13,707 research outputs found
Quantitative bounds on convergence of time-inhomogeneous Markov chains
Convergence rates of Markov chains have been widely studied in recent years.
In particular, quantitative bounds on convergence rates have been studied in
various forms by Meyn and Tweedie [Ann. Appl. Probab. 4 (1994) 981-1101],
Rosenthal [J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 90 (1995) 558-566], Roberts and Tweedie
[Stochastic Process. Appl. 80 (1999) 211-229], Jones and Hobert [Statist. Sci.
16 (2001) 312-334] and Fort [Ph.D. thesis (2001) Univ. Paris VI]. In this
paper, we extend a result of Rosenthal [J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 90 (1995)
558-566] that concerns quantitative convergence rates for time-homogeneous
Markov chains. Our extension allows us to consider f-total variation distance
(instead of total variation) and time-inhomogeneous Markov chains. We apply our
results to simulated annealing.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/105051604000000620 in the
Annals of Applied Probability (http://www.imstat.org/aap/) by the Institute
of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Thermal inactivation of Byssochlamys nivea in pineapple nectar combined with preliminary high pressure treatments
Byssochlamys nivea is a thermal resistant filamentous fungi and potential micotoxin producer. Recent studies have verified the presence of ascospores of such microorganism in samples of pineapple nectars. Although the majority of filamentous fungi have limited heat resistance and are easily destroyed by heat, Byssochlamys nivea ascospores have shown high thermal resistance. The aim of this work was to evaluate the application of linear and Weibull models on thermal inactivation (70, 80 and 90ºC) of Byssochlamys nivea ascospores in pineapple nectar after pretreatment with high pressure (550MPa or 650MPa during 15min). Following the treatments, survival curves were built up for each processing temperature and adjusted for both models. It was observed that survival curves at 90°C after high pressure pretreatment at 550 MPa/15 min did not fit well to linear and Weibull models. For all the other treatments, the Weibull model presented a better fit. At 90ºC without pressure treatment, the Weibull model also showed a better adjustment, having a larger R2 and a smaller RMSE. Regarding the process effectiveness, a 5-log reduction (t5), as recommended for pasteurization, was only achieved for Byssochlamys nivea ascospores presented in pineapple nectar at 90ºC/10.7 min with previous high pressure treatment of 650 MPa for 15 min. Considering the high intensity and energy demanding process with possibly product damage, other preventive and alternative treatments are being investigated
A survey thesis of the personal reading preferences of children in the intermediate grades
Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit
Epidemiological Study Designs: Traditional and Novel Approaches to Advance Life Course Health Development Research
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Use and cost of disease-modifying therapies by Sonya Slifka Study participants: has anything really changed since 2000 and 2009?
Background:Disease-modifying therapies benefit individuals with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, but their utility remains unclear for those without relapses. Objective:To determine disease-modifying therapy use and costs in 2009, compare use in 2009 and 2000, and examine compliance with evidence-based guidelines. Methods:We determined the extent and characteristics of disease-modifying therapy use by participants in the Sonya Slifka Longitudinal Multiple Sclerosis Study (Slifka) in 2000 (n=2156) and 2009 (n=2361) and estimated out-of-pocket and total (payer) costs for 2009. Two multivariable logistic regressions predicted disease-modifying therapy use. Results:Disease-modifying therapy use increased from 55.3% in 2000 to 61.5% in 2009. In 2009, disease-modifying therapy use was reported by 76.5% of participants with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, 73.2% with progressive-relapsing multiple sclerosis, 62.5% with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, and 41.8% with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Use was significantly associated with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, shorter duration of illness, one to two relapses per year, non-ambulatory symptoms, using a cane, younger age, higher family income, and having health insurance. Average annual costs in 2009 were US16,302-18,928 for payers. Conclusion:Use rates were highest for individuals with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, but substantial for those with progressive courses although clinical trials have not demonstrated significant benefits for them
Excitonic effects on coherent phonon dynamics in single wall carbon nanotubes
We discuss how excitons can affect the generation of coherent radial
breathing modes in ultrafast spectroscopy of single wall carbon nanotubes.
Photoexcited excitons can be localized spatially and give rise to a spatially
distributed driving force in real space which involves many phonon wavevectors
of the exciton-phonon interaction. The equation of motion for the coherent
phonons is modeled phenomenologically by the Klein-Gordon equation, which we
solve for the oscillation amplitudes as a function of space and time. By
averaging the calculated amplitudes per nanotube length, we obtain
time-dependent coherent phonon amplitudes that resemble the homogeneous
oscillations that are observed in some pump-probe experiments. We interpret
this result to mean that the experiments are only able to see a spatial average
of coherent phonon oscillations over the wavelength of light in carbon
nanotubes and the microscopic details are averaged out. Our interpretation is
justified by calculating the time-dependent absorption spectra resulting from
the macroscopic atomic displacements induced by the coherent phonon
oscillations. The calculated coherent phonon spectra including excitonic
effects show the experimentally observed symmetric peaks at the nanotube
transition energies in contrast to the asymmetric peaks that would be obtained
if excitonic effects were not included.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. B on 7 May 2013, revised on 17 July and 13
August 2013, published 30 August 201
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