1,481 research outputs found
On the exchange of intersection and supremum of sigma-fields in filtering theory
We construct a stationary Markov process with trivial tail sigma-field and a
nondegenerate observation process such that the corresponding nonlinear
filtering process is not uniquely ergodic. This settles in the negative a
conjecture of the author in the ergodic theory of nonlinear filters arising
from an erroneous proof in the classic paper of H. Kunita (1971), wherein an
exchange of intersection and supremum of sigma-fields is taken for granted.Comment: 20 page
A Classification of Minimal Sets of Torus Homeomorphisms
We provide a classification of minimal sets of homeomorphisms of the
two-torus, in terms of the structure of their complement. We show that this
structure is exactly one of the following types: (1) a disjoint union of
topological disks, or (2) a disjoint union of essential annuli and topological
disks, or (3) a disjoint union of one doubly essential component and bounded
topological disks. Periodic bounded disks can only occur in type 3. This result
provides a framework for more detailed investigations, and additional
information on the torus homeomorphism allows to draw further conclusions. In
the non-wandering case, the classification can be significantly strengthened
and we obtain that a minimal set other than the whole torus is either a
periodic orbit, or the orbit of a periodic circloid, or the extension of a
Cantor set. Further special cases are given by torus homeomorphisms homotopic
to an Anosov, in which types 1 and 2 cannot occur, and the same holds for
homeomorphisms homotopic to the identity with a rotation set which has
non-empty interior. If a non-wandering torus homeomorphism has a unique and
totally irrational rotation vector, then any minimal set other than the whole
torus has to be the extension of a Cantor set.Comment: Published in Mathematische Zeitschrift, June 2013, Volume 274, Issue
1-2, pp 405-42
Sliding mode control of quantum systems
This paper proposes a new robust control method for quantum systems with
uncertainties involving sliding mode control (SMC). Sliding mode control is a
widely used approach in classical control theory and industrial applications.
We show that SMC is also a useful method for robust control of quantum systems.
In this paper, we define two specific classes of sliding modes (i.e.,
eigenstates and state subspaces) and propose two novel methods combining
unitary control and periodic projective measurements for the design of quantum
sliding mode control systems. Two examples including a two-level system and a
three-level system are presented to demonstrate the proposed SMC method. One of
main features of the proposed method is that the designed control laws can
guarantee desired control performance in the presence of uncertainties in the
system Hamiltonian. This sliding mode control approach provides a useful
control theoretic tool for robust quantum information processing with
uncertainties.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figure
Tur\'an numbers for -free graphs: topological obstructions and algebraic constructions
We show that every hypersurface in contains a large grid,
i.e., the set of the form , with . We use this to
deduce that the known constructions of extremal -free and
-free graphs cannot be generalized to a similar construction of
-free graphs for any . We also give new constructions of
extremal -free graphs for large .Comment: Fixed a small mistake in the application of Proposition
Improvements in data quality for decision support in intensive care
Nowadays, there is a plethora of technology in hospitals and, in particular, in intensive care units. The clinical data produced everyday can be integrated in a decision support system in real-time to improve quality of care of the critically ill patients. However, there are many sensitive aspects that must be taken into account, mainly the data quality and the integration of heterogeneous data sources. This paper presents INTCare, an Intelligent Decision Support System for Intensive Care in real-time and addresses the previous aspects, in particular, the development of an Electronic Nursing Record and the improvements in the quality of monitored data.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT
Vocal imitations and the identification of sound events
International audienceIt is commonly observed that a speaker vocally imitates a sound that she or he intends to communicate to an interlocutor. We report on an experiment that examined the assumption that vocal imitations can e ffectively communicate a referent sound, and that they do so by conveying the features necessary for the identifi cation of the referent sound event. Subjects were required to sort a set of vocal imitations of everyday sounds. The resulting clusters corresponded in most of the cases to the categories of the referent sound events, indicating that the imitations enabled the listeners to recover what was imitated. Furthermore, a binary decision tree analysis showed that a few characteristic acoustic features predicted the clusters. These features also predicted the classi fication of the referent sounds, but did not generalize to the categorization of other sounds. This showed that, for the speaker, vocally imitating a sound consists of conveying the acoustic features important for recognition, within the constraints of human vocal production. As such vocal imitations prove to be a phenomenon potentially useful to study sound identifi cation
Observability and nonlinear filtering
This paper develops a connection between the asymptotic stability of
nonlinear filters and a notion of observability. We consider a general class of
hidden Markov models in continuous time with compact signal state space, and
call such a model observable if no two initial measures of the signal process
give rise to the same law of the observation process. We demonstrate that
observability implies stability of the filter, i.e., the filtered estimates
become insensitive to the initial measure at large times. For the special case
where the signal is a finite-state Markov process and the observations are of
