3,297 research outputs found
Bregman distances and Chebyshev sets
A closed set of a Euclidean space is said to be Chebyshev if every point in
the space has one and only one closest point in the set. Although the situation
is not settled in infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces, in 1932 Bunt showed that
in Euclidean spaces a closed set is Chebyshev if and only if the set is convex.
In this paper, from the more general perspective of Bregman distances, we show
that if every point in the space has a unique nearest point in a closed set,
then the set is convex. We provide two approaches: one is by nonsmooth
analysis; the other by maximal monotone operator theory. Subdifferentiability
properties of Bregman nearest distance functions are also given
Leakage-Aware Interconnect for On-Chip Network
On-chip networks have been proposed as the interconnect fabric for future
systems-on-chip and multi-processors on chip. Power is one of the main
constraints of these systems and interconnect consumes a significant portion of
the power budget. In this paper, we propose four leakage-aware interconnect
schemes. Our schemes achieve 10.13%~63.57% active leakage savings and
12.35%~95.96% standby leakage savings across schemes while the delay penalty
ranges from 0% to 4.69%.Comment: Submitted on behalf of EDAA (http://www.edaa.com/
Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections vs Topical Minoxidil in Adults with Androgenetic Alopecia
Androgenetic alopecia is a condition mediated by androgen (specifically DHT) and genetic factors that causes hair loss and thinning of the scalp in men and women. The hairs’ anagen phase is shortened and terminal hairs transition into vellus hairs. Although this condition is considered cosmetic in nature, it has psychologically detrimental effects. There are medical treatments available to prevent further hair loss but there is currently no cure. Topical minoxidil (Rogaine) is the most commonly used medication for androgenetic alopecia that stops hair loss and, in some cases, helps hair regrowth. However, it can cause an allergic contact dermatitis, local irritation and hypertrichosis. Not to mention, its efficacy relies on the patient’s compliance as it must be applied daily for the rest of the patient’s life span. Platelet-rich plasma injections for AGA is a treatment that is becoming more widespread as a safe, non-allergic treatment method with little/mild to no side effects with many research studies assessing and comparing its efficacy
Vector-Host Interactions Of Culex Pipiens Mosquitoes And Their Role In Arbovirus Transmission In The Mid-Atlantic United States
As the primary vector for the West Nile virus in the United States, members of the Culex pipiens complex have caused illnesses and deaths in the human population since its discovery in 1937. The potential contribution of Cx. pipiens to transmission and enzootic amplification of WNV can be influenced by multiple aspects, including their interactions with various vertebrate hosts as an important factor. By using blood meal analysis and virus testing, this study further investigated the role of Cx. pipiens in WNV transmission and amplification. With 91% of blood meals identified from avian species, birds remain the most frequent source of blood meals for Cx. pipiens. However, the primarily ornithophilic Cx. pipiens also obtained blood meals from mammals (4.6%) and reptiles (0.4%), albeit at lower frequencies. This study also found 4.3% of mixed avian and mammalian blood meals from Cx. pipiens, indicating the possibility of their contribution to the epidemic and epizootic transmission of WNV while maintaining enzootic cycles
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Mortality in young adults following in utero and childhood exposure to arsenic in drinking water.
BackgroundBeginning in 1958, the city of Antofagasta in northern Chile was exposed to high arsenic concentrations (870 µg/L) when it switched water sources. The exposure abruptly stopped in 1970 when an arsenic-removal plant commenced operations. A unique exposure scenario like this--with an abrupt start, clear end, and large population (125,000 in 1970), all with essentially the same exposure--is rare in environmental epidemiology. Evidence of increased mortality from lung cancer, bronchiectasis, myocardial infarction, and kidney cancer has been reported among young adults who were in utero or children during the high-exposure period.ObjectiveWe investigated other causes of mortality in Antofagasta among 30- to 49-year-old adults who were in utero or ≤ 18 years of age during the high-exposure period.MethodsWe compared mortality data between Antofagasta and the rest of Chile for people 30-49 years of age during 1989-2000. We estimated expected deaths from mortality rates in all of Chile, excluding Region II where Antofagasta is located, and calculated standardized mortality ratios (SMRs).ResultsWe found evidence of increased mortality from bladder cancer [SMR = 18.1; 95% confidence interval (CI): 11.3, 27.4], laryngeal cancer (SMR = 8.1; 95% CI: 3.5, 16.0), liver cancer (SMR = 2.5; 95% CI: 1.6, 3.7), and chronic renal disease (SMR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.5, 2.8).ConclusionsTaking together our findings in the present study and previous evidence of increased mortality from other causes of death, we conclude that arsenic in Antofagasta drinking water has resulted in the greatest increases in mortality in adults < 50 years of age ever associated with early-life environmental exposure
Measuring 14 elemental abundances with R=1,800 LAMOST spectra
The LAMOST survey has acquired low-resolution spectra (R=1,800) for 5 million
stars across the Milky Way, far more than any current stellar survey at a
corresponding or higher spectral resolution. It is often assumed that only very
few elemental abundances can be measured from such low-resolution spectra,
limiting their utility for Galactic archaeology studies. However, Ting et al.
(2017) used ab initio models to argue that low-resolution spectra should enable
precision measurements of many elemental abundances, at least in theory. Here
we verify this claim in practice by measuring the relative abundances of 14
elements from LAMOST spectra with a precision of 0.1 dex for objects
with > 30 (per pixel). We employ a spectral modeling
method in which a data-driven model is combined with priors that the model
gradient spectra should resemble ab initio spectral models. This approach
assures that the data-driven abundance determinations draw on physically
sensible features in the spectrum in their predictions and do not just exploit
astrophysical correlations among abundances. Our analysis is constrained to the
number of elemental abundances measured in the APOGEE survey, which is the
source of the training labels. Obtaining high quality/resolution spectra for a
subset of LAMOST stars to measure more elemental abundances as training labels
and then applying this method to the full LAMOST catalog will provide a sample
with more than 20 elemental abundances that is an order of magnitude larger
than current high-resolution surveys, substantially increasing the sample size
for Galactic archaeology.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, ApJ (Accepted for publication- 2017 October 9
BaySize: Bayesian Sample Size Planning for Phase I Dose-Finding Trials
We propose BaySize, a sample size calculator for phase I clinical trials
using Bayesian models. BaySize applies the concept of effect size in dose
finding, assuming the MTD is defined based on an equivalence interval.
Leveraging a decision framework that involves composite hypotheses, BaySize
utilizes two prior distributions, the fitting prior (for model fitting) and
sampling prior (for data generation), to conduct sample size calculation under
desirable statistical power. Look-up tables are generated to facilitate
practical applications. To our knowledge, BaySize is the first sample size tool
that can be applied to a broad range of phase I trial designs
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