Learning dependence from samples.

PubMed

Seth, Sohan; Príncipe, José C

2014-01-01

Mutual information, conditional mutual information and interaction information have been widely used in scientific literature as measures of dependence, conditional dependence and mutual dependence. However, these concepts suffer from several computational issues; they are difficult to estimate in continuous domain, the existing regularised estimators are almost always defined only for real or vector-valued random variables, and these measures address what dependence, conditional dependence and mutual dependence imply in terms of the random variables but not finite realisations. In this paper, we address the issue that given a set of realisations in an arbitrary metric space, what characteristic makes them dependent, conditionally dependent or mutually dependent. With this novel understanding, we develop new estimators of association, conditional association and interaction association. Some attractive properties of these estimators are that they do not require choosing free parameter(s), they are computationally simpler, and they can be applied to arbitrary metric spaces.

Mutual expectation compacts: a means to link practice culture and vision.

PubMed

Drury, Ivo; Slomski, Carol

2007-01-01

We describe the development of a mutual expectation compact in an academic department of surgery as a means of reinforcing the department's vision document and promoting cultural change. The compact makes explicit those implicit agreements that exist between a physician and his or her practice. It strengthens the relationship by avoiding the misunderstandings that can arise when agreements are implicit.

Information Seeking and Avoidance Behavior in School Library Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Du, Yunfei

2010-01-01

Library science students in school librarianship were surveyed to determine their information seeking and avoidance behaviors in Web-based online environments. Two coping styles were identified among students. Barriers to student online collaboration, such as individual preferences, concerns on efficiency, and lack of mutual trust, were observed.…

In Search of Determinism-Sensitive Region to Avoid Artefacts in Recurrence Plots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wendi, Dadiyorto; Marwan, Norbert; Merz, Bruno

As an effort to reduce parameter uncertainties in constructing recurrence plots, and in particular to avoid potential artefacts, this paper presents a technique to derive artefact-safe region of parameter sets. This technique exploits both deterministic (incl. chaos) and stochastic signal characteristics of recurrence quantification (i.e. diagonal structures). It is useful when the evaluated signal is known to be deterministic. This study focuses on the recurrence plot generated from the reconstructed phase space in order to represent many real application scenarios when not all variables to describe a system are available (data scarcity). The technique involves random shuffling of the original signal to destroy its original deterministic characteristics. Its purpose is to evaluate whether the determinism values of the original and the shuffled signal remain closely together, and therefore suggesting that the recurrence plot might comprise artefacts. The use of such determinism-sensitive region shall be accompanied by standard embedding optimization approaches, e.g. using indices like false nearest neighbor and mutual information, to result in a more reliable recurrence plot parameterization.

Pain-catastrophizing and fear-avoidance beliefs as mediators between post-traumatic stress symptoms and pain following whiplash injury - A prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Andersen, T E; Karstoft, K-I; Brink, O; Elklit, A

2016-09-01

Knowledge about the course of recovery after whiplash injury is important. Most valuable is identification of prognostic factors that may be reversed by intervention. The mutual maintenance model outlines how post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and pain may be mutually maintained by attention bias, fear, negative affect and avoidance behaviours. In a similar vein, the fear-avoidance model describes how pain-catastrophizing (PCS), fear-avoidance beliefs (FA) and depression may result in persistent pain. These mechanisms still need to be investigated longitudinally in a whiplash cohort. A longitudinal cohort design was used to assess patients for pain intensity and psychological distress after whiplash injury. Consecutive patients were all contacted within 3 weeks after their whiplash injury (n = 198). Follow-up questionnaires were sent 3 and 6 months post-injury. Latent Growth Mixture Modelling was used to identify distinct trajectories of recovery from pain. Five distinct trajectories were identified. Six months post-injury, 64.6% could be classified as recovered and 35.4% as non-recovered. The non-recovered (the medium stable, high stable and very high stable trajectories) displayed significantly higher levels of PTSS, PCS, FA and depression at all time points compared to the recovered trajectories. Importantly, PCS and FA mediated the effect of PTSS on pain intensity. The present study adds important knowledge about the development of psychological distress and pain after whiplash injury. The finding, that PCS and FA mediated the effect of PTSS on pain intensity is a novel finding with important implications for prevention and management of whiplash-associated disorders. WHAT DOES THIS STUDY ADD?: The study confirms the mechanisms as outlined in the fear-avoidance model and the mutual maintenance model. The study adds important knowledge of pain-catastrophizing and fear-avoidance beliefs as mediating mechanisms in the effect of post-traumatic stress on pain intensity. Hence, cognitive behavioural techniques targeting avoidance behaviour and catastrophizing may be beneficial preventing the development of chronic pain. © 2016 European Pain Federation - EFIC®

Estimation and classification by sigmoids based on mutual information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baram, Yoram

1994-01-01

An estimate of the probability density function of a random vector is obtained by maximizing the mutual information between the input and the output of a feedforward network of sigmoidal units with respect to the input weights. Classification problems can be solved by selecting the class associated with the maximal estimated density. Newton's s method, applied to an estimated density, yields a recursive maximum likelihood estimator, consisting of a single internal layer of sigmoids, for a random variable or a random sequence. Applications to the diamond classification and to the prediction of a sun-spot process are demonstrated.

Hidden Connectivity in Networks with Vulnerable Classes of Nodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krause, Sebastian M.; Danziger, Michael M.; Zlatić, Vinko

2016-10-01

In many complex systems representable as networks, nodes can be separated into different classes. Often these classes can be linked to a mutually shared vulnerability. Shared vulnerabilities may be due to a shared eavesdropper or correlated failures. In this paper, we show the impact of shared vulnerabilities on robust connectivity and how the heterogeneity of node classes can be exploited to maintain functionality by utilizing multiple paths. Percolation is the field of statistical physics that is generally used to analyze connectivity in complex networks, but in its existing forms, it cannot treat the heterogeneity of multiple vulnerable classes. To analyze the connectivity under these constraints, we describe each class as a color and develop a "color-avoiding" percolation. We present an analytic theory for random networks and a numerical algorithm for all networks, with which we can determine which nodes are color-avoiding connected and whether the maximal set percolates in the system. We find that the interaction of topology and color distribution implies a rich critical behavior, with critical values and critical exponents depending both on the topology and on the color distribution. Applying our physics-based theory to the Internet, we show how color-avoiding percolation can be used as the basis for new topologically aware secure communication protocols. Beyond applications to cybersecurity, our framework reveals a new layer of hidden structure in a wide range of natural and technological systems.

Mutual information based feature selection for medical image retrieval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhi, Lijia; Zhang, Shaomin; Li, Yan

2018-04-01

In this paper, authors propose a mutual information based method for lung CT image retrieval. This method is designed to adapt to different datasets and different retrieval task. For practical applying consideration, this method avoids using a large amount of training data. Instead, with a well-designed training process and robust fundamental features and measurements, the method in this paper can get promising performance and maintain economic training computation. Experimental results show that the method has potential practical values for clinical routine application.

Mate choice and genetic monogamy in a biparental, colonial fish.

PubMed

Schaedelin, Franziska C; van Dongen, Wouter F D; Wagner, Richard H

2015-01-01

In socially monogamous species, in which both sexes provide essential parental care, males as well as females are expected to be choosy. Whereas hundreds of studies have examined monogamy in biparental birds, only several such studies exist in fish. We examined mate choice in the biparental, colonial cichlid fish Neolamprologus caudopunctatus in Lake Tanganyika, Zambia. We genotyped more than 350 individuals at 11 microsatellite loci to investigate their mating system. We found no extrapair paternity, identifying this biparental fish as genetically monogamous. Breeders paired randomly according to their genetic similarity, suggesting a lack of selection against inbreeding avoidance. We further found that breeders paired assortatively by body size, a criterion of quality in fish, suggesting mutual mate choice. In a subsequent mate preference test in an aquarium setup, females showed a strong preference for male size by laying eggs near the larger of 2 males in 13 of 14 trials.

Mate choice and genetic monogamy in a biparental, colonial fish

PubMed Central

van Dongen, Wouter F.D.; Wagner, Richard H.

2015-01-01

In socially monogamous species, in which both sexes provide essential parental care, males as well as females are expected to be choosy. Whereas hundreds of studies have examined monogamy in biparental birds, only several such studies exist in fish. We examined mate choice in the biparental, colonial cichlid fish Neolamprologus caudopunctatus in Lake Tanganyika, Zambia. We genotyped more than 350 individuals at 11 microsatellite loci to investigate their mating system. We found no extrapair paternity, identifying this biparental fish as genetically monogamous. Breeders paired randomly according to their genetic similarity, suggesting a lack of selection against inbreeding avoidance. We further found that breeders paired assortatively by body size, a criterion of quality in fish, suggesting mutual mate choice. In a subsequent mate preference test in an aquarium setup, females showed a strong preference for male size by laying eggs near the larger of 2 males in 13 of 14 trials. PMID:26023276

The effect of self-disclosure skill training on communication patterns of referred couples to counseling clinics.

PubMed

Zarei, Eghbal; Sanaeimanesh, Mehri

2014-01-01

This study aimed to examine the effect of self-disclosure skill training on communication patterns of referred couples to counseling clinics in Bandar Abbas. The applied research design was an experimental study using pre-test and post-test, which was performed on a population of all referred couples to counseling clinics in Bandar Abbas who were interested to participate in a self-disclosure training workshop in response to the announcement. This study was performed on 26 couples who were selected by simple, convenient sampling method; however, they were randomly assigned to the control and experiment groups. A pre-test was administrated before self-disclosure training. The applied instrument includes Christensen and Salavy's scale of communication patterns. Participants in the experiment group had six sessions of training workshop, each lasted for 90 min. After the intervention, both groups answered the questionnaire again. The collected data were analyzed with paired t-test and covariance statistics. The results showed that the intervention led to significant (p < 0.05) increase in mutual constructive communication pattern and a reduction in mutual avoidance, demand/withdraw, demanding man/withdrawing woman communication patterns. It was also found that the training was not effective on the communication pattern of demanding woman/withdrawing man. The training of simple, but important skills of self-disclosure can help couples to improve their communication and consequently improve their marital satisfaction.

Congruence between Spouses’ Perceptions and Observers’ Ratings of Responsiveness: The Role of Attachment Avoidance

PubMed Central

Beck, Lindsey A.; Pietromonaco, Paula R.; DeVito, Cassandra C.; Powers, Sally I.; Boyle, Alysia M.

2016-01-01

Although close relationships require partners to depend on one another for mutual responsiveness, avoidantly-attached individuals are especially averse to risking such dependency. The authors propose that both avoidant and non-avoidant individuals perceive signs of their own and their partners’ responsiveness in ways that reflect motivated perceptions of dependency. The present research examined how the interplay between spouses’ attachment avoidance and observed responsive behaviors during marital conflict shaped perceptions of their own and their partners’ responsiveness. Newlywed couples attempted to resolve a relationship conflict, then reported perceptions of their own and their partners’ responsiveness during the conflict. Observers also coded both partners’ responsive behaviors during the conflict. Avoidant husbands perceived themselves as less responsive than did observers; avoidant wives’ perceptions that their husbands were less responsive matched observers’ ratings. The discussion highlights the role of gender role norms in understanding links between attachment and responsiveness. PMID:24132245

The Appraisal of Teachers' Performance and Its Impact on the Mutuality of Principal-Teacher Emotions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yariv, Eliezer

2009-01-01

The current study examines the mutual discrete emotions among superiors and their above- and below-average workers within a hierarchical organisation (school). Using a survey method within a random sample of 40 elementary schools in Northern Israel, each principal and four of his or her teachers (two who had been appraised as excellent and two who…

Applications of Random Differential Equations to Engineering Science. Wave Propagation in Turbulent Media and Random Linear Hyperbolic Systems.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-11-10

1976), 745-754. 4. (with W. C. Tam) Periodic and traveling wave solutions to Volterra - Lotka equation with diffusion. Bull. Math. Biol. 38 (1976), 643...with applications [17,19,20). (5) A general method for reconstructing the mutual coherent function of a static or moving source from the random

Effectiveness of Mutual Learning Approach in the Academic Achievement of B.Ed Students in Learning Optional II English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arulselvi, Evangelin

2013-01-01

The present study aims at finding out the effectiveness of Mutual learning approach over the conventional method in learning English optional II among B.Ed students. The randomized pre-test, post test, control group and experimental group design was employed. The B.Ed students of the same college formed the control and experimental groups. Each…

Quantum walks with tuneable self-avoidance in one dimension

PubMed Central

Camilleri, Elizabeth; Rohde, Peter P.; Twamley, Jason

2014-01-01

Quantum walks exhibit many unique characteristics compared to classical random walks. In the classical setting, self-avoiding random walks have been studied as a variation on the usual classical random walk. Here the walker has memory of its previous locations and preferentially avoids stepping back to locations where it has previously resided. Classical self-avoiding random walks have found numerous algorithmic applications, most notably in the modelling of protein folding. We consider the analogous problem in the quantum setting – a quantum walk in one dimension with tunable levels of self-avoidance. We complement a quantum walk with a memory register that records where the walker has previously resided. The walker is then able to avoid returning back to previously visited sites or apply more general memory conditioned operations to control the walk. We characterise this walk by examining the variance of the walker's distribution against time, the standard metric for quantifying how quantum or classical a walk is. We parameterise the strength of the memory recording and the strength of the memory back-action on the walker, and investigate their effect on the dynamics of the walk. We find that by manipulating these parameters, which dictate the degree of self-avoidance, the walk can be made to reproduce ideal quantum or classical random walk statistics, or a plethora of more elaborate diffusive phenomena. In some parameter regimes we observe a close correspondence between classical self-avoiding random walks and the quantum self-avoiding walk. PMID:24762398

Industry/University Research Cooperation: Convenience or Necessity--The Industrial View.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tolbert, T. L.

1985-01-01

Success in university-industry cooperative ventures depends on (1) a mutual understanding of the parties' needs and expectations from the outset, (2) understanding of individual responsibilities in collaborative efforts, (3) policy to accommodate both security and publication of results, (4) mechanisms to avoid divisiveness, and (5) scientific…

Financial Planning Strategies for Senior Military Officers.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-05-15

being offered has declined significantly. In that preferred shares are a sort of hybrid of common stocks and bonds. they offer a middle of the road...2. Total return no-load mutual funds should be your first consideraticn in selectirg an investment veiclE . Avoid speculative, non-liquid investments

Self-concept in fairness and rule establishment during a competitive game: a computational approach

PubMed Central

Lee, Sang Ho; Kim, Sung-Phil; Cho, Yang Seok

2015-01-01

People consider fairness as well as their own interest when making decisions in economic games. The present study proposes a model that encompasses the self-concept determined by one's own kindness as a factor of fairness. To observe behavioral patterns that reflect self-concept and fairness, a chicken game experiment was conducted. Behavioral data demonstrates four distinct patterns; “switching,” “mutual rush,” “mutual avoidance,” and “unfair” patterns. Model estimation of chicken game data shows that a model with self-concept predicts those behaviors better than previous models of fairness, suggesting that self-concept indeed affects human behavior in competitive economic games. Moreover, a non-stationary parameter analysis revealed the process of reaching consensus between the players in a game. When the models were fitted to a continuous time window, the parameters of the players in a pair with “switching” and “mutual avoidance” patterns became similar as the game proceeded, suggesting that the players gradually formed a shared rule during the game. In contrast, the difference of parameters between the players in the “unfair” and “mutual rush” patterns did not become stable. The outcomes of the present study showed that people are likely to change their strategy until they reach a mutually beneficial status. PMID:26441707

Mutual Information between Discrete Variables with Many Categories using Recursive Adaptive Partitioning

PubMed Central

Seok, Junhee; Seon Kang, Yeong

2015-01-01

Mutual information, a general measure of the relatedness between two random variables, has been actively used in the analysis of biomedical data. The mutual information between two discrete variables is conventionally calculated by their joint probabilities estimated from the frequency of observed samples in each combination of variable categories. However, this conventional approach is no longer efficient for discrete variables with many categories, which can be easily found in large-scale biomedical data such as diagnosis codes, drug compounds, and genotypes. Here, we propose a method to provide stable estimations for the mutual information between discrete variables with many categories. Simulation studies showed that the proposed method reduced the estimation errors by 45 folds and improved the correlation coefficients with true values by 99 folds, compared with the conventional calculation of mutual information. The proposed method was also demonstrated through a case study for diagnostic data in electronic health records. This method is expected to be useful in the analysis of various biomedical data with discrete variables. PMID:26046461

Experiences with HPTN 067/ADAPT Study-Provided Open-Label PrEP Among Women in Cape Town: Facilitators and Barriers Within a Mutuality Framework.

