217 research outputs found
Quantitative errors in the Cochrane review on "Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses"
The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the urgency to understand and prevent
pathogen transmission, specifically regarding infectious airborne particles.
Extensive studies validate the understanding of larger (droplets) and smaller
(aerosols) particles in disease transmission. Similarly, N95 respirators, and
other forms of respiratory protection, have proven efficacy in reducing the
risk of infection across various environments. Even though multiple studies
confirm their protective effect when adopted in healthcare and public settings
for infection prevention, studies on their adoption over the last several
decades in both clinical trials and observational studies have not provided as
clear an understanding. Here we show that the standard analytical equations
used in the analysis of these studies do not accurately represent the random
variables impacting study results. By correcting these equations, it is
demonstrated that conclusions drawn from these studies are heavily biased and
uncertain, providing little useful information. Despite these limitations, we
show that when outcome measures are properly analyzed, existing results
consistently point to the benefit of N95 respirators over medical masks, and
masking over its absence. Correcting errors in widely reported meta-analyses
also yields statistically significant estimates. These findings have important
implications for study design and using existing evidence for infection control
policy guidelines.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figure
Towards a Robuster Interpretive Parsing
The input data to grammar learning algorithms often consist of overt forms that do not contain full structural descriptions. This lack of information may contribute to the failure of learning. Past work on Optimality Theory introduced Robust Interpretive Parsing (RIP) as a partial solution to this problem. We generalize RIP and suggest replacing the winner candidate with a weighted mean violation of the potential winner candidates. A Boltzmann distribution is introduced on the winner set, and the distribution’s parameter is gradually decreased. Finally, we show that GRIP, the Generalized Robust Interpretive Parsing Algorithm significantly improves the learning success rate in a model with standard constraints for metrical stress assignment
A k-shell decomposition method for weighted networks
We present a generalized method for calculating the k-shell structure of
weighted networks. The method takes into account both the weight and the degree
of a network, in such a way that in the absence of weights we resume the shell
structure obtained by the classic k-shell decomposition. In the presence of
weights, we show that the method is able to partition the network in a more
refined way, without the need of any arbitrary threshold on the weight values.
Furthermore, by simulating spreading processes using the
susceptible-infectious-recovered model in four different weighted real-world
networks, we show that the weighted k-shell decomposition method ranks the
nodes more accurately, by placing nodes with higher spreading potential into
shells closer to the core. In addition, we demonstrate our new method on a real
economic network and show that the core calculated using the weighted k-shell
method is more meaningful from an economic perspective when compared with the
unweighted one.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure
Polarons and slow quantum phonons
We describe the formation and properties of Holstein polarons in the entire
parameter regime. Our presentation focuses on the polaron mass and radius,
which we obtain with an improved numerical technique. It is based on the
combination of variational exact diagonalization with an improved construction
of phonon states, providing results even for the strong coupling adiabatic
regime. In particular we can describe the formation of large and heavy
adiabatic polarons. A comparison of the polaron mass for the one and three
dimensional situation explains how the different properties in the static
oscillator limit determine the behavior in the adiabatic regime. The transport
properties of large and small polarons are characterized by the f-sum rule and
the optical conductivity. Our calculations are approximation-free and have
negligible numerical error. This allows us to give a conclusive and impartial
description of polaron formation. We finally discuss the implications of our
results for situations beyond the Holstein model.Comment: Final version, 10 pages, 10 figure
Unusual percolation in simple small-world networks
We present an exact solution of percolation in a generalized class of
Watts-Strogatz graphs defined on a 1-dimensional underlying lattice. We find a
non-classical critical point in the limit of the number of long-range bonds in
the system going to zero, with a discontinuity in the percolation probability
and a divergence in the mean finite-cluster size. We show that the critical
behavior falls into one of three regimes depending on the proportion of
occupied long-range to unoccupied nearest-neighbor bonds, with each regime
being characterized by different critical exponents. The three regimes can be
united by a single scaling function around the critical point. These results
can be used to identify the number of long-range links necessary to secure
connectivity in a communication or transportation chain. As an example, we can
resolve the communication problem in a game of "telephone".Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, revtex
An agent-based approach for the dynamic and decentralized service reconfiguration in collaborative production scenarios
Future industrial systems endorse the implementation of innovative paradigms addressing the continuous flexibility, reconfiguration, and evolution to face the volatility of dynamic markets demanding complex and customized products. Smart manufacturing relies on the capability to adapt and evolve to face changes, particularly by identifying, on-the-fly, opportunities to reconfigure its behavior and functionalities and offer new and more adapted services. This paper introduces an agent-based approach for service reconfiguration that allows the identification of the opportunities for reconfiguration in a pro-active and dynamic manner, and the implementation on-the-fly of the best strategies for the service reconfiguration that will lead to a better production efficiency. The developed prototype for a flexible manufacturing system case study allowed to verify the feasibility of greedy local service reconfiguration for competitive and collaborative industrial automation situations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
A fourfold coordinated point defect in silicon
Due to their technological importance, point defects in silicon are among the
best studied physical systems. The experimental examination of point defects
buried in bulk is difficult and evidence for the various defects usually
indirect. Simulations of defects in silicon have been performed at various
levels of sophistication ranging from fast force fields to accurate density
functional calculations. The generally accepted viewpoint from all these
studies is that vacancies and self interstitials are the basic point defects in
silicon. We challenge this point of view by presenting density functional
calculations that show that there is a new fourfold coordinated point defect in
silicon that is lower in energy
Development of a generic activities model of command and control
This paper reports on five different models of command and control. Four different models are reviewed: a process model, a contextual control model, a decision ladder model and a functional model. Further to this, command and control activities are analysed in three distinct domains: armed forces, emergency services and civilian services. From this analysis, taxonomies of command and control activities are developed that give rise to an activities model of command and control. This model will be used to guide further research into technological support of command and control activities
Observation of Pseudoscalar and Axial Vector Resonances in pi- p -> K+ K- pi0 n at 18 GeV
A new measurement of the reaction pi- p -> K+ K- pi0 n has been made at a
beam energy of 18 GeV. A partial wave analysis of the K+ K- pi0 system shows
evidence for three pseudoscalar resonances, eta(1295), eta(1416), and
eta(1485), as well as two axial vectors, f1(1285), and f1(1420). Their observed
masses, widths and decay properties are reported. No signal was observed for
C(1480), an IG J{PC} = 1+ 1{--} state previously reported in phi pi0 decay.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figs, to be submitted to Phys. Let
Efficient Behavior of Small-World Networks
We introduce the concept of efficiency of a network, measuring how
efficiently it exchanges information. By using this simple measure small-world
networks are seen as systems that are both globally and locally efficient. This
allows to give a clear physical meaning to the concept of small-world, and also
to perform a precise quantitative a nalysis of both weighted and unweighted
networks. We study neural networks and man-made communication and
transportation systems and we show that the underlying general principle of
their construction is in fact a small-world principle of high efficiency.Comment: 1 figure, 2 tables. Revised version. Accepted for publication in
Phys. Rev. Let
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