227 research outputs found
Unifying Parsimonious Tree Reconciliation
Evolution is a process that is influenced by various environmental factors,
e.g. the interactions between different species, genes, and biogeographical
properties. Hence, it is interesting to study the combined evolutionary history
of multiple species, their genes, and the environment they live in. A common
approach to address this research problem is to describe each individual
evolution as a phylogenetic tree and construct a tree reconciliation which is
parsimonious with respect to a given event model. Unfortunately, most of the
previous approaches are designed only either for host-parasite systems, for
gene tree/species tree reconciliation, or biogeography. Hence, a method is
desirable, which addresses the general problem of mapping phylogenetic trees
and covering all varieties of coevolving systems, including e.g., predator-prey
and symbiotic relationships. To overcome this gap, we introduce a generalized
cophylogenetic event model considering the combinatorial complete set of local
coevolutionary events. We give a dynamic programming based heuristic for
solving the maximum parsimony reconciliation problem in time O(n^2), for two
phylogenies each with at most n leaves. Furthermore, we present an exact
branch-and-bound algorithm which uses the results from the dynamic programming
heuristic for discarding partial reconciliations. The approach has been
implemented as a Java application which is freely available from
http://pacosy.informatik.uni-leipzig.de/coresym.Comment: Peer-reviewed and presented as part of the 13th Workshop on
Algorithms in Bioinformatics (WABI2013
On the Geometry and Mass of Static, Asymptotically AdS Spacetimes, and the Uniqueness of the AdS Soliton
We prove two theorems, announced in hep-th/0108170, for static spacetimes
that solve Einstein's equation with negative cosmological constant. The first
is a general structure theorem for spacetimes obeying a certain convexity
condition near infinity, analogous to the structure theorems of Cheeger and
Gromoll for manifolds of non-negative Ricci curvature. For spacetimes with
Ricci-flat conformal boundary, the convexity condition is associated with
negative mass. The second theorem is a uniqueness theorem for the negative mass
AdS soliton spacetime. This result lends support to the new positive mass
conjecture due to Horowitz and Myers which states that the unique lowest mass
solution which asymptotes to the AdS soliton is the soliton itself. This
conjecture was motivated by a nonsupersymmetric version of the AdS/CFT
correspondence. Our results add to the growing body of rigorous mathematical
results inspired by the AdS/CFT correspondence conjecture. Our techniques
exploit a special geometric feature which the universal cover of the soliton
spacetime shares with familiar ``ground state'' spacetimes such as Minkowski
spacetime, namely, the presence of a null line, or complete achronal null
geodesic, and the totally geodesic null hypersurface that it determines. En
route, we provide an analysis of the boundary data at conformal infinity for
the Lorentzian signature static Einstein equations, in the spirit of the
Fefferman-Graham analysis for the Riemannian signature case. This leads us to
generalize to arbitrary dimension a mass definition for static asymptotically
AdS spacetimes given by Chru\'sciel and Simon. We prove equivalence of this
mass definition with those of Ashtekar-Magnon and Hawking-Horowitz.Comment: Accepted version, Commun Math Phys; Added Remark IV.3 and supporting
material dealing with non-uniqueness arising from choice of special cycle on
the boundary at infinity; 2 new citations added; LaTeX 27 page
Decoherence, Re-coherence, and the Black Hole Information Paradox
We analyze a system consisting of an oscillator coupled to a field. With the
field traced out as an environment, the oscillator loses coherence on a very
short {\it decoherence timescale}; but, on a much longer {\it relaxation
timescale}, predictably evolves into a unique, pure (ground) state. This
example of {\it re-coherence} has interesting implications both for the
interpretation of quantum theory and for the loss of information during black
hole evaporation. We examine these implications by investigating the
intermediate and final states of the quantum field, treated as an open system
coupled to an unobserved oscillator.Comment: 23 pages, 2 figures included, figures 3.1 - 3.3 available at
http://qso.lanl.gov/papers/Papers.htm
Nanostructure of CaO-(Na2O)-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O gels revealed by multinuclear solid-state magic angle spinning and multiple quantum magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
