographic factors, patient delay, professional delay and symptom interval. A multivariate explorative Cox model was performed for each delay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Female gender was associated with a prolonged patient delay. Age under 30 years and rural living predisposes to a prolonged professional delay and symptom interval.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are required for successful management of most bone tumour patients. We succeeded in identifying the histology independent risk factors of age under 30 years and rural habitation for treatment delay in bone tumour patients. Knowing about the existence of these risk groups age under 30 years and female gender could help the physician to diagnose bone tumours earlier. The causes for the treatment delays of patients living in a rural area have to be investigated further. If the delay initiates in the lower education of rural general physicians, further training about bone tumours might advance early detection. Hence the outcome of patients with bone tumours could be improved.</p