528 research outputs found
Using a neural network approach for muon reconstruction and triggering
The extremely high rate of events that will be produced in the future Large
Hadron Collider requires the triggering mechanism to take precise decisions in
a few nano-seconds. We present a study which used an artificial neural network
triggering algorithm and compared it to the performance of a dedicated
electronic muon triggering system. Relatively simple architecture was used to
solve a complicated inverse problem. A comparison with a realistic example of
the ATLAS first level trigger simulation was in favour of the neural network. A
similar architecture trained after the simulation of the electronics first
trigger stage showed a further background rejection.Comment: A talk given at ACAT03, KEK, Japan, November 2003. Submitted to
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section
Predicting Hydrological Drought: Relative Contributions of Soil Moisture and Snow Information to Seasonal Streamflow Prediction Skill
in this study we examine how knowledge of mid-winter snow accumulation and soil moisture conditions contribute to our ability to predict streamflow months in advance. A first "synthetic truth" analysis focuses on a series of numerical experiments with multiple sophisticated land surface models driven with a dataset of observations-based meteorological forcing spanning multiple decades and covering the continental United States. Snowpack information by itself obviously contributes to the skill attained in streamflow prediction, particularly in the mountainous west. The isolated contribution of soil moisture information, however, is found to be large and significant in many areas, particularly in the west but also in region surrounding the Great Lakes. The results are supported by a supplemental, observations-based analysis using (naturalized) March-July streamflow measurements covering much of the western U.S. Additional forecast experiments using start dates that span the year indicate a strong seasonality in the skill contributions; soil moisture information, for example, contributes to kill at much longer leads for forecasts issued in winter than for those issued in summer
Exact Analytic Solution for the Rotation of a Rigid Body having Spherical Ellipsoid of Inertia and Subjected to a Constant Torque
The exact analytic solution is introduced for the rotational motion of a
rigid body having three equal principal moments of inertia and subjected to an
external torque vector which is constant for an observer fixed with the body,
and to arbitrary initial angular velocity. In the paper a parametrization of
the rotation by three complex numbers is used. In particular, the rows of the
rotation matrix are seen as elements of the unit sphere and projected, by
stereographic projection, onto points on the complex plane. In this
representation, the kinematic differential equation reduces to an equation of
Riccati type, which is solved through appropriate choices of substitutions,
thereby yielding an analytic solution in terms of confluent hypergeometric
functions. The rotation matrix is recovered from the three complex rotation
variables by inverse stereographic map. The results of a numerical experiment
confirming the exactness of the analytic solution are reported. The newly found
analytic solution is valid for any motion time length and rotation amplitude.
The present paper adds a further element to the small set of special cases for
which an exact solution of the rotational motion of a rigid body exists.Comment: "Errata Corridge Postprint" In particular: typos present in Eq. 28 of
the Journal version are HERE correcte
Exact Analytic Solutions for the Rotation of an Axially Symmetric Rigid Body Subjected to a Constant Torque
New exact analytic solutions are introduced for the rotational motion of a
rigid body having two equal principal moments of inertia and subjected to an
external torque which is constant in magnitude. In particular, the solutions
are obtained for the following cases: (1) Torque parallel to the symmetry axis
and arbitrary initial angular velocity; (2) Torque perpendicular to the
symmetry axis and such that the torque is rotating at a constant rate about the
symmetry axis, and arbitrary initial angular velocity; (3) Torque and initial
angular velocity perpendicular to the symmetry axis, with the torque being
fixed with the body. In addition to the solutions for these three forced cases,
an original solution is introduced for the case of torque-free motion, which is
simpler than the classical solution as regards its derivation and uses the
rotation matrix in order to describe the body orientation. This paper builds
upon the recently discovered exact solution for the motion of a rigid body with
a spherical ellipsoid of inertia. In particular, by following Hestenes' theory,
the rotational motion of an axially symmetric rigid body is seen at any instant
in time as the combination of the motion of a "virtual" spherical body with
respect to the inertial frame and the motion of the axially symmetric body with
respect to this "virtual" body. The kinematic solutions are presented in terms
of the rotation matrix. The newly found exact analytic solutions are valid for
any motion time length and rotation amplitude. The present paper adds further
elements to the small set of special cases for which an exact solution of the
rotational motion of a rigid body exists.Comment: "Errata Corridge Postprint" version of the journal paper. The
following typos present in the Journal version are HERE corrected: 1)
Definition of \beta, before Eq. 18; 2) sign in the statement of Theorem 3; 3)
Sign in Eq. 53; 4)Item r_0 in Eq. 58; 5) Item R_{SN}(0) in Eq. 6
Adjustment to colostomy: stoma acceptance, stoma care self-efficacy and interpersonal relationships
‘The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com.’ Copyright Blackwell Publishing. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04446.xThis paper is a report of a study to examine adjustment and its relationship with stoma acceptance and social interaction, and the link between stoma care self-efficacy and adjustment in the presence of acceptance and social interactions.Peer reviewe
International Retrospective Chart Review of Treatment Patterns in Severe Familial Mediterranean Fever, Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor–Associated Periodic Syndrome, and Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency/Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D Syndrome
Objective: Periodic fever syndrome (PFS) conditions are characterized by recurrent attacks of fever and localized inflammation. This study examined the diagnostic pathway and treatments at tertiary centers for familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), tumor necrosis factor receptor–associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS), and mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD)/hyperimmunoglobulinemia D syndrome (HIDS).
