269 research outputs found
Moment Equations for a Spatially Extended System of Two Competing Species
The dynamics of a spatially extended system of two competing species in the
presence of two noise sources is studied. A correlated dichotomous noise acts
on the interaction parameter and a multiplicative white noise affects directly
the dynamics of the two species. To describe the spatial distribution of the
species we use a model based on Lotka-Volterra (LV) equations. By writing them
in a mean field form, the corresponding moment equations for the species
concentrations are obtained in Gaussian approximation. In this formalism the
system dynamics is analyzed for different values of the multiplicative noise
intensity. Finally by comparing these results with those obtained by direct
simulations of the time discrete version of LV equations, that is coupled map
lattice (CML) model, we conclude that the anticorrelated oscillations of the
species densities are strictly related to non-overlapping spatial patterns.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Spatial network morphology and social integration of the elderly: The socio-spatial ‘embeddedness’ of community-based elderly care facilities
Moving from the outskirts of cities into urban neighbourhoods, so called community-based elderly care facilities are
regarded as a shift from a traditional medical model of care to a social model of care, with an aim of fostering social
interactions between facility inhabitants and local residents. This strategy of achieving social integration through spatial
integration involves spaces at multiple scales, including not only the interior environment of facilities, but also the
exterior urban fabric surrounding facilities. However, most existing research focuses on the building interior of facilities.
Local authorities tacitly assume that allocating facilities within an urban community means the realisation of spatial
integration, hardly addressing the spatial complexity of urban communities from a morphological perspective, which
results in contradictory findings with respect to the social outcomes of implementing such policies.
Urban morphology can be a structural factor affording or eliminating opportunities of social interaction among
inhabitants, which is particularly applicable to the ageing population, for whom social connections are largely realised
via physical environments. Taking over 140 care facilities in the Chinese city of Nanjing as cases, this study develops a
spatial network model to quantitatively identify the morphological patterns of urban communities in which facilities are
located, thus considering the urban environment as an opportunity structure. It also disentangles to what extent facilities
are connected or isolated from surrounding urban fabrics at various scales. Results show that being located within
communities does not necessarily imply spatial embeddedness. Spatial network morphology may constrain social
connection opportunities of facility inhabitants at global or local scales. Findings indicate that urban communities should
not be regarded as spatially homogeneous entities when allocating care facilities. Differentiated morphological factors
should be considered to optimise opportunities for social connection via spatial embeddedness
Moment equations in a Lotka-Volterra extended system with time correlated noise
A spatially extended Lotka-Volterra system of two competing species in the
presence of two correlated noise sources is analyzed: (i) an external
multiplicative time correlated noise, which mimics the interaction between the
system and the environment; (ii) a dichotomous stochastic process, whose jump
rate is a periodic function, which represents the interaction parameter between
the species. The moment equations for the species densities are derived in
Gaussian approximation, using a mean field approach. Within this formalism we
study the effect of the external time correlated noise on the ecosystem
dynamics. We find that the time behavior of the order moments are
independent on the multiplicative noise source. However the behavior of the
order moments is strongly affected both by the intensity and the
correlation time of the multiplicative noise. Finally we compare our results
with those obtained studying the system dynamics by a coupled map lattice
model.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Acta Phys. Pol.
Macroscopic limit cycle via pure noise-induced phase transition
Bistability generated via a pure noise-induced phase transition is reexamined
from the view of bifurcations in macroscopic cumulant dynamics. It allows an
analytical study of the phase diagram in more general cases than previous
methods. In addition using this approach we investigate patially-extended
systems with two degrees of freedom per site. For this system, the analytic
solution of the stationary Fokker-Planck equation is not available and a
standard mean field approach cannot be used to find noise induced phase
transitions. A new approach based on cumulant dynamics predicts a noise-induced
phase transition through a Hopf bifurcation leading to a macroscopic limit
cycle motion, which is confirmed by numerical simulation.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
Noise Induced Complexity: From Subthreshold Oscillations to Spiking in Coupled Excitable Systems
We study stochastic dynamics of an ensemble of N globally coupled excitable
elements. Each element is modeled by a FitzHugh-Nagumo oscillator and is
disturbed by independent Gaussian noise. In simulations of the Langevin
dynamics we characterize the collective behavior of the ensemble in terms of
its mean field and show that with the increase of noise the mean field displays
a transition from a steady equilibrium to global oscillations and then, for
sufficiently large noise, back to another equilibrium. Diverse regimes of
collective dynamics ranging from periodic subthreshold oscillations to
large-amplitude oscillations and chaos are observed in the course of this