PubMed

Amico, K Rivet; Wallace, Melissa; Bekker, Linda-Gail; Roux, Surita; Atujuna, Millicent; Sebastian, Elaine; Dye, Bonnie J; Elharrar, Vanessa; Grant, Robert M

2017-05-01

Placebo-controlled trials of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) have reported challenges with study-product uptake and use, with the greatest challenges reported in studies with young women in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a qualitative sub-study to explore experiences with open-label PrEP among young women in Cape Town, South Africa participating in HTPN 067/Alternative Dosing to Augment Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Pill Taking (ADAPT). HPTN 067/ADAPT provided open label oral FTC/TDF PrEP to young women in Cape Town, South Africa who were randomized to daily and non-daily PrEP regimens. Following completion of study participation, women were invited into a qualitative sub-study including focus groups and in-depth interviews. Interviews and groups followed a semi-structured guide, were recorded, transcribed, and translated to English from isiXhosa, and coded using framework analysis. Sixty of the 179 women enrolled in HPTN 067/ADAPT participated in either a focus group (six groups for a total of 42 participants) or an in-depth interview (n = 18). This sample of mostly young, unmarried women identified facilitators of and barriers to PrEP use, as well as factors influencing study participation. Cross-cutting themes characterizing discourse suggested that women placed high value on contributing to the well-being of one's community (Ubuntu), experienced a degree of skepticism towards PrEP and the study more generally, and reported a wide range of approaches towards PrEP (ranging from active avoidance to high levels of persistence and adherence). A Mutuality Framework is proposed that identifies four dynamics (distrust, uncertainty, alignment, and mutuality) that represent distinct interactions between self, community and study and serve to contextualize women's experiences. Implications for better understanding PrEP use, and non-use, and intervention opportunities are discussed. In this sample of women, PrEP use in the context of an open-label research trial was heavily influenced by underlying beliefs about safety, reciprocity of contributions to community, and trust in transparency and integrity of the research. Greater attention to factors positioning women in the different dynamics of the proposed Mutuality Framework could direct intervention approaches in clinical trials, as well as open-label PrEP scale-up.

Ants farm subterranean aphids mostly in single clone groups - an example of prudent husbandry for carbohydrates and proteins?

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Mutualistic interactions are wide-spread but the mechanisms underlying their evolutionary stability and ecological dynamics remain poorly understood. Cultivation mutualisms in which hosts consume symbionts occur in phylogenetically diverse groups, but often have symbiont monocultures for each host. This is consistent with the prediction that symbionts should avoid coexistence with other strains so that host services continue to benefit relatives, but it is less clear whether hosts should always favor monocultures and what mechanisms they might have to manipulate symbiont diversity. Few mutualisms have been studied in sufficient genetic detail to address these issues, so we decided to characterize symbiont diversity in the complex mutualism between multiple root aphid species and Lasius flavus ants. After showing elsewhere that three of these aphid species have low dispersal and mostly if not exclusively asexual reproduction, we here investigate aphid diversity within and between ant nest mounds. Results The three focal species (Geoica utricularia, Forda marginata and Tetraneura ulmi) had considerable clonal diversity at the population level. Yet more than half of the ant mounds contained just a single aphid species, a significantly higher percentage than expected from a random distribution. Over 60% of these single-species mounds had a single aphid clone, and clones tended to persist across subsequent years. Whenever multiple species/clones co-occurred in the same mound, they were spatially separated with more than 95% of the aphid chambers containing individuals of a single clone. Conclusions L. flavus “husbandry” is characterized by low aphid “livestock” diversity per colony, especially at the nest-chamber level, but it lacks the exclusive monocultures known from other cultivation mutualisms. The ants appear to eat most of the early instar aphids, so that adult aphids are unlikely to face limited phloem resources and scramble competition with other aphids. We suggest that such culling of carbohydrate-providing symbionts for protein ingestion may maintain maximal host yield per aphid while also benefitting the domesticated aphids as long as their clone-mates reproduce successfully. The cost-benefit logic of this type of polyculture husbandry has striking analogies with human farming practices based on slaughtering young animals for meat to maximize milk-production by a carefully regulated adult livestock population. PMID:22747564

Mutual synchronization of weakly coupled gyrotrons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rozental, R. M.; Glyavin, M. Yu.; Sergeev, A. S.

2015-09-15

The processes of synchronization of two weakly coupled gyrotrons are studied within the framework of non-stationary equations with non-fixed longitudinal field structure. With the allowance for a small difference of the free oscillation frequencies of the gyrotrons, we found a certain range of parameters where mutual synchronization is possible while a high electronic efficiency is remained. It is also shown that synchronization regimes can be realized even under random fluctuations of the parameters of the electron beams.

Feature Selection for Chemical Sensor Arrays Using Mutual Information

PubMed Central

Wang, X. Rosalind; Lizier, Joseph T.; Nowotny, Thomas; Berna, Amalia Z.; Prokopenko, Mikhail; Trowell, Stephen C.

2014-01-01

We address the problem of feature selection for classifying a diverse set of chemicals using an array of metal oxide sensors. Our aim is to evaluate a filter approach to feature selection with reference to previous work, which used a wrapper approach on the same data set, and established best features and upper bounds on classification performance. We selected feature sets that exhibit the maximal mutual information with the identity of the chemicals. The selected features closely match those found to perform well in the previous study using a wrapper approach to conduct an exhaustive search of all permitted feature combinations. By comparing the classification performance of support vector machines (using features selected by mutual information) with the performance observed in the previous study, we found that while our approach does not always give the maximum possible classification performance, it always selects features that achieve classification performance approaching the optimum obtained by exhaustive search. We performed further classification using the selected feature set with some common classifiers and found that, for the selected features, Bayesian Networks gave the best performance. Finally, we compared the observed classification performances with the performance of classifiers using randomly selected features. We found that the selected features consistently outperformed randomly selected features for all tested classifiers. The mutual information filter approach is therefore a computationally efficient method for selecting near optimal features for chemical sensor arrays. PMID:24595058

Mutual Information Rate and Bounds for It

PubMed Central

Baptista, Murilo S.; Rubinger, Rero M.; Viana, Emilson R.; Sartorelli, José C.; Parlitz, Ulrich; Grebogi, Celso

2012-01-01

The amount of information exchanged per unit of time between two nodes in a dynamical network or between two data sets is a powerful concept for analysing complex systems. This quantity, known as the mutual information rate (MIR), is calculated from the mutual information, which is rigorously defined only for random systems. Moreover, the definition of mutual information is based on probabilities of significant events. This work offers a simple alternative way to calculate the MIR in dynamical (deterministic) networks or between two time series (not fully deterministic), and to calculate its upper and lower bounds without having to calculate probabilities, but rather in terms of well known and well defined quantities in dynamical systems. As possible applications of our bounds, we study the relationship between synchronisation and the exchange of information in a system of two coupled maps and in experimental networks of coupled oscillators. PMID:23112809

A 3-year study of addiction mutual-help group participation following intensive outpatient treatment.

PubMed

Kelly, John F; Stout, Robert; Zywiak, William; Schneider, Robert

2006-08-01

Addiction-focused mutual-help group participation is associated with better substance use disorder (SUD) treatment outcomes. However, little has been documented regarding which types of mutual-help organizations patients attend, what levels of participation may be beneficial, and which patients, in particular, are more or less likely to participate. Furthermore, much of the evidence supporting the use of these organizations comes from studies examining participation and outcomes concurrently, raising doubts about cause-effect connections, and little is known about influences that may moderate the degree of any general benefit. Alcohol-dependent outpatients (N=227; 27% female; M age=42) enrolled in a randomized-controlled telephone case monitoring trial were assessed at treatment intake and at 1, 2, and 3 years postdischarge. Lagged-panel, hierarchical linear models tested whether mutual-help group participation in the first and second year following treatment predicted subsequent outcomes and whether these effects were moderated by gender, concurrent axis I diagnosis, religious preference, and prior mutual-help experience. Robust regression curve analysis was used to examine dose-response relationships between mutual-help and outcomes. Mutual-help participation was associated with both greater abstinence and fewer drinks per drinking day and this relationship was not found to be influenced by gender, Axis I diagnosis, religious preference, or prior mutual-help participation. Mutual-help participants attended predominantly Alcoholics Anonymous and tended to be Caucasian, be more educated, have prior mutual-help experience, and have more severe alcohol involvement. Dose-response curve analyses suggested that even small amounts of participation may be helpful in increasing abstinence, whereas higher doses may be needed to reduce relapse intensity. Use of mutual-help groups following intensive outpatient SUD treatment appears to be beneficial for many different types of patients and even modest levels of participation may be helpful. Future emphasis should be placed on ways to engage individuals with these cost-effective resources over time and to gather and disseminate evidence regarding additional mutual-help organizations.

Reducing Interpolation Artifacts for Mutual Information Based Image Registration

PubMed Central

Soleimani, H.; Khosravifard, M.A.

2011-01-01

Medical image registration methods which use mutual information as similarity measure have been improved in recent decades. Mutual Information is a basic concept of Information theory which indicates the dependency of two random variables (or two images). In order to evaluate the mutual information of two images their joint probability distribution is required. Several interpolation methods, such as Partial Volume (PV) and bilinear, are used to estimate joint probability distribution. Both of these two methods yield some artifacts on mutual information function. Partial Volume-Hanning window (PVH) and Generalized Partial Volume (GPV) methods are introduced to remove such artifacts. In this paper we show that the acceptable performance of these methods is not due to their kernel function. It's because of the number of pixels which incorporate in interpolation. Since using more pixels requires more complex and time consuming interpolation process, we propose a new interpolation method which uses only four pixels (the same as PV and bilinear interpolations) and removes most of the artifacts. Experimental results of the registration of Computed Tomography (CT) images show superiority of the proposed scheme. PMID:22606673

Analytical techniques for the study of some parameters of multispectral scanner systems for remote sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiswell, E. R.; Cooper, G. R. (Principal Investigator)

1978-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. The concept of average mutual information in the received spectral random process about the spectral scene was developed. Techniques amenable to implementation on a digital computer were also developed to make the required average mutual information calculations. These techniques required identification of models for the spectral response process of scenes. Stochastic modeling techniques were adapted for use. These techniques were demonstrated on empirical data from wheat and vegetation scenes.

Equitability, mutual information, and the maximal information coefficient.

PubMed

Kinney, Justin B; Atwal, Gurinder S

2014-03-04

How should one quantify the strength of association between two random variables without bias for relationships of a specific form? Despite its conceptual simplicity, this notion of statistical "equitability" has yet to receive a definitive mathematical formalization. Here we argue that equitability is properly formalized by a self-consistency condition closely related to Data Processing Inequality. Mutual information, a fundamental quantity in information theory, is shown to satisfy this equitability criterion. These findings are at odds with the recent work of Reshef et al. [Reshef DN, et al. (2011) Science 334(6062):1518-1524], which proposed an alternative definition of equitability and introduced a new statistic, the "maximal information coefficient" (MIC), said to satisfy equitability in contradistinction to mutual information. These conclusions, however, were supported only with limited simulation evidence, not with mathematical arguments. Upon revisiting these claims, we prove that the mathematical definition of equitability proposed by Reshef et al. cannot be satisfied by any (nontrivial) dependence measure. We also identify artifacts in the reported simulation evidence. When these artifacts are removed, estimates of mutual information are found to be more equitable than estimates of MIC. Mutual information is also observed to have consistently higher statistical power than MIC. We conclude that estimating mutual information provides a natural (and often practical) way to equitably quantify statistical associations in large datasets.

Conflict management of mothers and daughters belonging to individualistic and collectivistic cultural backgrounds: a comparative study.

PubMed

Gilani, N P

1999-12-01

Research on the mother-daughter relationship during adolescence is mostly conducted in Western and European cultures where individualism is stressed. To examine ethnic/cultural differences and similarities in this relationship, 80 dyads of British (white) and Pakistani mothers and their adolescent daughters were studied. On the basis of the theories of cultural variability dimension and conflict face negotiation, it was hypothesized that mothers and daughters from the two cultures would use different styles of handling disagreements/conflicts. That is, Pakistani mothers and daughters would use an avoiding style, whereas British mothers and daughters would use either a dominating or compromising style, to a greater degree. It was also argued that Pakistani daughters and mothers will express more intimacy and relational harmony, will exhibit greater connectedness and mutuality and demonstrate lesser individuality and self-assertion compared to their British counterparts. However, it appeared that both the groups used an avoiding style equally, although the British group used a dominating style more than Pakistani group. As hypothesized, Pakistani mothers and daughters expressed more intimacy, relational harmony, connectedness and mutuality and lesser individuality than British mothers and daughters. Copyright 1999 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents.

Buses of Cuernavaca—an agent-based model for universal random matrix behavior minimizing mutual information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warchoł, Piotr

2018-06-01

The public transportation system of Cuernavaca, Mexico, exhibits random matrix theory statistics. In particular, the fluctuation of times between the arrival of buses on a given bus stop, follows the Wigner surmise for the Gaussian unitary ensemble. To model this, we propose an agent-based approach in which each bus driver tries to optimize his arrival time to the next stop with respect to an estimated arrival time of his predecessor. We choose a particular form of the associated utility function and recover the appropriate distribution in numerical experiments for a certain value of the only parameter of the model. We then investigate whether this value of the parameter is otherwise distinguished within an information theoretic approach and give numerical evidence that indeed it is associated with a minimum of averaged pairwise mutual information.

Fraction of uninfected walkers in the one-dimensional Potts model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Donoghue, S. J.; Bray, A. J.

2002-05-01

The dynamics of the one-dimensional q-state Potts model, in the zero-temperature limit, can be formulated through the motion of random walkers which either annihilate (A+A-->∅) or coalesce (A+A-->A) with a q-dependent probability. We consider all of the walkers in this model to be mutually infectious. Whenever two walkers meet, they experience mutual contamination. Walkers which avoid an encounter with another random walker up to time t remain uninfected. The fraction of uninfected walkers is known to obey a power-law decay U(t)~t-φ(q), with a nontrivial exponent φ(q) [C. Monthus, Phys. Rev. E 54, 4844 (1996); S. N. Majumdar and S. J. Cornell, ibid. 57, 3757 (1998)]. We probe the numerical values of φ(q) to a higher degree of accuracy than previous simulations and relate the exponent φ(q) to the persistence exponent θ(q) [B. Derrida, V. Hakim, and V. Pasquier, Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 751 (1995)], through the relation φ(q)=γ(q)θ(q) where γ is an exponent introduced in [S. J. O'Donoghue and A. J. Bray, preceding paper, Phys. Rev. E 65, XXXX (2002)]. Our study is extended to include the coupled diffusion-limited reaction A+A-->B, B+B-->A in one dimension with equal initial densities of A and B particles. We find that the density of walkers decays in this model as ρ(t)~t-1/2. The fraction of sites unvisited by either an A or a B particle is found to obey a power law, P(t)~t-θ with θ~=1.33. We discuss these exponents within the context of the q-state Potts model and present numerical evidence that the fraction of walkers which remain uninfected decays as U(t)~t-φ, where φ~=1.13 when infection occurs between like particles only, and φ~=1.93 when we also include cross-species contamination. We find that the relation between φ and θ in this model can also be characterized by an exponent γ, where similarly, φ=γθ.

Doing better by getting worse: posthypnotic amnesia improves random number generation.

PubMed

Terhune, Devin Blair; Brugger, Peter

2011-01-01

Although forgetting is often regarded as a deficit that we need to control to optimize cognitive functioning, it can have beneficial effects in a number of contexts. We examined whether disrupting memory for previous numerical responses would attenuate repetition avoidance (the tendency to avoid repeating the same number) during random number generation and thereby improve the randomness of responses. Low suggestible and low dissociative and high dissociative highly suggestible individuals completed a random number generation task in a control condition, following a posthypnotic amnesia suggestion to forget previous numerical responses, and in a second control condition following the cancellation of the suggestion. High dissociative highly suggestible participants displayed a selective increase in repetitions during posthypnotic amnesia, with equivalent repetition frequency to a random system, whereas the other two groups exhibited repetition avoidance across conditions. Our results demonstrate that temporarily disrupting memory for previous numerical responses improves random number generation.

Doing Better by Getting Worse: Posthypnotic Amnesia Improves Random Number Generation

PubMed Central

Terhune, Devin Blair; Brugger, Peter

2011-01-01

Although forgetting is often regarded as a deficit that we need to control to optimize cognitive functioning, it can have beneficial effects in a number of contexts. We examined whether disrupting memory for previous numerical responses would attenuate repetition avoidance (the tendency to avoid repeating the same number) during random number generation and thereby improve the randomness of responses. Low suggestible and low dissociative and high dissociative highly suggestible individuals completed a random number generation task in a control condition, following a posthypnotic amnesia suggestion to forget previous numerical responses, and in a second control condition following the cancellation of the suggestion. High dissociative highly suggestible participants displayed a selective increase in repetitions during posthypnotic amnesia, with equivalent repetition frequency to a random system, whereas the other two groups exhibited repetition avoidance across conditions. Our results demonstrate that temporarily disrupting memory for previous numerical responses improves random number generation. PMID:22195022

Controlled mutual quantum entity authentication with an untrusted third party

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Min-Sung; Heo, Jino; Hong, Chang-Ho; Yang, Hyung-Jin; Han, Sang-Wook; Moon, Sung

2018-07-01

We propose a quantum control entity mutual authentication protocol that can be executed in environments involving an untrusted third party. In general, the third party, referred to as Charlie, can be an entity such as a telephone company, server, financial company, or login webpage for a portal service. Most communication protocols controlled by third parties are vulnerable to internal attacks. In this study, we present two solutions that make use of an entanglement correlation checking method and random numbers against an internal attack by an untrusted third party.