(Calcium,alkali)-aluminosilicate gel frameworks are the basis of modern cements and alkali-activated materials for sustainable infrastructure and radioactive waste immobilization and also find application in glass alteration, mineral weathering, and zeolite synthesis. Here, we resolve the nanostructure of these gels that dictates mass transport, solubility, and mechanical properties. The key structural motifs comprising hydrous (calcium,alkali)-aluminosilicate gels are identified via 17O, 23Na, and 27Al triple-quantum magic angle spinning and 29Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of a novel class of stoichiometrically controlled 17O-enriched multiphase gels. Increased Ca content promotes low-Al, high-Ca chain-structured “C-S-H-type” products exhibiting significant nanostructural ordering, low levels of chain cross-linking, predominant Ca coordination of nonbridging oxygen atoms, and an increase in proton association with CaO layers to form Ca–OH sites. Al substitution is identified in multiple sites in the silicate chains, including cross-linking, bridging, and pairing tetrahedra. Increased Al content increases the proportion of cross-linking sites and gel disorder. The large increase in SiIV–O–AlIV sites increases the relative amounts of Na+ and AlV species charge-balancing AlO4– tetrahedra and results in the formation of an additional disordered low-calcium, framework-structured alkali aluminosilicate (“N-A-S-H-type”) gel, with high Al and Na contents. Changes in bulk composition significantly alter the nanostructures of the C-S-H-type and N-A-S-H-type gels. Mean SiIV–O–AlIV bond angles for each type of AlIV site environment are highly consistent, with compositional changes dictating the relative proportions of individual AlIV species but not altering the local structure of each AlIV site. These findings reveal the molecular interactions governing the (calcium,alkali)-aluminosilicate gel nanostructure, which are crucial in controlling material properties and durability
Measurement invariance of the short Warwick-Edinburgh mental wellbeing scale and latent mean differences (SWEMWBS) in young people by current care status
Purpose
Studying mental wellbeing requires the use of reliable, valid, and practical assessment tools, such as the Short version of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). Research on the mental wellbeing of children in care is sparse. The current study aims to: (1) examine the unidimensionality of SWEMWBS; (2) assess measurement invariance of SWEMWBS across children and young people in care compared to their peers not in care; and (3) investigate the latent factor mean differences between care status groups.
Methods
We used data from the 2017 School Health Research Network Student Health and Wellbeing (SHW) survey, completed by 103,971 students in years 7 to 11 from 193 secondary schools in Wales. The final data include a total of 2,795 participants (46% boys), which includes all children in care and a sub-sample of children not in care who completed the SWEMWBS scale fully and answered questions about their living situation.
Results
Confirmatory factor analysis supported the unidimensionality of SWEMWBS. The SWEMWBS is invariant across groups of young people in foster, residential and kinship care compared to children and young people not in care at configural, metric and scalar levels. Findings from latent mean comparisons showed that young people in care reported lower mental wellbeing than their peers, with those in residential care reporting the lowest scores.
Conclusions
Findings suggest that SWEMWBS is a valid scale for measuring differences in mental wellbeing for young people in care similar to the population
Using latent class analysis to explore complex associations between socioeconomic status and adolescent health and wellbeing
Purpose
Research demonstrates a strong socioeconomic gradient in health and well-being. However, many studies rely on unidimensional measures of socioeconomic status (SES) (e.g. educational qualifications, household income), and there is often a more limited consideration of how facets of SES combine to impact well-being. This paper develops a multidimensional measure of SES, drawing on family and school-level factors, to provide more nuanced understandings of socioeconomic patterns in adolescent substance use and mental well-being.
Methods
Data from the Student Health and Wellbeing Survey from Wales, UK was employed. The sample compromised 22,372 students and we used latent class analysis to identify distinct groups using three measures of SES. These classes were then used to estimate mental well-being, internalizing symptoms, and substance use.
Results
The five-class solution offered the best fit. Findings indicated distinct classes of families as follows: “nonworking,” “deprived working families,” “affluent families in deprived schools,” “lower affluence,” and “higher affluence.” There was a clear relationship among the classes and mental well-being, internalizing symptoms, smoking, and cannabis use; alcohol was the exception to this.