the white noise type, a complete (necessary and sufficient) characterization of
filter stability is obtained in terms of a slightly weaker detectability
condition. In addition to observability, the role of controllability in filter
stability is explored. Finally, the results are partially extended to
non-compact signal state spaces
Seroepidemiology of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever among cattle in Cameroon:Implications from a One Health perspective
BACKGROUND: Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne viral zoonotic disease distributed across several continents and recognized as an ongoing health threat. In humans, the infection can progress to a severe disease with high fatality, raising public health concerns due to the limited prophylactic and therapeutic options available. Animal species, clinically unaffected by the virus, serve as viral reservoirs and amplifier hosts, and can be a valuable tool for surveillance. Little is known about the occurrence and prevalence of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV) in Cameroon. Knowledge on CCHFV exposure and the factors associated with its presence in sentinel species are a valuable resource to better understand transmission dynamics and assess local risks for zoonotic disease emergence. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a CCHFV serological survey and risk factor analysis for animal level seropositivity in pastoral and dairy cattle in the North West Region (NWR) and the Vina Division (VD) of the Adamawa Region in Cameroon. Seroprevalence estimates were adjusted for sampling design-effects and test performance. In addition, explanatory multivariable logistic regression mixed-effects models were fit to estimate the effect of animal characteristics, husbandry practices, risk contacts and ecological features on the serological status of pastoral cattle. The overall seroprevalence was 56.0% (95% CI 53.5–58.6) and 6.7% (95% CI 2.6–16.1) among pastoral and dairy cattle, respectively. Animals going on transhumance had twice the odds of being seropositive (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.1–3.8), indicating that animal movements could be implicated in disease expansion. From an ecological perspective, absolute humidity (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4–0.9) and shrub density (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4–3.2) were associated with seropositivity, which suggests an underlying viral dynamic connecting vertebrate host and ticks in a complex transmission network. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated high seroprevalence levels of CCHFV antibodies in cattle in Cameroon indicating a potential risk to human populations. However, current understanding of the underlying dynamics of CCHFV locally and the real risk for human populations is incomplete. Further studies designed using a One Health approach are required to improve local knowledge of the disease, host interactions and environmental risk factors. This information is crucial to better project the risks for human populations located in CCHFV-suitable ecological niches
Bovine tuberculosis epidemiology in Cameroon, Central Africa, based on the interferon gamma assay
Despite sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounting for ~20% of the global cattle population, prevalence estimates and related risk factors of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) are still poorly described. The increased sensitivity of the IFN-γ assay and its practical benefits suggest the test could be useful to investigate bTB epidemiology in SSA. This study used a population-based sample to estimate bTB prevalence, identify risk factors and estimate the effective reproductive rate in Cameroonian cattle populations. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the North West Region (NWR) and the Vina Division (VIN) of Cameroon in 2013. A regional stratified sampling frame of pastoral cattle herds produced a sample of 1,448 cattle from 100 herds. In addition, a smaller cross-sectional study sampled 60 dairy cattle from 46 small-holder co-operative dairy farmers in the NWR. Collected blood samples were stimulated with bovine and avian purified protein derivatives, with extracted plasma screened using the IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Prionics Bovigam®). Design-adjusted population prevalences were estimated, and multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression models using Bayesian inference techniques identified the risk factors for IFN-γ positivity. Using the IFN-γ assay, the prevalence of bTB in the dairy cattle was 21.7% (95% CI: 11.2–32.2). The design-adjusted prevalence of bTB in cattle kept by pastoralists was 11.4% (95% CI: 7.6–17.0) in the NWR and 8.0% (95% CI: 4.7–13.0) in the VIN. A within-herd prevalence estimate for pastoralist cattle also supported that the NWR had higher prevalence herds than the VIN. Additionally, the estimates of the effective reproductive rate Rt were 1.12 for the NWR and 1.06 for the VIN, suggesting different transmission rates within regional cattle populations in Cameroon. For pastoral cattle, an increased risk of IFN-γ assay positivity was associated with being male (OR = 1.89; 95% CI:1.15–3.09), increasing herd size (OR = 1.02; 95% CI:1.01–1.03), exposure to the bovine leucosis virus (OR = 2.45; 95% CI: 1.19–4.84) and paratuberculosis (OR = 9.01; 95% CI: 4.17–20.08). Decreased odds were associated with contacts at grazing, buffalo (OR = 0.20; 95% CI: 0.03–0.97) and increased contact with other herds [1–5 herds: OR = 0.16 (95% CI: 0.04–0.55); 6+ herds: OR = 0.18 (95% CI: 0.05–0.64)]. Few studies have used the IFN-γ assay to describe bTB epidemiology in SSA. This study highlights the endemic situation of bTB in Cameroon and potential public health risks from dairy herds. Further work is needed to understand the IFN-γ assay performance, particularly in the presence of co-infections, and how this information can be used to develop control strategies in the SSA contexts
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