A Specialist Herbivore Uses Chemical Camouflage to Overcome the Defenses of an Ant-Plant Mutualism

PubMed Central

Whitehead, Susan R.; Reid, Ellen; Sapp, Joseph; Poveda, Katja; Royer, Anne M.; Posto, Amanda L.; Kessler, André

2014-01-01

Many plants and ants engage in mutualisms where plants provide food and shelter to the ants in exchange for protection against herbivores and competitors. Although several species of herbivores thwart ant defenses and extract resources from the plants, the mechanisms that allow these herbivores to avoid attack are poorly understood. The specialist insect herbivore, Piezogaster reclusus (Hemiptera: Coreidae), feeds on Neotropical bull-horn acacias (Vachellia collinsii) despite the presence of Pseudomyrmex spinicola ants that nest in and aggressively defend the trees. We tested three hypotheses for how P. reclusus feeds on V. collinsii while avoiding ant attack: (1) chemical camouflage via cuticular surface compounds, (2) chemical deterrence via metathoracic defense glands, and (3) behavioral traits that reduce ant detection or attack. Our results showed that compounds from both P. reclusus cuticles and metathoracic glands reduce the number of ant attacks, but only cuticular compounds appear to be essential in allowing P. reclusus to feed on bull-horn acacia trees undisturbed. In addition, we found that ant attack rates to P. reclusus increased significantly when individuals were transferred between P. spinicola ant colonies. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that chemical mimicry of colony-specific ant or host plant odors plays a key role in allowing P. reclusus to circumvent ant defenses and gain access to important resources, including food and possibly enemy-free space. This interaction between ants, acacias, and their herbivores provides an excellent example of the ability of herbivores to adapt to ant defenses of plants and suggests that herbivores may play an important role in the evolution and maintenance of mutualisms. PMID:25047551

A specialist herbivore uses chemical camouflage to overcome the defenses of an ant-plant mutualism.

PubMed

Whitehead, Susan R; Reid, Ellen; Sapp, Joseph; Poveda, Katja; Royer, Anne M; Posto, Amanda L; Kessler, André

2014-01-01

Many plants and ants engage in mutualisms where plants provide food and shelter to the ants in exchange for protection against herbivores and competitors. Although several species of herbivores thwart ant defenses and extract resources from the plants, the mechanisms that allow these herbivores to avoid attack are poorly understood. The specialist insect herbivore, Piezogaster reclusus (Hemiptera: Coreidae), feeds on Neotropical bull-horn acacias (Vachellia collinsii) despite the presence of Pseudomyrmex spinicola ants that nest in and aggressively defend the trees. We tested three hypotheses for how P. reclusus feeds on V. collinsii while avoiding ant attack: (1) chemical camouflage via cuticular surface compounds, (2) chemical deterrence via metathoracic defense glands, and (3) behavioral traits that reduce ant detection or attack. Our results showed that compounds from both P. reclusus cuticles and metathoracic glands reduce the number of ant attacks, but only cuticular compounds appear to be essential in allowing P. reclusus to feed on bull-horn acacia trees undisturbed. In addition, we found that ant attack rates to P. reclusus increased significantly when individuals were transferred between P. spinicola ant colonies. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that chemical mimicry of colony-specific ant or host plant odors plays a key role in allowing P. reclusus to circumvent ant defenses and gain access to important resources, including food and possibly enemy-free space. This interaction between ants, acacias, and their herbivores provides an excellent example of the ability of herbivores to adapt to ant defenses of plants and suggests that herbivores may play an important role in the evolution and maintenance of mutualisms.

Improvement of "Novel Multiparty Quantum Key Agreement Protocol with GHZ States"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Jun; Hwang, Tzonelih

2017-10-01

Quantum key agreement (QKA) protocol is a method for negotiating a fair and secure key among mutually untrusted participants. Recently, Xu et al. (Quantum Inf. Process. 13:2587-2594, 2014) proposed a multi-party QKA protocol based on Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states. However, this study points out that Xu et al.'s protocol cannot provide the fairness property. That is, the last involved participant in the protocol can manipulate the final shared secret key without being detected by the other participants. Moreover, according to Yu et al.'s research (2015), Xu et al.'s protocol cannot avoid the public discussion attack too. To avoid these weaknesses, an improved QKA protocol is proposed.

Marital satisfaction, conflict communication, attachment style and psychological distress in couples with a hospitalized depressed patient.

PubMed

Lemmens, Gilbert M D; Buysse, Ann; Heene, Els; Eisler, Ivan; Demyttenaere, Koen

2007-04-01

There has been fairly consistent empirical support for the association between major depressive disorder and marital dissatisfaction. However, this evidence is limited mostly to out-patient and population-based samples. Further, the role of possible mediating factors such as attachment style and conflict communication are less well investigated in major depression. The present study aims to investigate whether couples with a depressed partner and nonclinical couples differ in marital satisfaction, attachment style, psychological distress and conflict communication. Gender differences are also investigated. Seventy-seven couples, who participated in a family intervention trial, were compared with 77 age- and gender-matched nonclinical couples. The depressed patients reported more psychological distress and attachment difficulties and less marital satisfaction than their partners and the nonclinical couples. Partners perceived their relationship as more satisfying than the nonclinical couples. The clinical couples reported less mutual constructive and more mutual avoidant communication in their relationship compared with the nonclinical couples. Finally, female depressed patients reported higher levels of psychological symptoms and were more avoidant attached than male patients. This study shows important differences in several individual and relational characteristics between couples with a depressed partner and nonclinical couples. Further research will be necessary to clarify whether the investigated psychosocial variables play a causal and/or a maintaining role in depression.

Differential Cost Avoidance and Successful Criminal Careers: Random or Rational?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kazemian, Lila; Le Blanc, Marc

2007-01-01

Using a sample of adjudicated French Canadian males from the Montreal Two Samples Longitudinal Study, this article investigates individual and social characteristics associated with differential cost avoidance. The main objective of this study is to determine whether such traits are randomly distributed across differential degrees of cost…

Use of sleeping trees by ursine colobus monkeys (Colobus vellerosus) demonstrates the importance of nearby food.

PubMed

Teichroeb, Julie A; Holmes, Teresa D; Sicotte, Pascale

2012-07-01

Examination of the characteristics and locations of sleeping sites helps to document the social and ecological pressures acting on animals. We investigated sleeping tree choice for four groups of Colobus vellerosus, an arboreal folivore, on 298 nights at the Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary, Ghana using five non-mutually exclusive hypotheses: predation avoidance, access to food, range and resource defense, thermoregulation, and a null hypothesis of random selection. C. vellerosus utilized 31 tree species as sleeping sites and the species used differed per group depending on their availability. Groups used multiple sleeping sites and minimized their travel costs by selecting trees near feeding areas. The percentage that a food species was fed upon annually was correlated with the use of that species as a sleeping tree. Ninety percent of the sleeping trees were in a phenophase with colobus food items. Entire groups slept in non-food trees on only one night. These data strongly support the access to food hypothesis. Range and resource defense was also important to sleeping site choice. Groups slept in exclusively used areas of their home range more often than expected, but when other groups were spotted on the edge of the core area, focal groups approached the intruders, behaved aggressively, and slept close to them, seemingly to prevent an incursion into their core range. However, by sleeping high in the canopy, in large, emergent trees with dense foliage, positioning themselves away from the main trunk on medium-sized branches, and by showing low rates of site reuse, C. vellerosus also appeared to be avoiding predation in their sleeping site choices. Groups left their sleep sites later after cooler nights but did not show behavioral thermoregulation, such as huddling. This study suggests that access to food, range and resource defense, and predation avoidance were more important considerations in sleeping site selection than thermoregulation for ursine colobus.

Information trimming: Sufficient statistics, mutual information, and predictability from effective channel states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

James, Ryan G.; Mahoney, John R.; Crutchfield, James P.

2017-06-01

One of the most basic characterizations of the relationship between two random variables, X and Y , is the value of their mutual information. Unfortunately, calculating it analytically and estimating it empirically are often stymied by the extremely large dimension of the variables. One might hope to replace such a high-dimensional variable by a smaller one that preserves its relationship with the other. It is well known that either X (or Y ) can be replaced by its minimal sufficient statistic about Y (or X ) while preserving the mutual information. While intuitively reasonable, it is not obvious or straightforward that both variables can be replaced simultaneously. We demonstrate that this is in fact possible: the information X 's minimal sufficient statistic preserves about Y is exactly the information that Y 's minimal sufficient statistic preserves about X . We call this procedure information trimming. As an important corollary, we consider the case where one variable is a stochastic process' past and the other its future. In this case, the mutual information is the channel transmission rate between the channel's effective states. That is, the past-future mutual information (the excess entropy) is the amount of information about the future that can be predicted using the past. Translating our result about minimal sufficient statistics, this is equivalent to the mutual information between the forward- and reverse-time causal states of computational mechanics. We close by discussing multivariate extensions to this use of minimal sufficient statistics.

No evidence for inbreeding avoidance in a natural population of song sparrows (Melospiza melodia).

PubMed

Keller, L F; Arcese, P

1998-09-01

We studied mate choice and inbreeding avoidance a natural population of song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) on Mandarte Island, Canada. Inbreeding occurred regularly: 59% all matings were between known relatives. We tested for inbreeding avoidance by comparing the observed levels of inbreeding to those expected if mate choice had been random with respect to relatedness. Independent of our assumptions about the availability of mates in the random mating model, we found that the expected and observed distributions of inbreeding coefficients were similar, as was the expected and observed frequency of close (f >/= 0.125) inbreeding. Furthermore, there was no difference in relatedness observed pairs and those that would have resulted had birds mated instead with their nearest neighbors. The only evidence to suggest any inbreeding avoidance was a reduced rate of parent-offspring matings as compared to one random mating model but not the other. Hence, despite substantial inbreeding depression in this population, we found little evidence for inbreeding avoidance through mate choice. We present a simple model to suggest that variation in inbreeding avoidance behaviors in birds may arise from differences in survival rates: in species with low survival rates, the costs of forfeiting matings to avoid inbreeding may exceed the costs of inbreeding.

Mutualism supports biodiversity when the direct competition is weak

PubMed Central

Pascual-García, Alberto; Bastolla, Ugo

2017-01-01

A key question of theoretical ecology is which properties of ecosystems favour their stability and help maintaining biodiversity. This question recently reconsidered mutualistic systems, generating intense controversy about the role of mutualistic interactions and their network architecture. Here we show analytically and verify with simulations that reducing the effective interspecific competition and the propagation of perturbations positively influences structural stability against environmental perturbations, enhancing persistence. Noteworthy, mutualism reduces the effective interspecific competition only when the direct interspecific competition is weaker than a critical value. This critical competition is in almost all cases larger in pollinator networks than in random networks with the same connectance. Highly connected mutualistic networks reduce the propagation of environmental perturbations, a mechanism reminiscent of MacArthur’s proposal that ecosystem complexity enhances stability. Our analytic framework rationalizes previous contradictory results, and it gives valuable insight on the complex relationship between mutualism and biodiversity. PMID:28232740

Relationship between mother-infant mutual dyadic responsiveness and premature infant development as measured by the Bayley III at 6 weeks corrected age.

PubMed

White-Traut, Rosemary C; Rankin, Kristin M; Yoder, Joe; Zawacki, Laura; Campbell, Suzann; Kavanaugh, Karen; Brandon, Debra; Norr, Kathleen F

2018-06-01

The quality of mother-preterm infant interaction has been identified as a key factor in influencing the infant's later development and language acquisition. The relationship between mother-infant responsiveness and later development may be evident early in infancy, a time period which has been understudied. Describe the relationship between mother-infant mutual dyadic responsiveness and premature infant development. This study employed a secondary analysis of data from the 6-week corrected age (CA) follow-up visit of the Hospital-Home Transition: Optimizing Prematures' Environment (H-HOPE) study, a randomized clinical trial testing the efficacy of a mother- and infant- focused intervention for improving outcomes among premature infants. Premature infants born between 29 and 34 weeks gestational age and their mothers who had social-environmental risks. At 6-weeks corrected age, a play session was coded for the quality of mutual responsiveness (Dyadic Mutuality Code). Development was assessed via the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd edition. Of 137 mother-infant dyads, high, medium and low mutual responsiveness was observed for 35.8%, 34.3% and 29.9%, respectively. Overall motor, language and cognitive scores were 115.8 (SD = 8.2), 108.0 (7.7) and 109.3 (7.9). Multivariable linear models showed infants in dyads with high versus low mutual responsiveness had higher scores on the motor (β = 3.07, p = 0.06) and language (β = 4.47, p = 0.006) scales. High mutual responsiveness in mother-premature infant dyads is associated with significantly better language development and marginally better motor development. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An overlooked plant–parakeet mutualism counteracts human overharvesting on an endangered tree

PubMed Central

Gleiser, Gabriela; Tella, José L.; Hiraldo, Fernando; Aizen, Marcelo A.

2018-01-01

The exponential growth of the human population often causes the overexploitation of resources and disruption of ecological interactions. Here, we propose that the antagonist effect of humans on exploited species might be alleviated with the advent of a second predator species. We focused on the complex interactions between an endangered conifer (Araucaria araucana) and two seed exploiters: the Austral parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugineus) and human seed collectors. We tested the importance of partial seed consumption by parakeets as an escape from human seed harvesting. Although parakeets frequently ate whole seeds, a substantial proportion of the seeds found under trees were only partially eaten and avoided by human seed collectors. These seeds germinated at a similar proportion but faster than intact seeds under laboratory conditions. Our results revealed an overlooked mutualism between parakeets and an endangered tree. Incomplete seed eating by parakeets, plus selection against these eaten seeds by humans, may enhance regeneration possibilities for this conifer species subject to human seed collection, turning the scale of the antagonism–mutualism continuum to the mutualistic side. In this context, parakeets might be providing an important service in those forests subject to human harvesting by allowing a fraction of seeds to escape human predation. PMID:29410848

Ambient occlusion effects for combined volumes and tubular geometry.

PubMed

Schott, Mathias; Martin, Tobias; Grosset, A V Pascal; Smith, Sean T; Hansen, Charles D

2013-06-01

This paper details a method for interactive direct volume rendering that computes ambient occlusion effects for visualizations that combine both volumetric and geometric primitives, specifically tube-shaped geometric objects representing streamlines, magnetic field lines or DTI fiber tracts. The algorithm extends the recently presented the directional occlusion shading model to allow the rendering of those geometric shapes in combination with a context providing 3D volume, considering mutual occlusion between structures represented by a volume or geometry. Stream tube geometries are computed using an effective spline-based interpolation and approximation scheme that avoids self-intersection and maintains coherent orientation of the stream tube segments to avoid surface deforming twists. Furthermore, strategies to reduce the geometric and specular aliasing of the stream tubes are discussed.

Ambient Occlusion Effects for Combined Volumes and Tubular Geometry

PubMed Central

Schott, Mathias; Martin, Tobias; Grosset, A.V. Pascal; Smith, Sean T.; Hansen, Charles D.

2013-01-01

This paper details a method for interactive direct volume rendering that computes ambient occlusion effects for visualizations that combine both volumetric and geometric primitives, specifically tube-shaped geometric objects representing streamlines, magnetic field lines or DTI fiber tracts. The algorithm extends the recently presented the directional occlusion shading model to allow the rendering of those geometric shapes in combination with a context providing 3D volume, considering mutual occlusion between structures represented by a volume or geometry. Stream tube geometries are computed using an effective spline-based interpolation and approximation scheme that avoids self-intersection and maintains coherent orientation of the stream tube segments to avoid surface deforming twists. Furthermore, strategies to reduce the geometric and specular aliasing of the stream tubes are discussed. PMID:23559506

Effectiveness of Psychoeducation and Mutual Support Group Program for Family Caregivers of Chinese People with Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Chien, Wai Tong

2008-01-01

Schizophrenia is a disruptive and distressing illness, not only for the person affected but also for family members. Family intervention, particularly in a group format using a diverse range of modalities, is thought to effectively satisfy the informational needs of families and enhance their coping abilities when caring for a relative with schizophrenia, and thus reduce a patient’s relapse from illness. This study tested the hypothesis that participants in a family psychoeducation and mutual support group would demonstrate significant improvements in levels of patient and family functioning and shorter duration of re-hospitalization than families in routine care. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with a sample of 68 Chinese families of schizophrenia sufferers in Hong Kong, who were randomly assigned to either a family psychoeducation and support group (n = 34), or a routine care group (n = 34). The interventions were delivered at two psychiatric outpatient clinics over a nine-month period. Results of multivariate analyses of variance test indicated that the psychoeducation and support group reported greater improvements on family and patient functioning and shorter lengths of patient hospitalizations at the two post-tests (one month and one year after completion of the intervention), compared with the routine care group. The findings substantiate that within a Chinese context, psychoeducation and mutual support group intervention can effectively help families care for a mentally ill relative. PMID:19319218

Application of an Extended Parabolic Equation to the Calculation of the Mean Field and the Transverse and Longitudinal Mutual Coherence Functions Within Atmospheric Turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manning, Robert M.