Conclusions
The identification of these classes led to a fuller understanding of the health and well-being effects of SES, showing clearer patterning in health behaviors that often is not captured in research. The implications for adolescent health and well-being are discussed, including considerations for future research
Risk behaviours associated with dating and relationship violence among 11–16 year olds in Wales: results from the 2019 student health and wellbeing survey
(1) Background: This study examines the associations between risk behaviours and adolescent emotional and physical dating and relationship violence (DRV) victimisation and perpetration, and how these vary by gender. The risk behaviours explored include bullying, cyberbullying, sexting, alcohol, and cannabis use; (2) Methods: Cross-sectional self-report data from the School Health Research Network (SHRN) 2019 Student Health Wellbeing (SHW) survey of 48,397 students aged 11–16 from 149 schools across Wales were analysed using single and multiple-behaviour logistic regression models to explore the associations between each risk behaviour and emotional and physical DRV victimisation and perpetration; (3) Results: Bivariate analyses revealed a statistically significant association between DRV and all risk behaviours. In multivariate analyses, students who reported bullying, cyberbullying, sexting, and substance use, compared to those that had not, had significantly higher odds of experiencing and perpetrating emotional and physical DRV; and (4) Conclusions: Future studies on DRV should consider a mixed-methods approach to explore the context in which DRV and risk behaviours interrelate. Results from this study indicate the possibility that prevention and intervention programmes in school settings that seek to develop healthy school environments and peer-to-peer relationships, could inadvertently reduce the occurrence of future DRV and associated risk behaviours
The Seyfert-LINER Galaxy NGC 7213: An XMM-Newton Observation
We examine the XMM X-ray spectrum of the LINER-AGN NGC 7213, which is best
fit with a power law, K-alpha emission lines from Fe I, Fe XXV and Fe XXVI and
a soft X-ray collisionally ionised thermal plasma with kT=0.18 +0.03/-0.01 keV.
We find a luminosity of 7x10^(-4) L_Edd, and a lack of soft X-ray excess
emission, suggesting a truncated accretion disc. NGC 7213 has intermediate
X-ray spectral properties, between those of the weak AGN found in the LINER M81
and higher luminosity Seyfert galaxies. This supports the notion of a
continuous sequence of X-ray properties from the Galactic Centre through LINER
galaxies to Seyferts, likely determined by the amount of material available for
accretion in the central regions.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. To appear in From X-ray Binaries to Quasars:
Black Hole Accretion on All Mass Scales, ed. T. J. Maccarone, R. P. Fender,
and L. C. Ho (Dordrecht: Kluwer
Swift observations of the X-ray and UV evolution of V2491 Cyg (Nova Cyg 2008 No. 2)
We present extensive, high-density Swift observations of V2491 Cyg (Nova Cyg
2008 No. 2). Observing the X-ray emission from only one day after the nova
discovery, the source is followed through the initial brightening, the
Super-Soft Source phase and back to the pre-outburst flux level. The evolution
of the spectrum throughout the outburst is demonstrated. The UV and X-ray
light-curves follow very different paths, although changes occur in them around
the same times, indicating a link between the bands. Flickering in the
late-time X-ray data indicates the resumption of accretion.
We show that if the white dwarf is magnetic, it would be among the most
magnetic known; the lack of a periodic signal in our later data argues against
a magnetic white dwarf, however. We also discuss the possibility that V2491 Cyg
is a recurrent nova, providing recurrence timescale estimates.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure (2 in colour), accepted for publication in MNRA
Averaged Energy Conditions and Evaporating Black Holes
In this paper the averaged weak (AWEC) and averaged null (ANEC) energy
conditions, together with uncertainty principle-type restrictions on negative
energy (``quantum inequalities''), are examined in the context of evaporating
black hole backgrounds in both two and four dimensions. In particular,
integrals over only half-geodesics are studied. We determine the regions of the
spacetime in which the averaged energy conditions are violated. In all cases
where these conditions fail, there appear to be quantum inequalities which
bound the magnitude and extent of the negative energy, and hence the degree of
the violation. The possible relevance of these results for the validity of
singularity theorems in evaporating black hole spacetimes is discussed.Comment: Sections 2.1 and 2.2 have been revised and some erroneous statements
corrected. The main conclusions and the figures are unchanged. 27 pp, plain
Latex, 3 figures available upon reques
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