Methods: PFS specialists at medical centers in the US, the European Union, and the eastern Mediterranean participated in a retrospective chart review, providing de‐identified data in an electronic case report form. Patients were treated between 2008 and 2012, with at least 1 year of followup; all had clinical and/or genetically proven disease and were on/eligible for biologic treatment.
Results: A total of 134 patients were analyzed: FMF (n = 49), TRAPS (n = 47), and MKD/HIDS (n = 38). Fever was commonly reported as severe across all indications. Other frequently reported severe symptoms were serositis for FMF patients and elevated acute‐phase reactants and gastrointestinal upset for TRAPS and MKD/HIDS. A long delay from disease onset to diagnosis was seen within TRAPS and MKD/HIDS (5.8 and 7.1 years, respectively) compared to a 1.8‐year delay in FMF patients. An equal proportion of TRAPS patients first received anti–interleukin‐1 (anti‐IL‐1) and anti–tumor necrosis factor (anti‐TNF) biologic agents, whereas IL‐1 blockade was the main choice for FMF patients resistant to colchicine and MKD/HIDS patients. For TRAPS patients, treatment with anakinra versus anti‐TNF treatments as first biologic agent resulted in significantly higher clinical and biochemical responses (P = 0.03 and P < 0.01, respectively). No significant differences in responses were observed between biologic agents among other cohorts.
Conclusion: Referral patterns and diagnostic delays highlight the need for greater awareness and improved diagnostics for PFS. This real‐world treatment assessment supports the need for further refinement of treatment practices
Understanding the links between hearing impairment and dementia : development and validation of the social and emotional impact of hearing impairment (SEI-HI) questionnaire
Background
The links between hearing impairment (HI) and dementia have been well documented, but factors mediating this relationship remain unknown. Major consequences of HI are social and emotional dysfunction, and as the risk of dementia increases linearly with the severity of HI, it is plausible that socio-emotional difficulties may play a role in this association.
Objective
The aim of this study was to develop and validate a tool to analyse levels of hearing-related disability, to investigate ultimately whether subjective disability contributes to risk of cognitive impairment compared with hearing thresholds alone.
Methods
Development and validation of the questionnaire, the Social and Emotional Impact of Hearing Impairment (SEI-HI), was conducted in four phases: (1) content; (2) scoring and outcomes; (3) validation; (4) feasibility in a sample of people with cognitive impairment.
Results
Considerable evidence was found for the internal and external reliability of the tool with high construct validity, concurrent validity and test-retest values of the SEI-HI questionnaire. A feasibility check on 31 patients with mild cognitive impairment or dementia showed the SEI-HI questionnaire was easy to administer and well-received.
Conclusion
The SEI-HI questionnaire is a relevant instrument to assess hearing-related disability which can be used in people with cognitive decline to assess further impact on risk of developing dementia
Involvement of the Modifier Gene of a Human Mendelian Disorder in a Negative Selection Process
BACKGROUND:Identification of modifier genes and characterization of their effects represent major challenges in human genetics. SAA1 is one of the few modifiers identified in humans: this gene influences the risk of renal amyloidosis (RA) in patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), a Mendelian autoinflammatory disorder associated with mutations in MEFV. Indeed, the SAA1 alpha homozygous genotype and the p.Met694Val homozygous genotype at the MEFV locus are two main risk factors for RA. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:HERE, WE INVESTIGATED ARMENIAN FMF PATIENTS AND CONTROLS FROM TWO NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES: Armenia, where RA is frequent (24%), and Karabakh, where RA is rare (2.5%). Sequencing of MEFV revealed similar frequencies of p.Met694Val homozygotes in the two groups of patients. However, a major deficit of SAA1 alpha homozygotes was found among Karabakhian patients (4%) as compared to Armenian patients (24%) (p = 5.10(-5)). Most importantly, we observed deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) in the two groups of patients, and unexpectedly, in opposite directions, whereas, in the two control populations, genotype distributions at this locus were similar and complied with (HWE). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:The excess of SAA1alpha homozygotes among Armenian patients could be explained by the recruitment of patients with severe phenotypes. In contrast, a population-based study revealed that the deficit of alpha/alpha among Karabakhian patients would result from a negative selection against carriers of this genotype. This study, which provides new insights into the role of SAA1 in the pathophysiology of FMF, represents the first example of deviations from HWE and selection involving the modifier gene of a Mendelian disorder
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Growing impact of wildfire on western US water supply
Streamflow often increases after fire, but the persistence of this effect and its importance to present and future regional water resources are unclear. This paper addresses these knowledge gaps for the western United States (WUS), where annual forest fire area increased by more than 1,100% during 1984 to 2020. Among 72 forested basins across the WUS that burned between 1984 and 2019, the multibasin mean streamflow was significantly elevated by 0.19 SDs (P 20% of forest area burned in a year, streamflow over the first 6 water years postfire increased by a multibasin average of 0.38 SDs, or 30%. Postfire streamflow increases were significant in all four seasons. Historical fire–climate relationships combined with climate model projections suggest that 2021 to 2050 will see repeated years when climate is more fire-conducive than in 2020, the year currently holding the modern record for WUS forest area burned. These findings center on relatively small, minimally managed basins, but our results suggest that burned areas will grow enough over the next 3 decades to enhance streamflow at regional scales. Wildfire is an emerging driver of runoff change that will increasingly alter climate impacts on water supplies and runoff-related risks
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