2005-01-01

Solutions are derived for the generalized mutual coherence function (MCF), i.e., the second order moment, of a random wave field propagating through a random medium within the context of the extended parabolic equation. Here, "generalized" connotes the consideration of both the transverse as well as the longitudinal second order moments (with respect to the direction of propagation). Such solutions will afford a comparison between the results of the parabolic equation within the pararaxial approximation and those of the wide-angle extended theory. To this end, a statistical operator method is developed which gives a general equation for an arbitrary spatial statistical moment of the wave field. The generality of the operator method allows one to obtain an expression for the second order field moment in the direction longitudinal to the direction of propagation. Analytical solutions to these equations are derived for the Kolmogorov and Tatarskii spectra of atmospheric permittivity fluctuations within the Markov approximation.

Computation of convex bounds for present value functions with random payments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahcan, Ales; Darkiewicz, Grzegorz; Goovaerts, Marc; Hoedemakers, Tom

2006-02-01

In this contribution we study the distribution of the present value function of a series of random payments in a stochastic financial environment. Such distributions occur naturally in a wide range of applications within fields of insurance and finance. We obtain accurate approximations by developing upper and lower bounds in the convex-order sense for present value functions. Technically speaking, our methodology is an extension of the results of Dhaene et al. [Insur. Math. Econom. 31(1) (2002) 3-33, Insur. Math. Econom. 31(2) (2002) 133-161] to the case of scalar products of mutually independent random vectors.

Authority, Autonomy, and Deception: Evaluating the Legitimacy of Parental Authority and Adolescent Deceit.

PubMed

Gingo, Matthew; Roded, Alona D; Turiel, Elliot

2017-12-01

This research examined adolescents' judgments about lying to avoid parental control over different types of activities. Participants (N = 66, M age  = 16.38, 73% European American) were interviewed about hypothetical situations describing adolescents who defied parental directives and lied about their defiance. Judgments about the legitimacy of parents' directives and protagonists' deception differed by types of parent relationship with adolescents (mutual or unilateral). Directives were least accepted, and deception was most accepted, in the context of unilateral relationships. Judgments also differed by domain of the action (personal, prudential, or conventional). Participants were least accepting of parental directives, and most accepting of deception about personal activities. Findings indicate that adolescents value honesty and parental authority, but sometimes give priority to concerns with autonomy and mutuality. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Research on Adolescence © 2017 Society for Research on Adolescence.

Estimating mutual information using B-spline functions – an improved similarity measure for analysing gene expression data

PubMed Central

Daub, Carsten O; Steuer, Ralf; Selbig, Joachim; Kloska, Sebastian

2004-01-01

Background The information theoretic concept of mutual information provides a general framework to evaluate dependencies between variables. In the context of the clustering of genes with similar patterns of expression it has been suggested as a general quantity of similarity to extend commonly used linear measures. Since mutual information is defined in terms of discrete variables, its application to continuous data requires the use of binning procedures, which can lead to significant numerical errors for datasets of small or moderate size. Results In this work, we propose a method for the numerical estimation of mutual information from continuous data. We investigate the characteristic properties arising from the application of our algorithm and show that our approach outperforms commonly used algorithms: The significance, as a measure of the power of distinction from random correlation, is significantly increased. This concept is subsequently illustrated on two large-scale gene expression datasets and the results are compared to those obtained using other similarity measures. A C++ source code of our algorithm is available for non-commercial use from kloska@scienion.de upon request. Conclusion The utilisation of mutual information as similarity measure enables the detection of non-linear correlations in gene expression datasets. Frequently applied linear correlation measures, which are often used on an ad-hoc basis without further justification, are thereby extended. PMID:15339346

[Acceptability of implementation of mutual health in a Senegalese rural area].

PubMed

Faye, A; Diop, C T; Ndiaye, P; Tal-Dia, A

2011-10-01

Funding for healthcare poses a major problem in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to assess public perceptions toward the implementation of mutual healthcare coverage in rural Senegal. A descriptive transversal study was conducted from 24/09/07 to 05/10/07 in a randomly selected sample of 208 heads of households living in the rural communities of Ngogom and Réfane. Data were collected by means of individual interviews and focus group discussions. Topics included population health, community solidarity, health insurance and implementation of mutual healthcare insurance. The sample population was 94% male, 91% married, 36% uneducated and 11% unemployed. Household income was irregular in 36% and 84% had no savings. In case of medical emergency, 43% relied on family for assistance, 36% had no recourse and 21% would have to contract, a loan. Nearly half the sample population, i.e., 46%, were familiar with the principle of mutual healthcare insurance and 98% wanted to join. The main reasons for wanting to join were to reduce medical costs (57%), improve access to care (25%) and build community solidarity (11%). In focus groups, people expressed the need for micro health insurance. Findings also showed good community dynamics and a tradition of pooling resources to implement collective activities. The public perception of mutual healthcare insurance is favorable. However, due to economic difficulties, support from political and health authorities will be needed.

The Curious Case of the Camelthorn: Competition, Coexistence, and Nest-Site Limitation in a Multispecies Mutualism.

PubMed

Campbell, Heather; Fellowes, Mark D E; Cook, James M

2015-12-01

Myrmecophyte plants house ants within domatia in exchange for protection against herbivores. Ant-myrmecophyte mutualisms exhibit two general patterns due to competition between ants for plant occupancy: (i) domatia nest sites are a limiting resource and (ii) each individual plant hosts one ant species at a time. However, individual camelthorn trees (Vachellia erioloba) typically host two to four ant species simultaneously, often coexisting in adjacent domatia on the same branch. Such fine-grain spatial coexistence brings into question the conventional wisdom on ant-myrmecophyte mutualisms. Camelthorn ants appear not to be nest-site limited, despite low abundance of suitable domatia, and have random distributions of nest sites within and across trees. These patterns suggest a lack of competition between ants for domatia and contrast strongly with other ant-myrmecophyte systems. Comparison of this unusual case with others suggests that spatial scale is crucial to coexistence or competitive exclusion involving multiple ant species. Furthermore, coexistence may be facilitated when co-occurring ant species diverge strongly on at least one niche axis. Our conclusions provide recommendations for future ant-myrmecophyte research, particularly in utilizing multispecies systems to further our understanding of mutualism biology.

Infants prefer the faces of strangers or mothers to morphed faces: an uncanny valley between social novelty and familiarity.

PubMed

Matsuda, Yoshi-Taka; Okamoto, Yoko; Ida, Misako; Okanoya, Kazuo; Myowa-Yamakoshi, Masako

2012-10-23

The 'uncanny valley' response is a phenomenon involving the elicitation of a negative feeling and subsequent avoidant behaviour in human adults and infants as a result of viewing very realistic human-like robots or computer avatars. It is hypothesized that this uncanny feeling occurs because the realistic synthetic characters elicit the concept of 'human' but fail to satisfy it. Such violations of our normal expectations regarding social signals generate a feeling of unease. This conflict-induced uncanny valley between mutually exclusive categories (human and synthetic agent) raises a new question: could an uncanny feeling be elicited by other mutually exclusive categories, such as familiarity and novelty? Given that infants prefer both familiarity and novelty in social objects, we address this question as well as the associated developmental profile. Using the morphing technique and a preferential-looking paradigm, we demonstrated uncanny valley responses of infants to faces of mothers (i.e. familiarity) and strangers (i.e. novelty). Furthermore, this effect strengthened with the infant's age. We excluded the possibility that infants detect and avoid traces of morphing. This conclusion follows from our finding that the infants equally preferred strangers' faces and the morphed faces of two strangers. These results indicate that an uncanny valley between familiarity and novelty may accentuate the categorical perception of familiar and novel objects.

Portfolio optimization and the random magnet problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenow, B.; Plerou, V.; Gopikrishnan, P.; Stanley, H. E.

2002-08-01

Diversification of an investment into independently fluctuating assets reduces its risk. In reality, movements of assets are mutually correlated and therefore knowledge of cross-correlations among asset price movements are of great importance. Our results support the possibility that the problem of finding an investment in stocks which exposes invested funds to a minimum level of risk is analogous to the problem of finding the magnetization of a random magnet. The interactions for this "random magnet problem" are given by the cross-correlation matrix C of stock returns. We find that random matrix theory allows us to make an estimate for C which outperforms the standard estimate in terms of constructing an investment which carries a minimum level of risk.

Persistence and Lifelong Fidelity of Phase Singularities in Optical Random Waves.

PubMed

De Angelis, L; Alpeggiani, F; Di Falco, A; Kuipers, L

2017-11-17

Phase singularities are locations where light is twisted like a corkscrew, with positive or negative topological charge depending on the twisting direction. Among the multitude of singularities arising in random wave fields, some can be found at the same location, but only when they exhibit opposite topological charge, which results in their mutual annihilation. New pairs can be created as well. With near-field experiments supported by theory and numerical simulations, we study the persistence and pairing statistics of phase singularities in random optical fields as a function of the excitation wavelength. We demonstrate how such entities can encrypt fundamental properties of the random fields in which they arise.

Persistence and Lifelong Fidelity of Phase Singularities in Optical Random Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Angelis, L.; Alpeggiani, F.; Di Falco, A.; Kuipers, L.

2017-11-01

Phase singularities are locations where light is twisted like a corkscrew, with positive or negative topological charge depending on the twisting direction. Among the multitude of singularities arising in random wave fields, some can be found at the same location, but only when they exhibit opposite topological charge, which results in their mutual annihilation. New pairs can be created as well. With near-field experiments supported by theory and numerical simulations, we study the persistence and pairing statistics of phase singularities in random optical fields as a function of the excitation wavelength. We demonstrate how such entities can encrypt fundamental properties of the random fields in which they arise.

47 CFR 90.165 - Procedures for mutually exclusive applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., the Commission may use competitive bidding, random selection, or comparative hearings, depending on... exclusive applications in a renewal filing group are designated for comparative consideration in a hearing... applications in the filing group for comparative consideration in a hearing. In this event, the result of the...

47 CFR 90.165 - Procedures for mutually exclusive applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., the Commission may use competitive bidding, random selection, or comparative hearings, depending on... exclusive applications in a renewal filing group are designated for comparative consideration in a hearing... applications in the filing group for comparative consideration in a hearing. In this event, the result of the...

47 CFR 90.165 - Procedures for mutually exclusive applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., the Commission may use competitive bidding, random selection, or comparative hearings, depending on... exclusive applications in a renewal filing group are designated for comparative consideration in a hearing... applications in the filing group for comparative consideration in a hearing. In this event, the result of the...

Alzheimer random walk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Odagaki, Takashi; Kasuya, Keisuke

2017-09-01

Using the Monte Carlo simulation, we investigate a memory-impaired self-avoiding walk on a square lattice in which a random walker marks each of sites visited with a given probability p and makes a random walk avoiding the marked sites. Namely, p = 0 and p = 1 correspond to the simple random walk and the self-avoiding walk, respectively. When p> 0, there is a finite probability that the walker is trapped. We show that the trap time distribution can well be fitted by Stacy's Weibull distribution b(a/b){a+1}/{b}[Γ({a+1}/{b})]-1x^a\\exp(-a/bx^b)} where a and b are fitting parameters depending on p. We also find that the mean trap time diverges at p = 0 as p- α with α = 1.89. In order to produce sufficient number of long walks, we exploit the pivot algorithm and obtain the mean square displacement and its Flory exponent ν(p) as functions of p. We find that the exponent determined for 1000 step walks interpolates both limits ν(0) for the simple random walk and ν(1) for the self-avoiding walk as [ ν(p) - ν(0) ] / [ ν(1) - ν(0) ] = pβ with β = 0.388 when p ≪ 0.1 and β = 0.0822 when p ≫ 0.1. Contribution to the Topical Issue "Continuous Time Random Walk Still Trendy: Fifty-year History, Current State and Outlook", edited by Ryszard Kutner and Jaume Masoliver.

Analysis of Relationships between the Level of Errors in Leg and Monofin Movement and Stroke Parameters in Monofin Swimming

PubMed Central

Rejman, Marek

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the error structure in propulsive movements with regard to its influence on monofin swimming speed. The random cycles performed by six swimmers were filmed during a progressive test (900m). An objective method to estimate errors committed in the area of angular displacement of the feet and monofin segments was employed. The parameters were compared with a previously described model. Mutual dependences between the level of errors, stroke frequency, stroke length and amplitude in relation to swimming velocity were analyzed. The results showed that proper foot movements and the avoidance of errors, arising at the distal part of the fin, ensure the progression of swimming speed. The individual stroke parameters distribution which consists of optimally increasing stroke frequency to the maximal possible level that enables the stabilization of stroke length leads to the minimization of errors. Identification of key elements in the stroke structure based on the analysis of errors committed should aid in improving monofin swimming technique. Key points The monofin swimming technique was evaluated through the prism of objectively defined errors committed by the swimmers. The dependences between the level of errors, stroke rate, stroke length and amplitude in relation to swimming velocity were analyzed. Optimally increasing stroke rate to the maximal possible level that enables the stabilization of stroke length leads to the minimization of errors. Propriety foot movement and the avoidance of errors arising at the distal part of fin, provide for the progression of swimming speed. The key elements improving monofin swimming technique, based on the analysis of errors committed, were designated. PMID:24149742

47 CFR 1.227 - Consolidations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...(a), (b), and (d), and § 80.374 of this chapter) mutual exclusivity will occur if the later... and Issues § 1.227 Consolidations. (a) The Commission, upon motion or upon its own motion, will, where... issues, or (2) Any applications which present conflicting claims, except where a random selection process...

47 CFR 1.227 - Consolidations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...(a), (b), and (d), and § 80.374 of this chapter) mutual exclusivity will occur if the later... and Issues § 1.227 Consolidations. (a) The Commission, upon motion or upon its own motion, will, where... issues, or (2) Any applications which present conflicting claims, except where a random selection process...

47 CFR 1.227 - Consolidations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...(a), (b), and (d), and § 80.374 of this chapter) mutual exclusivity will occur if the later... and Issues § 1.227 Consolidations. (a) The Commission, upon motion or upon its own motion, will, where... issues, or (2) Any applications which present conflicting claims, except where a random selection process...

47 CFR 90.165 - Procedures for mutually exclusive applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... grant, pursuant to § 1.935 of this chapter. (1) Selection methods. In selecting the application to grant, the Commission may use competitive bidding, random selection, or comparative hearings, depending on... chapter, either before or after employing selection procedures. (3) Type of filing group used. Except as...

Inbreeding avoidance through non-random mating in sticklebacks

PubMed Central

Frommen, Joachim G; Bakker, Theo C.M

2006-01-01

Negative effects of inbreeding are well documented in a wide range of animal taxa. Hatching success and survival of inbred offspring is reduced in many species and inbred progeny are often less attractive to potential mates. Thus, individuals should avoid mating with close kin. However, experimental evidence for inbreeding avoidance through non-random mating in vertebrates is scarce. Here, we show that gravid female three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) when given the choice between a courting familiar brother and a courting unfamiliar non-sib prefer to mate with the non-sib and thus avoid the disadvantages of incest. We controlled for differences in males' body size and red intensity of nuptial coloration. Thus, females adjust their courting behaviour to the risk of inbreeding. PMID:17148370

Inbreeding avoidance through non-random mating in sticklebacks.

PubMed

Frommen, Joachim G; Bakker, Theo C M

2006-06-22

Negative effects of inbreeding are well documented in a wide range of animal taxa. Hatching success and survival of inbred offspring is reduced in many species and inbred progeny are often less attractive to potential mates. Thus, individuals should avoid mating with close kin. However, experimental evidence for inbreeding avoidance through non-random mating in vertebrates is scarce. Here, we show that gravid female three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) when given the choice between a courting familiar brother and a courting unfamiliar non-sib prefer to mate with the non-sib and thus avoid the disadvantages of incest. We controlled for differences in males' body size and red intensity of nuptial coloration. Thus, females adjust their courting behaviour to the risk of inbreeding.

Inbreeding avoidance under different null models of random mating in the great tit.

PubMed

Szulkin, Marta; Zelazowski, Przemyslaw; Nicholson, George; Sheldon, Ben C

2009-07-01

1. In populations where inbreeding causes a substantial decrease in fitness, selection is expected to favour the evolution of inbreeding avoidance behaviours. Elsewhere we have documented substantial inbreeding depression and the importance of dispersal in avoiding inbreeding in a long-term population study of the great tit Parus major in Wytham (UK). In this study, we ask whether individuals from this population actively avoid mating with kin. 2. We generated four contrasting models of random mate choice that assumed varying levels of mate availability in each year of the data set. This allowed us to compare observed and simulated distributions and frequencies of inbreeding coefficients from 41 years of breeding data. 3. We found no evidence that birds avoid mating with related partners. Our results show that birds breed more often with relatives than expected under null models of mate choice that lack population structure, but not when compared to scenarios where birds were mated with their nearest neighbours. Pedigree-derived F(IS) values were positive for all scenarios of random mating, confirming the lack of inbreeding avoidance in this population. 4. These results imply the existence of spatial genetic structure where related individuals occur closer together than nonrelated individuals while breeding, and suggest that the relatedness between breeding individuals of the opposite sex decreases with distance. Thus, while dispersal from the natal site decreases the number of relatives around an individual, it does not completely homogenize genetic structure. 5. We show that brother-sister pairs are observed more often than under any scenario of random mating, suggesting that not only birds do not avoid mating with kin, but also that the apparently maladaptive choice of mating with a sibling is made more often than expected. 6. Our results provide no evidence to suggest that individuals actively avoid kin. In fact, some types of inbreeding occur more often than expected, despite the substantial fitness costs. The observed lack of inbreeding avoidance is in agreement with other studies of non-cooperatively breeding passerine birds, although the higher than expected frequency of sibling mating remains a puzzling result.

