2,238 research outputs found
Vertex Fault Tolerant Additive Spanners
A {\em fault-tolerant} structure for a network is required to continue
functioning following the failure of some of the network's edges or vertices.
In this paper, we address the problem of designing a {\em fault-tolerant}
additive spanner, namely, a subgraph of the network such that
subsequent to the failure of a single vertex, the surviving part of still
contains an \emph{additive} spanner for (the surviving part of) , satisfying
for every
. Recently, the problem of constructing fault-tolerant additive
spanners resilient to the failure of up to \emph{edges} has been considered
by Braunschvig et. al. The problem of handling \emph{vertex} failures was left
open therein. In this paper we develop new techniques for constructing additive
FT-spanners overcoming the failure of a single vertex in the graph. Our first
result is an FT-spanner with additive stretch and
edges. Our second result is an FT-spanner with additive stretch and
edges. The construction algorithm consists of two main
components: (a) constructing an FT-clustering graph and (b) applying a modified
path-buying procedure suitably adopted to failure prone settings. Finally, we
also describe two constructions for {\em fault-tolerant multi-source additive
spanners}, aiming to guarantee a bounded additive stretch following a vertex
failure, for every pair of vertices in for a given subset of
sources . The additive stretch bounds of our constructions are 4
and 8 (using a different number of edges)
The Konkoly Blazhko Survey: Is light-curve modulation a common property of RRab stars?
A systematic survey to establish the true incidence rate of the Blazhko
modulation among short-period, fundamental-mode, Galactic field RR Lyrae stars
has been accomplished. The Konkoly Blazhko Survey (KBS) was initiated in 2004.
Since then more than 750 nights of observation have been devoted to this
project. A sample of 30 RRab stars was extensively observed, and light-curve
modulation was detected in 14 cases. The 47% occurrence rate of the modulation
is much larger than any previous estimate. The significant increase of the
detected incidence rate is mostly due to the discovery of small-amplitude
modulation. Half of the Blazhko variables in our sample show modulation with so
small amplitude that definitely have been missed in the previous surveys. We
have found that the modulation can be very unstable in some cases, e.g. RY Com
showed regular modulation only during one part of the observations while during
two seasons it had stable light curve with abrupt, small changes in the
pulsation amplitude. This type of light-curve variability is also hard to
detect in other Survey's data. The larger frequency of the light-curve
modulation of RRab stars makes it even more important to find the still lacking
explanation of the Blazhko phenomenon. The validity of the [Fe/H](P,phi_{31})
relation using the mean light curves of Blazhko variables is checked in our
sample. We have found that the formula gives accurate result for
small-modulation-amplitude Blazhko stars, and this is also the case for
large-modulation-amplitude stars if the light curve has complete phase
coverage. However, if the data of large-modulation-amplitude Blazhko stars are
not extended enough (e.g. < 500 data points from < 15 nights), the formula may
give false result due to the distorted shape of the mean light curve used.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 14 pages, 7 Figure
The dynamics of proving uncolourability of large random graphs I. Symmetric Colouring Heuristic
We study the dynamics of a backtracking procedure capable of proving
uncolourability of graphs, and calculate its average running time T for sparse
random graphs, as a function of the average degree c and the number of vertices
N. The analysis is carried out by mapping the history of the search process
onto an out-of-equilibrium (multi-dimensional) surface growth problem. The
growth exponent of the average running time is quantitatively predicted, in
agreement with simulations.Comment: 5 figure
Low autocorrelated multi-phase sequences
The interplay between the ground state energy of the generalized Bernasconi
model to multi-phase, and the minimal value of the maximal autocorrelation
function, , , is examined analytically and
the main results are: (a) The minimal value of is
significantly smaller than the typical value for random
sequences . (b) over all sequences
of length N is obtained in an energy which is about 30% above the ground-state
energy of the generalized Bernasconi model, independent of the number of phases
m. (c) The maximal merit factor grows linearly with m. (d) For a
given N, indicating that for m=N,
, i.e. a Barker code exits. The analytical results are
confirmed by simulations.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Bilateral nephrectomy for adult polycystic kidney disease does not affect the graft function of transplant patients and does not result in sensitisation
