2,205 research outputs found
Statistical Dynamics of Religions and Adherents
Religiosity is one of the most important sociological aspects of populations.
All religions may evolve in their beliefs and adapt to the society
developments. A religion is a social variable, like a language or wealth, to be
studied like any other organizational parameter.
Several questions can be raised, as considered in this study: e.g. (i) from a
``macroscopic'' point of view : How many religions exist at a given time? (ii)
from a ``microscopic'' view point: How many adherents belong to one religion?
Does the number of adherents increase or not, and how? No need to say that if
quantitative answers and mathematical laws are found, agent based models can be
imagined to describe such non-equilibrium processes.
It is found that empirical laws can be deduced and related to preferential
attachment processes, like on evolving network; we propose two different
algorithmic models reproducing as well the data. Moreover, a population
growth-death equation is shown to be a plausible modeling of evolution dynamics
in a continuous time framework. Differences with language dynamic competition
is emphasized.Comment: submitted to EP
Algebraic Characterization of Vector Supersymmetry in Topological Field Theories
An algebraic cohomological characterization of a class of linearly broken
Ward identities is provided. The examples of the topological vector
supersymmetry and of the Landau ghost equation are discussed in detail. The
existence of such a linearly broken Ward identities turns out to be related to
BRST exact antifield dependent cocycles with negative ghost number.Comment: 30 pages, latex2e file, subm. to Journ. of Math. Phy
Identification and properties of two methyltransferases in conversion of phosphatidylethanolamine to phosphatidylcholine.
Evolution of Coordination in Social Networks: A Numerical Study
Coordination games are important to explain efficient and desirable social
behavior. Here we study these games by extensive numerical simulation on
networked social structures using an evolutionary approach. We show that local
network effects may promote selection of efficient equilibria in both pure and
general coordination games and may explain social polarization. These results
are put into perspective with respect to known theoretical results. The main
insight we obtain is that clustering, and especially community structure in
social networks has a positive role in promoting socially efficient outcomes.Comment: preprint submitted to IJMP
Interleukin 1 induces early protein phosphorylation and requires only a short exposure for late induced secretion of beta-endorphin in a mouse pituitary cell line.
An automated approach for annual layer counting in ice cores
A novel method for automated annual layer counting in seasonally-resolved paleoclimate records has been developed. It relies on algorithms from the statistical framework of hidden Markov models (HMMs), which originally was developed for use in machine speech recognition. The strength of the layer detection algorithm lies in the way it is able to imitate the manual procedures for annual layer counting, while being based on statistical criteria for annual layer identification. The most likely positions of multiple layer boundaries in a section of ice core data are determined simultaneously, and a probabilistic uncertainty estimate of the resulting layer count is provided, ensuring an objective treatment of ambiguous layers in the data. Furthermore, multiple data series can be incorporated and used simultaneously. In this study, the automated layer counting algorithm has been applied to two ice core records from Greenland: one displaying a distinct annual signal and one which is more challenging. The algorithm shows high skill in reproducing the results from manual layer counts, and the resulting timescale compares well to absolute-dated volcanic marker horizons where these exist
Coexistence of Several Putative Neurotransmitters in Single Identified Neurosn of Aplysia
Breast cancer prognosis by combinatorial analysis of gene expression data
INTRODUCTION: The potential of applying data analysis tools to microarray data for diagnosis and prognosis is illustrated on the recent breast cancer dataset of van 't Veer and coworkers. We re-examine that dataset using the novel technique of logical analysis of data (LAD), with the double objective of discovering patterns characteristic for cases with good or poor outcome, using them for accurate and justifiable predictions; and deriving novel information about the role of genes, the existence of special classes of cases, and other factors. METHOD: Data were analyzed using the combinatorics and optimization-based method of LAD, recently shown to provide highly accurate diagnostic and prognostic systems in cardiology, cancer proteomics, hematology, pulmonology, and other disciplines. RESULTS: LAD identified a subset of 17 of the 25,000 genes, capable of fully distinguishing between patients with poor, respectively good prognoses. An extensive list of 'patterns' or 'combinatorial biomarkers' (that is, combinations of genes and limitations on their expression levels) was generated, and 40 patterns were used to create a prognostic system, shown to have 100% and 92.9% weighted accuracy on the training and test sets, respectively. The prognostic system uses fewer genes than other methods, and has similar or better accuracy than those reported in other studies. Out of the 17 genes identified by LAD, three (respectively, five) were shown to play a significant role in determining poor (respectively, good) prognosis. Two new classes of patients (described by similar sets of covering patterns, gene expression ranges, and clinical features) were discovered. As a by-product of the study, it is shown that the training and the test sets of van 't Veer have differing characteristics. CONCLUSION: The study shows that LAD provides an accurate and fully explanatory prognostic system for breast cancer using genomic data (that is, a system that, in addition to predicting good or poor prognosis, provides an individualized explanation of the reasons for that prognosis for each patient). Moreover, the LAD model provides valuable insights into the roles of individual and combinatorial biomarkers, allows the discovery of new classes of patients, and generates a vast library of biomedical research hypotheses
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Evaluation of critical congenital heart defects screening using pulse oximetry in the neonatal intensive care unit.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the implementation of early screening for critical congenital heart defects (CCHDs) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and potential exclusion of sub-populations from universal screening.Study designProspective evaluation of CCHD screening at multiple time intervals was conducted in 21 NICUs across five states (n=4556 infants).ResultsOf the 4120 infants with complete screens, 92% did not have prenatal CHD diagnosis or echocardiography before screening, 72% were not receiving oxygen at 24 to 48 h and 56% were born ⩾2500 g. Thirty-seven infants failed screening (0.9%); none with an unsuspected CCHD. False positive rates were low for infants not receiving oxygen (0.5%) and those screened after weaning (0.6%), yet higher among infants born at <28 weeks (3.8%). Unnecessary echocardiograms were minimal (0.2%).ConclusionGiven the majority of NICU infants were ⩾2500 g, not on oxygen and not preidentified for CCHD, systematic screening at 24 to 48 h may be of benefit for early detection of CCHD with minimal burden
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