An Efficient Mutual Authentication Framework for Healthcare System in Cloud Computing.

PubMed

Kumar, Vinod; Jangirala, Srinivas; Ahmad, Musheer

2018-06-28

The increasing role of Telecare Medicine Information Systems (TMIS) makes its accessibility for patients to explore medical treatment, accumulate and approach medical data through internet connectivity. Security and privacy preservation is necessary for medical data of the patient in TMIS because of the very perceptive purpose. Recently, Mohit et al.'s proposed a mutual authentication protocol for TMIS in the cloud computing environment. In this work, we reviewed their protocol and found that it is not secure against stolen verifier attack, many logged in patient attack, patient anonymity, impersonation attack, and fails to protect session key. For enhancement of security level, we proposed a new mutual authentication protocol for the similar environment. The presented framework is also more capable in terms of computation cost. In addition, the security evaluation of the protocol protects resilience of all possible security attributes, and we also explored formal security evaluation based on random oracle model. The performance of the proposed protocol is much better in comparison to the existing protocol.

A Tutorial on Multilevel Survival Analysis: Methods, Models and Applications

PubMed Central

Austin, Peter C.

2017-01-01

Summary Data that have a multilevel structure occur frequently across a range of disciplines, including epidemiology, health services research, public health, education and sociology. We describe three families of regression models for the analysis of multilevel survival data. First, Cox proportional hazards models with mixed effects incorporate cluster-specific random effects that modify the baseline hazard function. Second, piecewise exponential survival models partition the duration of follow-up into mutually exclusive intervals and fit a model that assumes that the hazard function is constant within each interval. This is equivalent to a Poisson regression model that incorporates the duration of exposure within each interval. By incorporating cluster-specific random effects, generalised linear mixed models can be used to analyse these data. Third, after partitioning the duration of follow-up into mutually exclusive intervals, one can use discrete time survival models that use a complementary log–log generalised linear model to model the occurrence of the outcome of interest within each interval. Random effects can be incorporated to account for within-cluster homogeneity in outcomes. We illustrate the application of these methods using data consisting of patients hospitalised with a heart attack. We illustrate the application of these methods using three statistical programming languages (R, SAS and Stata). PMID:29307954

A Tutorial on Multilevel Survival Analysis: Methods, Models and Applications.

PubMed

Austin, Peter C

2017-08-01

Data that have a multilevel structure occur frequently across a range of disciplines, including epidemiology, health services research, public health, education and sociology. We describe three families of regression models for the analysis of multilevel survival data. First, Cox proportional hazards models with mixed effects incorporate cluster-specific random effects that modify the baseline hazard function. Second, piecewise exponential survival models partition the duration of follow-up into mutually exclusive intervals and fit a model that assumes that the hazard function is constant within each interval. This is equivalent to a Poisson regression model that incorporates the duration of exposure within each interval. By incorporating cluster-specific random effects, generalised linear mixed models can be used to analyse these data. Third, after partitioning the duration of follow-up into mutually exclusive intervals, one can use discrete time survival models that use a complementary log-log generalised linear model to model the occurrence of the outcome of interest within each interval. Random effects can be incorporated to account for within-cluster homogeneity in outcomes. We illustrate the application of these methods using data consisting of patients hospitalised with a heart attack. We illustrate the application of these methods using three statistical programming languages (R, SAS and Stata).

Hanging angles of two electrostatically repelling pith balls of different masses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, Phuc G.; Mungan, Carl E.

2011-09-01

An analytic solution can be derived for the angles of two mutually repelling charged pith balls of unequal mass hanging from strings from a common point of attachment. Just as in the equal-mass case, a cubic equation is found for the square of the sine of either angle, and an approximation can be used to avoid Cardano's formula for small angles. These results extend a standard problem treated in introductory undergraduate courses in electricity and magnetism.

Provable Security of Communication for Protecting Information Flow in Distributed Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

tensorization  of   extremal  mutual  information  quantities,  which  have  been  of  recent...Control,  and   Computing,  Oct.  2012.   25) T.  Wang,  J.  Sturm,  P.  Cuff,  S.  Kulkarni,  “Condorcet   Voting ...Methods  Avoid  the   Paradoxes  of   Voting  Theory,”  Proc.  of  the  Allerton  Conference  on  Communication,  

The taboo of cancer: the experiences of cancer disclosure by Iranian patients, their family members and physicians.

PubMed

Zamanzadeh, Vahid; Rahmani, Azad; Valizadeh, Leila; Ferguson, Caleb; Hassankhani, Hadi; Nikanfar, Ali-Reza; Howard, Fuchsia

2013-02-01

The objective of this study is to describe the experiences of cancer disclosure by Iranian cancer patients, their family members and physicians. Twenty cancer patients, ten family members and eight physicians participated in this study. Data were collected via semi-structured, in-depth interviews and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Three categories were identified: cancer avoidance, a climate of non-disclosure and mutual concern. The findings demonstrated that cancer is a taboo subject and the word cancer, as well as other indicative terms, was rarely used in daily communication. A climate of non-disclosure predominated because patients were the last to know their diagnosis, they were unaware of their prognosis, and family members and physicians employed strategies to conceal this information. The mutual concern of patients, family members and physicians was the main reason that cancer was not discussed. Cancer is a taboo subject in Iran that is maintained and reinforced primarily because of the mutual concern of patients, family members and physicians. The first step to address this taboo and inform cancer patients of their diagnosis would be to understand and help mitigate the individual, family and social consequences of disclosure. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Categorization-based stranger avoidance does not explain the uncanny valley effect.

PubMed

MacDorman, Karl F; Chattopadhyay, Debaleena

2017-04-01

The uncanny valley hypothesis predicts that an entity appearing almost human risks eliciting cold, eerie feelings in viewers. Categorization-based stranger avoidance theory identifies the cause of this feeling as categorizing the entity into a novel category. This explanation is doubtful because stranger is not a novel category in adults; infants do not avoid strangers while the category stranger remains novel; infants old enough to fear strangers prefer photographs of strangers to those more closely resembling a familiar person; and the uncanny valley's characteristic eeriness is seldom felt when meeting strangers. We repeated our original experiment with a more realistic 3D computer model and found no support for categorization-based stranger avoidance theory. By contrast, realism inconsistency theory explains cold, eerie feelings elicited by transitions between instances of two different, mutually exclusive categories, given that at least one category is anthropomorphic: Cold, eerie feelings are caused by prediction error from perceiving some features as features of the first category and other features as features of the second category. In principle, realism inconsistency theory can explain not only negative evaluations of transitions between real and computer modeled humans but also between different vertebrate species. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Psychological and Relational Correlates of Intimate Partner Violence Profiles Among Pregnant Adolescent Couples

PubMed Central

Lewis, Jessica B.; Sullivan, Tami P.; Angley, Meghan; Callands, Tamora; Divney, Anna A.; Magriples, Urania; Gordon, Derrick M.; Kershaw, Trace S.

2017-01-01

We sought to identify relationship and individual psychological factors that related to four profiles of intimate partner violence (IPV) among pregnant adolescent couples: no IPV, male IPV victim only, female IPV victim only, mutual IPV, and how associations differ by sex. Using data from a longitudinal study of pregnant adolescents and partners (n = 291 couples), we used a multivariate profile analysis using multivariate analysis of covariance with between and within-subjects effects to compare IPV groups and sex on relationship and psychological factors. Analyses were conducted at the couple level, with IPV groups as a between-subjects couple level variable and sex as a within-subjects variable that allowed us to model and compare the outcomes of both partners while controlling for the correlated nature of the data. Analyses controlled for age, race, income, relationship duration, and gestational age. Among couples, 64% had no IPV; 23% male IPV victim only; 7% mutual IPV; 5% female IPV victim only. Relationship (F = 3.61, P < .001) and psychological (F = 3.17, P < .001) factors differed by IPV group, overall. Attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, relationship equity, perceived partner infidelity, depression, stress, and hostility each differed by IPV profile (all P < .01). Attachment anxiety, equity, depression and stress had a significant IPV profile by sex interaction (all P < .05). Couples with mutual IPV had the least healthy relationship and psychological characteristics; couples with no IPV had the healthiest characteristics. Females in mutually violent relationships were at particularly high risk. Couple-level interventions focused on relational issues might protect young families from developing IPV behaviors. PMID:27135634

Design of Feedforward Controller to Reduce Force Ripple for Linear Motor using Halbach Magnet Array with T Shape Magnet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Moojong; Kim, Jinyoung; Lee, Moon G.

Recently, in micro/nano fabrication equipments, linear motors are widely used as an actuator to position workpiece, machining tool and measurement head. To control them faster and more precise, the motor should have high actuating force and small force ripple. High actuating force enable us to more workpiece with high acceleration. Eventually, it may provide higher throughput. Force ripple gives detrimental effect on the precision and tracking performance of the equipments. In order to accomplish more precise motion, it is important to make lower the force ripple. Force ripple is categorized into cogging and mutual ripple. First is dependent on the shape of magnets and/or core. The second is not dependent on them but dependent on current commutation. In this work, coreless mover i.e. coil winding is applied to the linear motor to avoid the cogging ripple. Therefore, the mutual ripple is only considered to be minimized. Ideal Halbach magnet array has continuously varying magnetization. The THMA (Halbach magnet array with T shape magnets) is proposed to approximate the ideal one. The THMA can not produce ideal sinusoidal flux, therefore, the linear motor with THMA and sinusoidal commutation of current generates the mutual force ripple. In this paper, in order to compensate mutual force ripple by feedforward(FF) controller, we calculate the optimized commutation of input current. The ripple is lower than 1.17% of actuating force if the commutation current agree with the magnetic flux from THMA. The performance of feedforward(FF) controller is verified by experiment.

MAP Markers: Research and Evaluation of the Mutual Agreement Program. Resource Document No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robison, James O.

This report is an evaluation, using randomized experimental/control design, of a program involving negotiated contractual agreements (MAP) between prisoners and parole boards for specific parole dates contingent on performance in work, training and treatment activities. Contracts were generally for less than six months. Both feasibility and…

Mitigating budget constraints on visitation volume surveys: the case of U.S. National forests

Treesearch

Ashley E. Askew; Donald B.K. English; Stanley J. Zarnoch; Neelam C. Poudyal; J.M. Bowker

2014-01-01

Stratified random sampling (SRS) provides a scientifically based estimate of a population comprising mutually exclusive, homogenous subgroups. In the National Visitor Use Monitoring (NVUM) program, SRS is used to estimate recreation visitation and visitor characteristics across activities on National forests. However, with rising costs and declining budgets, carrying...

Meaner king uses biased bases

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reimpell, Michael; Werner, Reinhard F.

2007-06-15

The mean king problem is a quantum mechanical retrodiction problem, in which Alice has to name the outcome of an ideal measurement made in one of several different orthonormal bases. Alice is allowed to prepare the state of the system and to do a final measurement, possibly including an entangled copy. However, Alice gains knowledge about which basis was measured only after she no longer has access to the quantum system or its copy. We give a necessary and sufficient condition on the bases, for Alice to have a strategy to solve this problem, without assuming that the bases aremore » mutually unbiased. The condition requires the existence of an overall joint probability distribution for random variables, whose marginal pair distributions are fixed as the transition probability matrices of the given bases. In particular, in the qubit case the problem is decided by Bell's original three variable inequality. In the standard setting of mutually unbiased bases, when they do exist, Alice can always succeed. However, for randomly chosen bases her success probability rapidly goes to zero with increasing dimension.« less

Meaner king uses biased bases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reimpell, Michael; Werner, Reinhard F.

2007-06-01

The mean king problem is a quantum mechanical retrodiction problem, in which Alice has to name the outcome of an ideal measurement made in one of several different orthonormal bases. Alice is allowed to prepare the state of the system and to do a final measurement, possibly including an entangled copy. However, Alice gains knowledge about which basis was measured only after she no longer has access to the quantum system or its copy. We give a necessary and sufficient condition on the bases, for Alice to have a strategy to solve this problem, without assuming that the bases are mutually unbiased. The condition requires the existence of an overall joint probability distribution for random variables, whose marginal pair distributions are fixed as the transition probability matrices of the given bases. In particular, in the qubit case the problem is decided by Bell’s original three variable inequality. In the standard setting of mutually unbiased bases, when they do exist, Alice can always succeed. However, for randomly chosen bases her success probability rapidly goes to zero with increasing dimension.

A noninvasive brain computer interface using visually-induced near-infrared spectroscopy responses.

PubMed

Chen, Cheng-Hsuan; Ho, Ming-Shan; Shyu, Kuo-Kai; Hsu, Kou-Cheng; Wang, Kuo-Wei; Lee, Po-Lei

2014-09-19

Visually-induced near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) response was utilized to design a brain computer interface (BCI) system. Four circular checkerboards driven by distinct flickering sequences were displayed on a LCD screen as visual stimuli to induce subjects' NIRS responses. Each flickering sequence was a concatenated sequence of alternative flickering segments and resting segments. The flickering segment was designed with fixed duration of 3s whereas the resting segment was chosen randomly within 15-20s to create the mutual independencies among different flickering sequences. Six subjects were recruited in this study and subjects were requested to gaze at the four visual stimuli one-after-one in a random order. Since visual responses in human brain are time-locked to the onsets of visual stimuli and the flicker sequences of distinct visual stimuli were designed mutually independent, the NIRS responses induced by user's gazed targets can be discerned from non-gazed targets by applying a simple averaging process. The accuracies for the six subjects were higher than 90% after 10 or more epochs being averaged. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurement Matrix Design for Phase Retrieval Based on Mutual Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shlezinger, Nir; Dabora, Ron; Eldar, Yonina C.

2018-01-01

In phase retrieval problems, a signal of interest (SOI) is reconstructed based on the magnitude of a linear transformation of the SOI observed with additive noise. The linear transform is typically referred to as a measurement matrix. Many works on phase retrieval assume that the measurement matrix is a random Gaussian matrix, which, in the noiseless scenario with sufficiently many measurements, guarantees invertability of the transformation between the SOI and the observations, up to an inherent phase ambiguity. However, in many practical applications, the measurement matrix corresponds to an underlying physical setup, and is therefore deterministic, possibly with structural constraints. In this work we study the design of deterministic measurement matrices, based on maximizing the mutual information between the SOI and the observations. We characterize necessary conditions for the optimality of a measurement matrix, and analytically obtain the optimal matrix in the low signal-to-noise ratio regime. Practical methods for designing general measurement matrices and masked Fourier measurements are proposed. Simulation tests demonstrate the performance gain achieved by the proposed techniques compared to random Gaussian measurements for various phase recovery algorithms.

Research report: variations on the theme of avoidance as compensations during unsuccessful reading performance.

PubMed

Damico, Jack S; Abendroth, Kathleen J; Nelson, Ryan L; Lynch, Karen E; Damico, Holly L

2011-08-01

This research report provides additional data, manifestations and discussion about avoidance strategies employed by a language-learning disabled student during reading activities. Rather than seeing avoidance as due to random distractions or oppositional behaviours, these data provide a rationale for viewing many types of avoidance as systematic and compensatory efforts to sustain interactional success in the emergence of linguistic difficulty.

Navigational choice between reversal and curve during acidic pH avoidance behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans.

PubMed

Wakabayashi, Tokumitsu; Sakata, Kazumi; Togashi, Takuya; Itoi, Hiroaki; Shinohe, Sayaka; Watanabe, Miwa; Shingai, Ryuzo

2015-11-19

Under experimental conditions, virtually all behaviors of Caenorhabditis elegans are achieved by combinations of simple locomotion, including forward, reversal movement, turning by deep body bending, and gradual shallow turning. To study how worms regulate these locomotion in response to sensory information, acidic pH avoidance behavior was analyzed by using worm tracking system. In the acidic pH avoidance, we characterized two types of behavioral maneuvers that have similar behavioral sequences in chemotaxis and thermotaxis. A stereotypic reversal-turn-forward sequence of reversal avoidance caused an abrupt random reorientation, and a shallow gradual turn in curve avoidance caused non-random reorientation in a less acidic direction to avoid the acidic pH. Our results suggest that these two maneuvers were each triggered by a distinct threshold pH. A simulation study using the two-distinct-threshold model reproduced the avoidance behavior of the real worm, supporting the presence of the threshold. Threshold pH for both reversal and curve avoidance was altered in mutants with reduced or enhanced glutamatergic signaling from acid-sensing neurons. C. elegans employ two behavioral maneuvers, reversal (klinokinesis) and curve (klinotaxis) to avoid acidic pH. Unlike the chemotaxis in C. elegans, reversal and curve avoidances were triggered by absolute pH rather than temporal derivative of stimulus concentration in this behavior. The pH threshold is different between reversal and curve avoidance. Mutant studies suggested that the difference results from a differential amount of glutamate released from ASH and ASK chemosensory neurons.