Background. Native nephrectomy in Adult Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) patients is a major operation with controversy related to timing and indications. We present our single centre experience in transplanted patients and future candidates for transplantation. Methods. Retrospective analysis from an anonymised database of bilateral nephrectomies for ADPKD patients. Results were reported as median, range, and percentage. Differences between groups were tested using ANOVA and t-test. Surgery was performed between January 2012 and July 2018. Results. Thirty-three patients underwent bilateral native nephrectomy for APKD. 18 had a functioning kidney transplant (transplant group, 55%) while 15 patients were on dialysis (dialysis group, 45%) at the time of surgery; 8 patients of the latter group (24% of the whole cohort) were eventually transplanted. 53% were males, with median age of 55 years (27-71). Indications to surgery were the following: space (symptoms related to the size of the native kidneys or need to create space for transplantation) (59%), recurrent cyst infection (36%), haematuria (15%), pain (24%), and weight loss associated with cystic alteration on imaging (3%). In the transplant group, postoperative kidney function was not affected; haemoglobin serum levels significantly dropped in the whole cohort: 121 (82-150) g/L, versus 108 (58-154) g/L (p<0.001), with 14 patients being transfused perioperatively. Elevation of anti-HLA antibodies was noted in one female patient on dialysis, with no change in DSA levels and no rejection after transplant for all 26 transplanted patients. Median postoperative length of hospital stay was 9 days (6-71). One patient died (3%) after six months. Median follow-up for the whole cohort was 282 days (13-1834). Histopathological examination revealed incidental renal neoplasms in five cases (15%): 1 pT1a papillary renal cell carcinoma and 4 papillary adenomas. Conclusions. Native nephrectomy for ADPKD could be safely performed in case of refractory symptoms, suspect of cancer or to create space for transplantation. It does not affect graft function or DSA status of transplanted patients or the prospect of transplantation of those on the waiting list
Use of Prostate-specific Antigen Testing in Medicare Beneficiaries: Association with Previous Evaluation
Objective: Determine uptake of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in Medicare beneficiaries according to previous receipt of PSA testing. Methods: A 5% random sample of men aged 67 years or older without a previous diagnosis of prostate cancer was identified through 2009-2012 Medicare claims. We measured the annualized frequency of PSA screening among men due for PSA testing, stratified by PSA testing use in the previous 2 years, and clustered by ordering provider. Results: Throughout the study period, PSA testing use was consistently higher for men with previous screening than for men without previous screening. For men without previous screening, there was a decline in testing that was most pronounced in 2012. Compared with 2009, the corresponding odds ratios were 0.98 [95% confidence interval (CI) (0.96-1.00)] in 2010, 0.94 [95% CI (0.92-0.95)] in 2011, and 0.66 [95% CI (0.65-0.68)] in 2012. In contrast, for men with previous screening, PSA testing frequency was stable from 2009 to 2011, and declined to a lesser extent in 2012 [odds ratio 0.80, 95% CI (0.79-0.81)]. Conclusion: Receipt of PSA testing is highly dependent on whether an individual was tested in the recent past. In previously unscreened men, the largest decrease occurred in 2012, which may reflect in part the publication of US Preventive Services Task Force guidelines, but there was much less impact among men already being screened. © 2017 Family Medicine and Community Health
Compressible flow structures interaction with a two-dimensional ejector: a cold-flow study
An experimental study has been conducted to examine the interaction of compressible flow structures such as
shocks and vortices with a two-dimensional ejector geometry using a shock-tube facility. Three diaphragm pressure
ratios ofP4
=P1 = 4, 8, and 12 have been employed, whereP4
is the driver gas pressure andP1
is the pressure within
the driven compartment of the shock tube. These lead to incident shock Mach numbers of Ms = 1:34, 1.54, and 1.66,
respectively. The length of the driver section of the shock tube was 700 mm. Air was used for both the driver and
driven gases. High-speed shadowgraphy was employed to visualize the induced flowfield. Pressure measurements
were taken at different locations along the test section to study theflow quantitatively. The induced flow is unsteady
and dependent on the degree of compressibility of the initial shock wave generated by the rupture of the diaphragm
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