transition. In order to understand details and mechanisms of noise-induced
dynamics we consider a thermodynamic limit of the ensemble, and
derive the cumulant expansion describing temporal evolution of the mean field
fluctuations. In the Gaussian approximation this allows us to perform the
bifurcation analysis; its results are in good agreement with dynamical
scenarios observed in the stochastic simulations of large ensembles
Toward standardized reporting for a cohort study on functioning: The Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study
OBJECTIVE: Functioning is an important outcome to measure in cohort studies. Clear and operational outcomes are needed to judge the quality of a cohort study. This paper outlines guiding principles for reporting functioning in cohort studies and addresses some outstanding issues.DESIGN: Principles of how to standardize reporting of data from a cohort study on functioning, by deriving scores that are most useful for further statistical analysis and reporting, are outlined. The Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study Community Survey serves as a case in point to provide a practical application of these principles.METHODS AND RESULTS: Development of reporting scores must be conceptually coherent and metrically sound. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) can serve as the frame of reference for this, with its categories serving as reference units for reporting. To derive a score for further statistical analysis and reporting, items measuring a single latent trait must be invariant across groups. The Rasch measurement model is well suited to test these assumptions.CONCLUSION: Our approach is a valuable guide for researchers and clinicians, as it fosters comparability of data, strengthens the comprehensiveness of scope, and provides invariant, interval-scaled data for further statistical analyses of functioning.<br/
Schwinger Particle-Production Mechanism for a Finite-Length Flux Tube with Transverse Confinement
Previous results for the pair production probability in a strong electric
field with a finite longitudinal separation are generalized to the case of a
finite-length flux tube with transverse confinement. The threshold length of
the flux tube, below which pair production cannot occur, increases as a result
of transverse confinement.Comment: 12 pages (REVTeX
Measurement of shower development and its Moli\`ere radius with a four-plane LumiCal test set-up
A prototype of a luminometer, designed for a future e+e- collider detector,
and consisting at present of a four-plane module, was tested in the CERN PS
accelerator T9 beam. The objective of this beam test was to demonstrate a
multi-plane tungsten/silicon operation, to study the development of the
electromagnetic shower and to compare it with MC simulations. The Moli\`ere
radius has been determined to be 24.0 +/- 0.6 (stat.) +/- 1.5 (syst.) mm using
a parametrization of the shower shape. Very good agreement was found between
data and a detailed Geant4 simulation.Comment: Paper published in Eur. Phys. J., includes 25 figures and 3 Table
ECFA Detector R&D Panel, Review Report
Two special calorimeters are foreseen for the instrumentation of the very
forward region of an ILC or CLIC detector; a luminometer (LumiCal) designed to
measure the rate of low angle Bhabha scattering events with a precision better
than 10 at the ILC and 10 at CLIC, and a low polar-angle
calorimeter (BeamCal). The latter will be hit by a large amount of
beamstrahlung remnants. The intensity and the spatial shape of these
depositions will provide a fast luminosity estimate, as well as determination
of beam parameters. The sensors of this calorimeter must be radiation-hard.
Both devices will improve the e.m. hermeticity of the detector in the search
for new particles. Finely segmented and very compact electromagnetic
calorimeters will match these requirements. Due to the high occupancy, fast
front-end electronics will be needed. Monte Carlo studies were performed to
investigate the impact of beam-beam interactions and physics background
processes on the luminosity measurement, and of beamstrahlung on the
performance of BeamCal, as well as to optimise the design of both calorimeters.
Dedicated sensors, front-end and ADC ASICs have been designed for the ILC and
prototypes are available. Prototypes of sensor planes fully assembled with
readout electronics have been studied in electron beams.Comment: 61 pages, 51 figure
Interferon β-1a in relapsing multiple sclerosis: four-year extension of the European IFNβ-1a Dose-C omparison Study
Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease requiring long-term monitoring of treatment. Objective: To assess the four-year clinical efficacy of intramuscular (IM) IFNb-1a in patients with relapsing MS from the European IFNb-1a Dose-C omparison Study. Methods: Patients who completed 36 months of treatment (Part 1) of the European IFNb-1a Dose-C omparison Study were given the option to continue double-blind treatment with IFNb-1a 30 mcg or 60 mcg IM once weekly (Part 2). Analyses of 48-month data were performed on sustained disability progression, relapses, and neutralizing antibody (NA b) formation. Results: O f 608/802 subjects who completed 36 months of treatment, 493 subjects continued treatment and 446 completed 48 months of treatment and follow-up. IFNb-1a 30 mcg and 60 mcg IM once weekly were equally effective for up to 48 months. There were no significant differences between doses over 48 months on any of the clinical endpoints, including rate of disability progression, cumulative percentage of patients who progressed (48 and 43, respectively), and annual relapse rates; relapses tended to decrease over 48 months. The incidence of patients who were positive for NAbs at any time during the study was low in both treatment groups. Conclusion: C ompared with 60-mcg IM IFNb-1a once weekly, a dose of 30 mcg IM IFNb-1a once weekly maintains the same clinical efficacy over four years
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