Segmentation of the Speaker's Face Region with Audiovisual Correlation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yuyu; Sato, Yoichi

The ability to find the speaker's face region in a video is useful for various applications. In this work, we develop a novel technique to find this region within different time windows, which is robust against the changes of view, scale, and background. The main thrust of our technique is to integrate audiovisual correlation analysis into a video segmentation framework. We analyze the audiovisual correlation locally by computing quadratic mutual information between our audiovisual features. The computation of quadratic mutual information is based on the probability density functions estimated by kernel density estimation with adaptive kernel bandwidth. The results of this audiovisual correlation analysis are incorporated into graph cut-based video segmentation to resolve a globally optimum extraction of the speaker's face region. The setting of any heuristic threshold in this segmentation is avoided by learning the correlation distributions of speaker and background by expectation maximization. Experimental results demonstrate that our method can detect the speaker's face region accurately and robustly for different views, scales, and backgrounds.

Jurassic mimicry between a hangingfly and a ginkgo from China

PubMed Central

Wang, Yongjie; Labandeira, Conrad C.; Shih, Chungkun; Ding, Qiaoling; Wang, Chen; Zhao, Yunyun; Ren, Dong

2012-01-01

A near-perfect mimetic association between a mecopteran insect species and a ginkgoalean plant species from the late Middle Jurassic of northeastern China recently has been discovered. The association stems from a case of mixed identity between a particular plant and an insect in the laboratory and the field. This confusion is explained as a case of leaf mimesis, wherein the appearance of the multilobed leaf of Yimaia capituliformis (the ginkgoalean model) was accurately replicated by the wings and abdomen of the cimbrophlebiid Juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia (the hangingfly mimic). Our results suggest that hangingflies developed leaf mimesis either as an antipredator avoidance device or possibly as a predatory strategy to provide an antiherbivore function for its plant hosts, thus gaining mutual benefit for both the hangingfly and the ginkgo species. This documentation of mimesis is a rare occasion whereby exquisitely preserved, co-occurring fossils occupy a narrow spatiotemporal window that reveal likely reciprocal mechanisms which plants and insects provide mutual defensive support during their preangiospermous evolutionary histories. PMID:23184994

Jurassic mimicry between a hangingfly and a ginkgo from China.

PubMed

Wang, Yongjie; Labandeira, Conrad C; Shih, Chungkun; Ding, Qiaoling; Wang, Chen; Zhao, Yunyun; Ren, Dong

2012-12-11

A near-perfect mimetic association between a mecopteran insect species and a ginkgoalean plant species from the late Middle Jurassic of northeastern China recently has been discovered. The association stems from a case of mixed identity between a particular plant and an insect in the laboratory and the field. This confusion is explained as a case of leaf mimesis, wherein the appearance of the multilobed leaf of Yimaia capituliformis (the ginkgoalean model) was accurately replicated by the wings and abdomen of the cimbrophlebiid Juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia (the hangingfly mimic). Our results suggest that hangingflies developed leaf mimesis either as an antipredator avoidance device or possibly as a predatory strategy to provide an antiherbivore function for its plant hosts, thus gaining mutual benefit for both the hangingfly and the ginkgo species. This documentation of mimesis is a rare occasion whereby exquisitely preserved, co-occurring fossils occupy a narrow spatiotemporal window that reveal likely reciprocal mechanisms which plants and insects provide mutual defensive support during their preangiospermous evolutionary histories.

Search for Directed Networks by Different Random Walk Strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Zi-Qi; Jin, Xiao-Ling; Huang, Zhi-Long

2012-03-01

A comparative study is carried out on the efficiency of five different random walk strategies searching on directed networks constructed based on several typical complex networks. Due to the difference in search efficiency of the strategies rooted in network clustering, the clustering coefficient in a random walker's eye on directed networks is defined and computed to be half of the corresponding undirected networks. The search processes are performed on the directed networks based on Erdös—Rényi model, Watts—Strogatz model, Barabási—Albert model and clustered scale-free network model. It is found that self-avoiding random walk strategy is the best search strategy for such directed networks. Compared to unrestricted random walk strategy, path-iteration-avoiding random walks can also make the search process much more efficient. However, no-triangle-loop and no-quadrangle-loop random walks do not improve the search efficiency as expected, which is different from those on undirected networks since the clustering coefficient of directed networks are smaller than that of undirected networks.

On the Choice of Adequate Randomization Ranges for Limiting the Use of Unwanted Cues in Same-Different, Dual-Pair, and Oddity Tasks

PubMed Central

Dai, Huanping; Micheyl, Christophe

2010-01-01

A major concern when designing a psychophysical experiment is that participants may use another stimulus feature (“cue”) than that intended by the experimenter. One way to avoid this involves applying random variations to the corresponding feature across stimulus presentations, to make the “unwanted” cue unreliable. An important question facing experimenters who use this randomization (“roving”) technique is: How large should the randomization range be to ensure that participants cannot achieve a certain proportion correct (PC) by using the unwanted cue, while at the same time avoiding unnecessary interference of the randomization with task performance? Previous publications have provided formulas for the selection of adequate randomization ranges in yes-no and multiple-alternative, forced-choice tasks. In this article, we provide figures and tables, which can be used to select randomization ranges that are better suited to experiments involving a same-different, dual-pair, or oddity task. PMID:20139466

A weighted exact test for mutually exclusive mutations in cancer

PubMed Central

Leiserson, Mark D.M.; Reyna, Matthew A.; Raphael, Benjamin J.

2016-01-01

Motivation: The somatic mutations in the pathways that drive cancer development tend to be mutually exclusive across tumors, providing a signal for distinguishing driver mutations from a larger number of random passenger mutations. This mutual exclusivity signal can be confounded by high and highly variable mutation rates across a cohort of samples. Current statistical tests for exclusivity that incorporate both per-gene and per-sample mutational frequencies are computationally expensive and have limited precision. Results: We formulate a weighted exact test for assessing the significance of mutual exclusivity in an arbitrary number of mutational events. Our test conditions on the number of samples with a mutation as well as per-event, per-sample mutation probabilities. We provide a recursive formula to compute P-values for the weighted test exactly as well as a highly accurate and efficient saddlepoint approximation of the test. We use our test to approximate a commonly used permutation test for exclusivity that conditions on per-event, per-sample mutation frequencies. However, our test is more efficient and it recovers more significant results than the permutation test. We use our Weighted Exclusivity Test (WExT) software to analyze hundreds of colorectal and endometrial samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas, which are two cancer types that often have extremely high mutation rates. On both cancer types, the weighted test identifies sets of mutually exclusive mutations in cancer genes with fewer false positives than earlier approaches. Availability and Implementation: See http://compbio.cs.brown.edu/projects/wext for software. Contact: braphael@cs.brown.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:27587696

Continuous place avoidance task reveals differences in spatial navigation in male and female rats.

PubMed

Cimadevilla, J M; Fenton, A A; Bures, J

2000-01-01

A new place navigation test was used to estimate the spatial orientation abilities of male and female rats. Animals had to avoid a room frame defined area on a rotating arena, entering of which was punished by mild footshock, i.e. rats had to avoid the same place in the room but different parts of the floor, which was rotated through the punished zone. Because of the rotation of the arena (one revolution per min), animals could not rely on intramaze cues and only extramaze landmarks could be used for accurate navigation. During 8 consecutive days rats were exposed to daily 40-min sessions, consisting of 20-min acquisition and 20-min extinction (shock discontinued). The position of the punished sector centered around one of the four mutually perpendicular azimuths was daily changed in a predetermined sequence. The results showed no male female differences during acquisition and better performance of males during extinction. The performance of females was not affected by estral cycle-related hormonal changes. The findings are discussed in the light of controversial results of research into sex differences in spatial abilities.

Psychological and relational correlates of intimate partner violence profiles among pregnant adolescent couples.

PubMed

Lewis, Jessica B; Sullivan, Tami P; Angley, Meghan; Callands, Tamora; Divney, Anna A; Magriples, Urania; Gordon, Derrick M; Kershaw, Trace S

2017-01-01

We sought to identify relationship and individual psychological factors that related to four profiles of intimate partner violence (IPV) among pregnant adolescent couples: no IPV, male IPV victim only, female IPV victim only, mutual IPV, and how associations differ by sex. Using data from a longitudinal study of pregnant adolescents and partners (n = 291 couples), we used a multivariate profile analysis using multivariate analysis of covariance with between and within-subjects effects to compare IPV groups and sex on relationship and psychological factors. Analyses were conducted at the couple level, with IPV groups as a between-subjects couple level variable and sex as a within-subjects variable that allowed us to model and compare the outcomes of both partners while controlling for the correlated nature of the data. Analyses controlled for age, race, income, relationship duration, and gestational age. Among couples, 64% had no IPV; 23% male IPV victim only; 7% mutual IPV; 5% female IPV victim only. Relationship (F = 3.61, P < .001) and psychological (F = 3.17, P < .001) factors differed by IPV group, overall. Attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, relationship equity, perceived partner infidelity, depression, stress, and hostility each differed by IPV profile (all P < .01). Attachment anxiety, equity, depression and stress had a significant IPV profile by sex interaction (all P < .05). Couples with mutual IPV had the least healthy relationship and psychological characteristics; couples with no IPV had the healthiest characteristics. Females in mutually violent relationships were at particularly high risk. Couple-level interventions focused on relational issues might protect young families from developing IPV behaviors. Aggr. Behav. 43:26-36, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Critical scaling of the mutual information in two-dimensional disordered Ising models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sriluckshmy, P. V.; Mandal, Ipsita

2018-04-01

Rényi mutual information, computed from second Rényi entropies, can identify classical phase transitions from their finite-size scaling at critical points. We apply this technique to examine the presence or absence of finite temperature phase transitions in various two-dimensional models on a square lattice, which are extensions of the conventional Ising model by adding a quenched disorder. When the quenched disorder causes the nearest neighbor bonds to be both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic, (a) a spin glass phase exists only at zero temperature, and (b) a ferromagnetic phase exists at a finite temperature when the antiferromagnetic bond distributions are sufficiently dilute. Furthermore, finite temperature paramagnetic-ferromagnetic transitions can also occur when the disordered bonds involve only ferromagnetic couplings of random strengths. In our numerical simulations, the ‘zero temperature only’ phase transitions are identified when there is no consistent finite-size scaling of the Rényi mutual information curves, while for finite temperature critical points, the curves can identify the critical temperature T c by their crossings at T c and 2 Tc .

A scaling law for random walks on networks

PubMed Central

Perkins, Theodore J.; Foxall, Eric; Glass, Leon; Edwards, Roderick

2014-01-01

The dynamics of many natural and artificial systems are well described as random walks on a network: the stochastic behaviour of molecules, traffic patterns on the internet, fluctuations in stock prices and so on. The vast literature on random walks provides many tools for computing properties such as steady-state probabilities or expected hitting times. Previously, however, there has been no general theory describing the distribution of possible paths followed by a random walk. Here, we show that for any random walk on a finite network, there are precisely three mutually exclusive possibilities for the form of the path distribution: finite, stretched exponential and power law. The form of the distribution depends only on the structure of the network, while the stepping probabilities control the parameters of the distribution. We use our theory to explain path distributions in domains such as sports, music, nonlinear dynamics and stochastic chemical kinetics. PMID:25311870

A scaling law for random walks on networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perkins, Theodore J.; Foxall, Eric; Glass, Leon; Edwards, Roderick

2014-10-01

The dynamics of many natural and artificial systems are well described as random walks on a network: the stochastic behaviour of molecules, traffic patterns on the internet, fluctuations in stock prices and so on. The vast literature on random walks provides many tools for computing properties such as steady-state probabilities or expected hitting times. Previously, however, there has been no general theory describing the distribution of possible paths followed by a random walk. Here, we show that for any random walk on a finite network, there are precisely three mutually exclusive possibilities for the form of the path distribution: finite, stretched exponential and power law. The form of the distribution depends only on the structure of the network, while the stepping probabilities control the parameters of the distribution. We use our theory to explain path distributions in domains such as sports, music, nonlinear dynamics and stochastic chemical kinetics.

A scaling law for random walks on networks.

PubMed

Perkins, Theodore J; Foxall, Eric; Glass, Leon; Edwards, Roderick

2014-10-14

The dynamics of many natural and artificial systems are well described as random walks on a network: the stochastic behaviour of molecules, traffic patterns on the internet, fluctuations in stock prices and so on. The vast literature on random walks provides many tools for computing properties such as steady-state probabilities or expected hitting times. Previously, however, there has been no general theory describing the distribution of possible paths followed by a random walk. Here, we show that for any random walk on a finite network, there are precisely three mutually exclusive possibilities for the form of the path distribution: finite, stretched exponential and power law. The form of the distribution depends only on the structure of the network, while the stepping probabilities control the parameters of the distribution. We use our theory to explain path distributions in domains such as sports, music, nonlinear dynamics and stochastic chemical kinetics.

The role of the hippocampus in approach-avoidance conflict decision-making: Evidence from rodent and human studies.

PubMed

Ito, Rutsuko; Lee, Andy C H

2016-10-15

The hippocampus (HPC) has been traditionally considered to subserve mnemonic processing and spatial cognition. Over the past decade, however, there has been increasing interest in its contributions to processes beyond these two domains. One question is whether the HPC plays an important role in decision-making under conditions of high approach-avoidance conflict, a scenario that arises when a goal stimulus is simultaneously associated with reward and punishment. This idea has its origins in rodent work conducted in the 1950s and 1960s, and has recently experienced a resurgence of interest in the literature. In this review, we will first provide an overview of classic rodent lesion data that first suggested a role for the HPC in approach-avoidance conflict processing and then proceed to describe a wide range of more recent evidence from studies conducted in rodents and humans. We will demonstrate that there is substantial, converging cross-species evidence to support the idea that the HPC, in particular the ventral (in rodents)/anterior (in humans) portion, contributes to approach-avoidance conflict decision making. Furthermore, we suggest that the seemingly disparate functions of the HPC (e.g. memory, spatial cognition, conflict processing) need not be mutually exclusive. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evolution of the scattering anisotropy of aged foams in the wet-to-dry transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimnyakov, D. A.; Yuvchenko, S. A.; Isaeva, A. A.; Isaeva, E. A.; Samorodina, T. V.

2018-04-01

Empirical data on the diffuse and collimated transmittance of aged liquid foams are discussed in terms of influence of mutual correlations in the scatter positions. This influence can be described introducing the static structure factor of a scattering system and occurs remarkable in the case of wet foams with gas bubbles as the basic scattering units. On the contrary, mutual correlations of basic scattering units (Plateau-Gibbs channels and vertices) in dry foams are negligible due to low values of their volume fraction. This causes dramatic changes of the scattering anisotropy of foam layers in the vicinity of the wet-to-dry transition. Some analogies can be drawn between this effect and a previously reported "optical inversion" of densely packed random media.

Random walks on mutual microRNA-target gene interaction network improve the prediction of disease-associated microRNAs.

PubMed

Le, Duc-Hau; Verbeke, Lieven; Son, Le Hoang; Chu, Dinh-Toi; Pham, Van-Huy

2017-11-14

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play an important role in pathological initiation, progression and maintenance. Because identification in the laboratory of disease-related miRNAs is not straightforward, numerous network-based methods have been developed to predict novel miRNAs in silico. Homogeneous networks (in which every node is a miRNA) based on the targets shared between miRNAs have been widely used to predict their role in disease phenotypes. Although such homogeneous networks can predict potential disease-associated miRNAs, they do not consider the roles of the target genes of the miRNAs. Here, we introduce a novel method based on a heterogeneous network that not only considers miRNAs but also the corresponding target genes in the network model. Instead of constructing homogeneous miRNA networks, we built heterogeneous miRNA networks consisting of both miRNAs and their target genes, using databases of known miRNA-target gene interactions. In addition, as recent studies demonstrated reciprocal regulatory relations between miRNAs and their target genes, we considered these heterogeneous miRNA networks to be undirected, assuming mutual miRNA-target interactions. Next, we introduced a novel method (RWRMTN) operating on these mutual heterogeneous miRNA networks to rank candidate disease-related miRNAs using a random walk with restart (RWR) based algorithm. Using both known disease-associated miRNAs and their target genes as seed nodes, the method can identify additional miRNAs involved in the disease phenotype. Experiments indicated that RWRMTN outperformed two existing state-of-the-art methods: RWRMDA, a network-based method that also uses a RWR on homogeneous (rather than heterogeneous) miRNA networks, and RLSMDA, a machine learning-based method. Interestingly, we could relate this performance gain to the emergence of "disease modules" in the heterogeneous miRNA networks used as input for the algorithm. Moreover, we could demonstrate that RWRMTN is stable, performing well when using both experimentally validated and predicted miRNA-target gene interaction data for network construction. Finally, using RWRMTN, we identified 76 novel miRNAs associated with 23 disease phenotypes which were present in a recent database of known disease-miRNA associations. Summarizing, using random walks on mutual miRNA-target networks improves the prediction of novel disease-associated miRNAs because of the existence of "disease modules" in these networks.

Exact solution of two interacting run-and-tumble random walkers with finite tumble duration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slowman, A. B.; Evans, M. R.; Blythe, R. A.

2017-09-01

We study a model of interacting run-and-tumble random walkers operating under mutual hardcore exclusion on a one-dimensional lattice with periodic boundary conditions. We incorporate a finite, poisson-distributed, tumble duration so that a particle remains stationary whilst tumbling, thus generalising the persistent random walker model. We present the exact solution for the nonequilibrium stationary state of this system in the case of two random walkers. We find this to be characterised by two lengthscales, one arising from the jamming of approaching particles, and the other from one particle moving when the other is tumbling. The first of these lengthscales vanishes in a scaling limit where the continuous-space dynamics is recovered whilst the second remains finite. Thus the nonequilibrium stationary state reveals a rich structure of attractive, jammed and extended pieces.

Spontaneous mutual ordering of nucleic acids and proteins.

PubMed

Wills, Peter R

2014-12-01

It is proposed that the prebiotic ordering of nucleic acid and peptide sequences was a cooperative process in which nearly random populations of both kinds of polymers went through a codependent series of self-organisation events that simultaneously refined not only the accuracy of genetic replication and coding but also the functional specificity of protein catalysts, especially nascent aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase "urzymes".

An Efficient Method to Detect Mutual Overlap of a Large Set of Unordered Images for Structure-From

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, X.; Zhan, Z. Q.; Heipke, C.

2017-05-01

Recently, low-cost 3D reconstruction based on images has become a popular focus of photogrammetry and computer vision research. Methods which can handle an arbitrary geometric setup of a large number of unordered and convergent images are of particular interest. However, determining the mutual overlap poses a considerable challenge. We propose a new method which was inspired by and improves upon methods employing random k-d forests for this task. Specifically, we first derive features from the images and then a random k-d forest is used to find the nearest neighbours in feature space. Subsequently, the degree of similarity between individual images, the image overlaps and thus images belonging to a common block are calculated as input to a structure-from-motion (sfm) pipeline. In our experiments we show the general applicability of the new method and compare it with other methods by analyzing the time efficiency. Orientations and 3D reconstructions were successfully conducted with our overlap graphs by sfm. The results show a speed-up of a factor of 80 compared to conventional pairwise matching, and of 8 and 2 compared to the VocMatch approach using 1 and 4 CPU, respectively.

Orthogonal on-off control of radar pulses for the suppression of mutual interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Yong Cheol

1998-10-01

Intelligent vehicles of the future will be guided by radars and other sensors to avoid obstacles. When multiple vehicles move simultaneously in autonomous navigational mode, mutual interference among car radars becomes a serious problem. An obstacle is illuminated with electromagnetic pulses from several radars. The signal at a radar receiver is actually a mixture of the self-reflection and the reflection of interfering pulses emitted by others. When standardized pulse- type radars are employed on vehicles for obstacle avoidance and so self-pulse and interfering pulses have identical pulse repetition interval, this SI (synchronous Interference) is very difficult to separate from the true reflection. We present a method of suppressing such a synchronous interference. By controlling the pulse emission of a radar in a binary orthogonal ON, OFF pattern, the true self-reflection can be separated from the false one. Two range maps are generated, TRM (true-reflection map) and SIM (synchronous- interference map). TRM is updated for every ON interval and SIM is updated for every OFF interval of the self-radar. SIM represents the SI of interfering radars while TRM keeps a record of a mixture of the true self-reflection and SI. Hence the true obstacles can be identified by the set subtraction operation. The performance of the proposed method is compared with that of the conventional M of N method. Bayesian analysis shows that the probability of false alarm is improved by order of 103 to approximately 106 while the deterioration in the probability of detection is negligible.

The voluntary-threat approach to control nonpoint source pollution under uncertainty.

PubMed

Li, Youping

2013-11-15

This paper extends the voluntary-threat approach of Segerson and Wu (2006) to the case that the ambient level of nonpoint source pollution is stochastic. It is shown that when the random component is bounded from the above, fine-tuning the cutoff value of the tax payments avoids the actual imposition of the tax while the threat of such payments retains necessary incentive for the polluters to engage in abatements at the optimal level. If the random component is not bounded, the imposition of the tax cannot be completely avoided but the probability can be reduced by setting a higher cutoff value. It is also noted that the regulator has additional flexibility in randomizing the tax imposition but the randomization process has to be credible. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Web-Based Intervention for Women With Type 1 Diabetes in Pregnancy and Early Motherhood: Critical Analysis of Adherence to Technological Elements and Study Design.

PubMed

Berg, Marie; Linden, Karolina; Adolfsson, Annsofie; Sparud Lundin, Carina; Ranerup, Agneta

2018-05-02

Numerous Web-based interventions have been implemented to promote health and health-related behaviors in persons with chronic conditions. Using randomized controlled trials to evaluate such interventions creates a range of challenges, which in turn can influence the study outcome. Applying a critical perspective when evaluating Web-based health interventions is important. The objective of this study was to critically analyze and discuss the challenges of conducting a Web-based health intervention as a randomized controlled trial. The MODIAB-Web study was critically examined using an exploratory case study methodology and the framework for analysis offered through the Persuasive Systems Design model. Focus was on technology, study design, and Web-based support usage, with special focus on the forum for peer support. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis were used. The persuasive content and technological elements in the design of the randomized controlled trial included all four categories of the Persuasive Systems Design model, but not all design principles were implemented. The study duration was extended to a period of four and a half years. Of 81 active participants in the intervention group, a maximum of 36 women were simultaneously active. User adherence varied greatly with a median of 91 individual log-ins. The forum for peer support was used by 63 participants. Although only about one-third of the participants interacted in the forum, there was a fairly rich exchange of experiences and advice between them. Thus, adherence in terms of social interactions was negatively affected by limited active participation due to prolonged recruitment process and randomization effects. Lessons learned from this critical analysis are that technology and study design matter and might mutually influence each other. In Web-based interventions, the use of design theories enables utilization of the full potential of technology and promotes adherence. The randomization element in a randomized controlled trial design can become a barrier to achieving a critical mass of user interactions in Web-based interventions, especially when social support is included. For extended study periods, the technology used may need to be adapted in line with newly available technical options to avoid the risk of becoming outdated in the user realm, which in turn might jeopardize study validity in terms of randomized controlled trial designs. On the basis of lessons learned in this randomized controlled trial, we give recommendations to consider when designing and evaluating Web-based health interventions. ©Marie Berg, Karolina Linden, Annsofie Adolfsson, Carina Sparud Lundin, Agneta Ranerup. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 02.05.2018.

Fluff-thieving birds sabotage seed dispersal

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Characterizing many species interactions as mutualisms can be misleading because some members of the interaction derive greater fitness benefits at the expense of other members. We provide detailed natural history data on a suspected bird–plant mutualism in South Africa where many species of birds use fluffy Eriocephalus seed material to construct their nests, potentially dispersing seeds for the plant. We focus on a common bird, Prinia maculosa, which invests heavily in gathering Eriocephalus material. Prinias spent 5 of their median 6-day nest construction period adding seed material to their nests and frequently travelled outside their territory boundary to gather Eriocephalus material. Yet, prinias gathered primarily Eriocephalus fluff and actively avoided gathering seeds. The average prinia nest contained only 6.6 seeds, but contained fluff from 579 seeds. These data suggest that prinias provide limited dispersal benefits to Eriocephalus plants. By contrast, the large amounts of Eriocephalus fluff in prinia nests, and the effort that prinias invest in gathering it, suggest that prinias benefit from constructing their nests with Eriocephalus material. We end by outlining hypotheses for possible fitness benefits that Eriocephalus material could provide prinias and other birds. PMID:28280552

Fluff-thieving birds sabotage seed dispersal.

PubMed

Rohwer, Vanya G; Pauw, Anton; Martin, Paul R

2017-01-01

Characterizing many species interactions as mutualisms can be misleading because some members of the interaction derive greater fitness benefits at the expense of other members. We provide detailed natural history data on a suspected bird-plant mutualism in South Africa where many species of birds use fluffy Eriocephalus seed material to construct their nests, potentially dispersing seeds for the plant. We focus on a common bird, Prinia maculosa , which invests heavily in gathering Eriocephalus material. Prinias spent 5 of their median 6-day nest construction period adding seed material to their nests and frequently travelled outside their territory boundary to gather Eriocephalus material. Yet, prinias gathered primarily Eriocephalus fluff and actively avoided gathering seeds. The average prinia nest contained only 6.6 seeds, but contained fluff from 579 seeds. These data suggest that prinias provide limited dispersal benefits to Eriocephalus plants. By contrast, the large amounts of Eriocephalus fluff in prinia nests, and the effort that prinias invest in gathering it, suggest that prinias benefit from constructing their nests with Eriocephalus material. We end by outlining hypotheses for possible fitness benefits that Eriocephalus material could provide prinias and other birds.

United We Stand? The Effects of a Couple-Coping Intervention on Adjustment to Early Stage Breast or Gynecological Cancer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Jennifer L.; Halford, W. Kim; Ward, Bruce G.

2004-01-01

Cancer diagnosis affects the psychological well-being of both patients and their partners, and effective coping has been suggested to be a conjoint process of mutual support. Ninety-four married women with early stage cancer and their partners were randomly assigned to couples-based coping training (CanCOPE), individual coping training for the…

Treatment seeking as a mechanism of change in a randomized controlled trial of a mobile health intervention to support recovery from alcohol use disorders.

PubMed

Glass, Joseph E; McKay, James R; Gustafson, David H; Kornfield, Rachel; Rathouz, Paul J; McTavish, Fiona M; Atwood, Amy K; Isham, Andrew; Quanbeck, Andrew; Shah, Dhavan

2017-06-01

We estimated the efficacy of the Addiction-Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS) in increasing the use of services for addiction and examined the extent to which this use of services mediated the effects of A-CHESS on risky drinking days and abstinence from drinking. We conducted secondary data analyses of the A-CHESS randomized controlled trial. Recruitment occurred in five residential treatment programs operated by two addiction treatment organizations. Participants were 349 adults with alcohol use disorders recruited two weeks before discharge from residential treatment. We provided intervention arm participants with a smartphone, the A-CHESS application, and an 8-month service plan. Control arm participants received treatment as usual. Telephone interviews at 4, 8, and 12-month follow-ups assessed past-month risky drinking days, past-month abstinence, and post-discharge service utilization (past-month outpatient addiction treatment and past-week mutual help including Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous). Using mixed effects latent variable models, we estimated the indirect effects of A-CHESS on drinking outcomes, as mediated by post-discharge service utilization. Approximately 50.5% of participants reported outpatient addiction treatment and 75.5% reported mutual help at any follow-up interview in the year following randomization. Assignment to the A-CHESS intervention was associated with an increased odds of outpatient addiction treatment across follow-ups, but not mutual help. This use of outpatient addiction treatment mediated the effect of A-CHESS on risky drinking days, but not abstinence. The effect of A-CHESS through outpatient addiction treatment appeared to reduce the expected number of risky drinking days across follow-ups by 11%. The mobile health (mHealth) intervention promoted the use of outpatient addiction treatment, which appeared to contribute to its efficacy in reducing risky drinking. Future research should investigate how mHealth interventions could link patients to needed treatment services and promote the sustained use of these services. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High context illness and dying in a low context medical world.

PubMed

Hallenbeck, James

2006-01-01

This article provides an introduction to the field of intercultural communication. Miscommunication among patients, families, and clinicians often results when participants are contextually "out-of-synch. " High context communication embeds more information in the contexts within which people communicate and is less dependent on language. Very sick and dying patients often use high context communication strategies. Low context communication stresses explicit verbal communication and is commonly used by clinicians. When clinicians use low context forms of communication with patients using high context styles, misunderstandings frequently arise. Suggestions are given for avoiding miscommunication and enhancing mutual understanding.

Patient and program factors that bridge the detoxification-treatment gap: a structured evidence review.

PubMed

Timko, Christine; Below, Maureen; Schultz, Nicole R; Brief, Deborah; Cucciare, Michael A

2015-05-01

Although completion of detoxification (detox) and a successful transition from detox to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and/or mutual-help groups are associated with better SUD outcomes, many patients do not complete detox or do not receive SUD care following detox. The purpose of this structured evidence review, summarizing data extraction on a yield of 26 articles, is to identify patient, program, and system factors associated with the outcomes of completion of alcohol detox and successful transitions from alcohol detox to SUD treatment and mutual-help group participation. The review found wide variability among studies in the rates at which patients complete a detox episode (45 to 95%) and enter SUD treatment or mutual-help groups after detox (14 to 92%). Within program factors, behavioral practices that contribute to both detox completion and transitioning to SUD care after detox entail involving the patient's family and utilizing motivational-based approaches. Such practices should be targeted at younger patients, who are less likely to complete detox. Although more studies using a randomized controlled trial design are needed, the evidence suggests that barriers to detox completion and transition to SUD care can be overcome to improve patient outcomes. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Computing algebraic transfer entropy and coupling directions via transcripts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amigó, José M.; Monetti, Roberto; Graff, Beata; Graff, Grzegorz

2016-11-01

Most random processes studied in nonlinear time series analysis take values on sets endowed with a group structure, e.g., the real and rational numbers, and the integers. This fact allows to associate with each pair of group elements a third element, called their transcript, which is defined as the product of the second element in the pair times the first one. The transfer entropy of two such processes is called algebraic transfer entropy. It measures the information transferred between two coupled processes whose values belong to a group. In this paper, we show that, subject to one constraint, the algebraic transfer entropy matches the (in general, conditional) mutual information of certain transcripts with one variable less. This property has interesting practical applications, especially to the analysis of short time series. We also derive weak conditions for the 3-dimensional algebraic transfer entropy to yield the same coupling direction as the corresponding mutual information of transcripts. A related issue concerns the use of mutual information of transcripts to determine coupling directions in cases where the conditions just mentioned are not fulfilled. We checked the latter possibility in the lowest dimensional case with numerical simulations and cardiovascular data, and obtained positive results.

Detection of correlated fragments in a sequence of images by superimposed Fourier holograms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlov, A. V.

2016-08-01

The problem of detecting correlated fragments in a sequence of images recorded by the superimposing holograms within the Fourier holography scheme with angular multiplication of a spatially modulated reference beam is considered. The approach to the solution of this problem is based on the properties of the variance of the image sum. It is shown that this problem can be solved by providing a constant distance between the signal and reference images when recording superimposed holograms and a partial mutual correlatedness of reference images. The detection efficiency is analysed from the point of view of estimated image data capacity, the degree of mutual correlation of reference images, and the hologram recording conditions. The results of a numerical experiment under the most complicated conditions (representation of images by realisations of homogeneous random fields) confirm the theoretical conclusions.

Design of a mutual authentication based on NTRUsign with a perturbation and inherent multipoint control protocol frames in an Ethernet-based passive optical network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Aihan; Ding, Yisheng

2014-11-01

Identity-related security issues inherently present in passive optical networks (PON) still exist in the current (1G) and next-generation (10G) Ethernet-based passive optical network (EPON) systems. We propose a mutual authentication scheme that integrates an NTRUsign digital signature algorithm with inherent multipoint control protocol (MPCP) frames over an EPON system between the optical line terminal (OLT) and optical network unit (ONU). Here, a primitive NTRUsign algorithm is significantly modified through the use of a new perturbation so that it can be effectively used for simultaneously completing signature and authentication functions on the OLT and the ONU sides. Also, in order to transmit their individual sensitive messages, which include public key, signature, and random value and so forth, to each other, we redefine three unique frames according to MPCP format frame. These generated messages can be added into the frames and delivered to each other, allowing the OLT and the ONU to go ahead with a mutual identity authentication process to verify their legal identities. Our simulation results show that this proposed scheme performs very well in resisting security attacks and has low influence on the registration efficiency to to-be-registered ONUs. A performance comparison with traditional authentication algorithms is also presented. To the best of our knowledge, no detailed design of mutual authentication in EPON can be found in the literature up to now.

Stochastic information transfer from cochlear implant electrodes to auditory nerve fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Xiao; Grayden, David B.; McDonnell, Mark D.

2014-08-01

Cochlear implants, also called bionic ears, are implanted neural prostheses that can restore lost human hearing function by direct electrical stimulation of auditory nerve fibers. Previously, an information-theoretic framework for numerically estimating the optimal number of electrodes in cochlear implants has been devised. This approach relies on a model of stochastic action potential generation and a discrete memoryless channel model of the interface between the array of electrodes and the auditory nerve fibers. Using these models, the stochastic information transfer from cochlear implant electrodes to auditory nerve fibers is estimated from the mutual information between channel inputs (the locations of electrodes) and channel outputs (the set of electrode-activated nerve fibers). Here we describe a revised model of the channel output in the framework that avoids the side effects caused by an "ambiguity state" in the original model and also makes fewer assumptions about perceptual processing in the brain. A detailed comparison of how different assumptions on fibers and current spread modes impact on the information transfer in the original model and in the revised model is presented. We also mathematically derive an upper bound on the mutual information in the revised model, which becomes tighter as the number of electrodes increases. We found that the revised model leads to a significantly larger maximum mutual information and corresponding number of electrodes compared with the original model and conclude that the assumptions made in this part of the modeling framework are crucial to the model's overall utility.

Consequences of stage-structured predators: cannibalism, behavioral effects, and trophic cascades.

PubMed

Rudolf, Volker H W

2007-12-01

Cannibalistic and asymmetrical behavioral interactions between stages are common within stage-structured predator populations. Such direct interactions between predator stages can result in density- and trait-mediated indirect interactions between a predator and its prey. A set of structured predator-prey models is used to explore how such indirect interactions affect the dynamics and structure of communities. Analyses of the separate and combined effects of stage-structured cannibalism and behavior-mediated avoidance of cannibals under different ecological scenarios show that both cannibalism and behavioral avoidance of cannibalism can result in short- and long-term positive indirect connections between predator stages and the prey, including "apparent mutualism." These positive interactions alter the strength of trophic cascades such that the system's dynamics are determined by the interaction between bottom-up and top-down effects. Contrary to the expectation of simpler models, enrichment increases both predator and prey abundance in systems with cannibalism or behavioral avoidance of cannibalism. The effect of behavioral avoidance of cannibalism, however, depends on how strongly it affects the maturation rate of the predator. Behavioral interactions between predator stages reduce the short-term positive effect of cannibalism on the prey density, but can enhance its positive long-term effects. Both interaction types reduce the destabilizing effect of enrichment. These results suggest that inconsistencies between data and simple models can be resolved by accounting for stage-structured interactions within and among species.

Cramer-Rao Bound for Gaussian Random Processes and Applications to Radar Processing of Atmospheric Signals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frehlich, Rod

1993-01-01

Calculations of the exact Cramer-Rao Bound (CRB) for unbiased estimates of the mean frequency, signal power, and spectral width of Doppler radar/lidar signals (a Gaussian random process) are presented. Approximate CRB's are derived using the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT). These approximate results are equal to the exact CRB when the DFT coefficients are mutually uncorrelated. Previous high SNR limits for CRB's are shown to be inaccurate because the discrete summations cannot be approximated with integration. The performance of an approximate maximum likelihood estimator for mean frequency approaches the exact CRB for moderate signal to noise ratio and moderate spectral width.

Mutual coupling, channel model, and BER for curvilinear antenna arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Zhiyong

This dissertation introduces a wireless communications system with an adaptive beam-former and investigates its performance with different antenna arrays. Mutual coupling, real antenna elements and channel models are included to examine the system performance. In a beamforming system, mutual coupling (MC) among the elements can significantly degrade the system performance. However, MC effects can be compensated if an accurate model of mutual coupling is available. A mutual coupling matrix model is utilized to compensate mutual coupling in the beamforming of a uniform circular array (UCA). Its performance is compared with other models in uplink and downlink beamforming scenarios. In addition, the predictions are compared with measurements and verified with results from full-wave simulations. In order to accurately investigate the minimum mean-square-error (MSE) of an adaptive array in MC, two different noise models, the environmental and the receiver noise, are modeled. The minimum MSEs with and without data domain MC compensation are analytically compared. The influence of mutual coupling on the convergence is also examined. In addition, the weight compensation method is proposed to attain the desired array pattern. Adaptive arrays with different geometries are implemented with the minimum MSE algorithm in the wireless communications system to combat interference at the same frequency. The bit-error-rate (BER) of systems with UCA, uniform rectangular array (URA) and UCA with center element are investigated in additive white Gaussian noise plus well-separated signals or random direction signals scenarios. The output SINR of an adaptive array with multiple interferers is analytically examined. The influence of the adaptive algorithm convergence on the BER is investigated. The UCA is then investigated in a narrowband Rician fading channel. The channel model is built and the space correlations are examined. The influence of the number of signal paths, number of the interferers, Doppler spread and convergence are investigated. The tracking mode is introduced to the adaptive array system, and it further improves the BER. The benefit of using faster data rate (wider bandwidth) is discussed. In order to have better performance in a 3D space, the geometries of uniform spherical array (USAs) are presented and different configurations of USAs are discussed. The LMS algorithm based on temporal a priori information is applied to UCAs and USAs to beamform the patterns. Their performances are compared based on simulation results. Based on the analytical and simulation results, it can be concluded that mutual coupling slightly influences the performance of the adaptive array in communication systems. In addition, arrays with curvilinear geometries perform well in AWGN and fading channels.

Problem decomposition by mutual information and force-based clustering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otero, Richard Edward

The scale of engineering problems has sharply increased over the last twenty years. Larger coupled systems, increasing complexity, and limited resources create a need for methods that automatically decompose problems into manageable sub-problems by discovering and leveraging problem structure. The ability to learn the coupling (inter-dependence) structure and reorganize the original problem could lead to large reductions in the time to analyze complex problems. Such decomposition methods could also provide engineering insight on the fundamental physics driving problem solution. This work forwards the current state of the art in engineering decomposition through the application of techniques originally developed within computer science and information theory. The work describes the current state of automatic problem decomposition in engineering and utilizes several promising ideas to advance the state of the practice. Mutual information is a novel metric for data dependence and works on both continuous and discrete data. Mutual information can measure both the linear and non-linear dependence between variables without the limitations of linear dependence measured through covariance. Mutual information is also able to handle data that does not have derivative information, unlike other metrics that require it. The value of mutual information to engineering design work is demonstrated on a planetary entry problem. This study utilizes a novel tool developed in this work for planetary entry system synthesis. A graphical method, force-based clustering, is used to discover related sub-graph structure as a function of problem structure and links ranked by their mutual information. This method does not require the stochastic use of neural networks and could be used with any link ranking method currently utilized in the field. Application of this method is demonstrated on a large, coupled low-thrust trajectory problem. Mutual information also serves as the basis for an alternative global optimizer, called MIMIC, which is unrelated to Genetic Algorithms. Advancement to the current practice demonstrates the use of MIMIC as a global method that explicitly models problem structure with mutual information, providing an alternate method for globally searching multi-modal domains. By leveraging discovered problem inter- dependencies, MIMIC may be appropriate for highly coupled problems or those with large function evaluation cost. This work introduces a useful addition to the MIMIC algorithm that enables its use on continuous input variables. By leveraging automatic decision tree generation methods from Machine Learning and a set of randomly generated test problems, decision trees for which method to apply are also created, quantifying decomposition performance over a large region of the design space.

Cryopreservation studies of an artificial co-culture between the cobalamin-requiring green alga Lobomonas rostrata and the bacterium Mesorhizobium loti.

PubMed

Ridley, Christian J A; Day, John G; Smith, Alison G

2018-01-01

Algal-bacterial co-cultures, rather than cultures of algae alone, are regarded as having the potential to enhance productivity and stability in industrial algal cultivation. As with other inocula in biotechnology, to avoid loss of production strains, it is important to develop preservation methods for the long-term storage of these cultures, and one of the most commonly used approaches is cryopreservation. However, whilst there are many reports of cryopreserved xenic algal cultures, little work has been reported on the intentional preservation of both algae and beneficial bacteria in xenic cultures. Instead, studies have focused on the development of methods to conserve the algal strain(s) present, or to avoid overgrowth of bacteria in xenic isolates during the post-thaw recovery phase. Here, we have established a co-cryopreservation method for the long-term storage of both partners in a unialgal-bacterial co-culture. This is an artificial model mutualism between the alga Lobomonas rostrata and the bacterium Mesorhizobium loti , which provides vitamin B 12 (cobalamin) to the alga in return for photosynthate. Using a Planer Kryo 360 controlled-rate cooler, post-thaw viability (PTV) values of 72% were obtained for the co-culture, compared to 91% for the axenic alga. The cultures were successfully revived after 6 months storage in liquid nitrogen, and continued to exhibit mutualism. Furthermore, the alga could be cryopreserved with non-symbiotic bacteria, without bacterial overgrowth occurring. It was also possible to use less controllable passive freezer chambers to cryopreserve the co-cultures, although the PTV was lower. Finally, we demonstrated that an optimised cryopreservation method may be used to prevent the overgrowth potential of non-symbiotic, adventitious bacteria in both axenic and co-cultures of L. rostrata after thawing.

Mutual relating: developing interpersonal relationships in the community.

PubMed

McCann, T V; Baker, H

2001-05-01

This paper, which is part of a larger study that examined how community mental health nurses promoted wellness with young adult who were experiencing an early episode of psychotic illness, aims to explicate how nurses develop interpersonal relationships with these consumers. Research into the development of interpersonal skills is important because they are an essential foundation to the promotion of wellness in psychotic illness. The study used Strauss and Corbin's approach to grounded theory methodology. Concurrent data collection and analysis was undertaken incorporating interviews and observations. The study took place in the community, in rural and regional New South Wales, Australia, and involved consumers, significant others, and community mental health nurses. The findings show that several strategies are associated with mutual relating. Attempting to understand necessitates nurses trying to see it from insiders' points of view, while acknowledging that they can never completely understand their illness experience. Being friendly indicates that the qualities of a friendly relationship should be implicit in a professional friendship. Tuning in involves taking account of and adjusting to consumers' ways of dressing, communicating, and the types of approaches that consumers prefer. Revealing oneself is a process that helps put both consumers and nurses at ease, and helps dispel the perception consumers take part in a one-sided relationship. Being there for them, is a particular type of obligation that entails nurses being accountable for the care they provide, being a spokesperson for consumers, if required, and avoiding collusion with others. Related to avoiding collusion, is the issue of maintaining confidentiality, particularly within the context of interacting with significant others. The results of the study have implications for the way nurses develop and maintain interpersonal relationships with consumers, and this is affected by nurses' personal and professional attributes.

What is quantum in quantum randomness?

PubMed

Grangier, P; Auffèves, A

2018-07-13

It is often said that quantum and classical randomness are of different nature, the former being ontological and the latter epistemological. However, so far the question of 'What is quantum in quantum randomness?', i.e. what is the impact of quantization and discreteness on the nature of randomness, remains to be answered. In a first part, we make explicit the differences between quantum and classical randomness within a recently proposed ontology for quantum mechanics based on contextual objectivity. In this view, quantum randomness is the result of contextuality and quantization. We show that this approach strongly impacts the purposes of quantum theory as well as its areas of application. In particular, it challenges current programmes inspired by classical reductionism, aiming at the emergence of the classical world from a large number of quantum systems. In a second part, we analyse quantum physics and thermodynamics as theories of randomness, unveiling their mutual influences. We finally consider new technological applications of quantum randomness that have opened up in the emerging field of quantum thermodynamics.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Foundations of quantum mechanics and their impact on contemporary society'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Persistence and extinction of an n-species mutualism model with random perturbations in a polluted environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Xin; Shan, Meijing; Liu, Meng

2018-02-01

An n-species stochastic Lotka-Volterra cooperative model in a polluted environment is proposed and studied. For each species, sufficient conditions for extinction, non-persistence in the mean and weak persistence in the mean are established. The threshold between weak persistence in the mean and extinction is obtained. Several numerical figures are also worked out to validate the theoretical results.

The effects of prey patchiness, predator aggregation, and mutual interference on the functional response of Phytoseiulus persimilis feeding on Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Phytoseiidae, Tetranychidae).

PubMed

Nachman, Gösta

2006-01-01

The spatial distributions of two-spotted spider mites Tetranychus urticae and their natural enemy, the phytoseiid predator Phytoseiulus persimilis, were studied on six full-grown cucumber plants. Both mite species were very patchily distributed and P. persimilis tended to aggregate on leaves with abundant prey. The effects of non-homogenous distributions and degree of spatial overlap between prey and predators on the per capita predation rate were studied by means of a stage-specific predation model that averages the predation rates over all the local populations inhabiting the individual leaves. The empirical predation rates were compared with predictions assuming random predator search and/or an even distribution of prey. The analysis clearly shows that the ability of the predators to search non-randomly increases their predation rate. On the other hand, the prey may gain if it adopts a more even distribution when its density is low and a more patchy distribution when density increases. Mutual interference between searching predators reduces the predation rate, but the effect is negligible. The stage-specific functional response model was compared with two simpler models without explicit stage structure. Both unstructured models yielded predictions that were quite similar to those of the stage-structured model.

Robustness of a network formed by n interdependent networks with a one-to-one correspondence of dependent nodes.

PubMed

Gao, Jianxi; Buldyrev, S V; Havlin, S; Stanley, H E

2012-06-01

Many real-world networks interact with and depend upon other networks. We develop an analytical framework for studying a network formed by n fully interdependent randomly connected networks, each composed of the same number of nodes N. The dependency links connecting nodes from different networks establish a unique one-to-one correspondence between the nodes of one network and the nodes of the other network. We study the dynamics of the cascades of failures in such a network of networks (NON) caused by a random initial attack on one of the networks, after which a fraction p of its nodes survives. We find for the fully interdependent loopless NON that the final state of the NON does not depend on the dynamics of the cascades but is determined by a uniquely defined mutual giant component of the NON, which generalizes both the giant component of regular percolation of a single network (n=1) and the recently studied case of the mutual giant component of two interdependent networks (n=2). We also find that the mutual giant component does not depend on the topology of the NON and express it in terms of generating functions of the degree distributions of the network. Our results show that, for any n≥2 there exists a critical p=p(c)>0 below which the mutual giant component abruptly collapses from a finite nonzero value for p≥p(c) to zero for p2, a RR NON is stable for any n with p(c)<1). This results arises from the critical role played by singly connected nodes which exist in an ER NON and enhance the cascading failures, but do not exist in a RR NON.

Interactional synchrony and the origins of infant-mother attachment: a replication study.

PubMed

Isabella, R A; Belsky, J

1991-04-01

This study sought to replicate previous work in testing the hypothesis that interactions of dyads developing secure attachment relationships would be characterized by disproportionately synchronous and those of dyads developing insecure relationships by disproportionately asynchronous exchanges. Additionally, a priori hypotheses were tested regarding expected differences in the interactional histories of dyads developing insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant attachments. Results supported the study's predictions in all cases. Dyads developing secure attachments were observed at 3 and 9 months to interact in a disproportionately well-timed, reciprocal, and mutually rewarding manner; dyads developing insecure relationships were disproportionately characterized by interactions in which mothers were minimally involved, unresponsive to infant signals, or intrusive. Within the insecure group, as predicted, 3- and 9-month interactions of avoidant dyads were characterized by maternal intrusiveness and overstimulation; resistant dyads were characterized at both ages by poorly coordinated interactions in which mothers were underinvolved and inconsistent. These findings are discussed as they lend to a growing body of evidence concerning associations between differential interactional histories and attachment quality.

System design of the Pioneer Venus spacecraft. Volume 12: International cooperation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, R. S.

1973-01-01

A spectrum of plans has been prepared to illustrate the range of practical sharing possibilities available so as to assist Ames Research Center (ARC) and European Space Research Organization (ESRO) in selection of a program meeting mutual goals. Five plans are described showing increased participation by ESRO WITH ascending plan number. Each of these has sharing properties fulfilling particular requirements such as available ESRO budget level, extent of ESRO program responsibility, matching particular ESRO capability, and cost saving to ARC through sharing. All plans apply to orbiter sharing only. A sharing plan based on the model Plan 4 may offer the most attractive division of Pioneer Venus between ARC and ESRO. This plan allows ESRO to bear primary responsibility for the orbiter and to avoid an extensive financial burden. Savings to ARC are commensurate with ARC loss of program control. Duplication of effort is avoided by using orbiter subsystems that are common to the probe bus and orbiter.

Innovative research of AD HOC network mobility model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xin

2017-08-01

It is difficult for researchers of AD HOC network to conduct actual deployment during experimental stage as the network topology is changeable and location of nodes is unfixed. Thus simulation still remains the main research method of the network. Mobility model is an important component of AD HOC network simulation. It is used to describe the movement pattern of nodes in AD HOC network (including location and velocity, etc.) and decides the movement trail of nodes, playing as the abstraction of the movement modes of nodes. Therefore, mobility model which simulates node movement is an important foundation for simulation research. In AD HOC network research, mobility model shall reflect the movement law of nodes as truly as possible. In this paper, node generally refers to the wireless equipment people carry. The main research contents include how nodes avoid obstacles during movement process and the impacts of obstacles on the mutual relation among nodes, based on which a Node Self Avoiding Obstacle, i.e. NASO model is established in AD HOC network.

An advanced temporal credential-based security scheme with mutual authentication and key agreement for wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Li, Chun-Ta; Weng, Chi-Yao; Lee, Cheng-Chi

2013-07-24

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can be quickly and randomly deployed in any harsh and unattended environment and only authorized users are allowed to access reliable sensor nodes in WSNs with the aid of gateways (GWNs). Secure authentication models among the users, the sensor nodes and GWN are important research issues for ensuring communication security and data privacy in WSNs. In 2013, Xue et al. proposed a temporal-credential-based mutual authentication and key agreement scheme for WSNs. However, in this paper, we point out that Xue et al.'s scheme cannot resist stolen-verifier, insider, off-line password guessing, smart card lost problem and many logged-in users' attacks and these security weaknesses make the scheme inapplicable to practical WSN applications. To tackle these problems, we suggest a simple countermeasure to prevent proposed attacks while the other merits of Xue et al.'s authentication scheme are left unchanged.

An Advanced Temporal Credential-Based Security Scheme with Mutual Authentication and Key Agreement for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Li, Chun-Ta; Weng, Chi-Yao; Lee, Cheng-Chi

2013-01-01

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can be quickly and randomly deployed in any harsh and unattended environment and only authorized users are allowed to access reliable sensor nodes in WSNs with the aid of gateways (GWNs). Secure authentication models among the users, the sensor nodes and GWN are important research issues for ensuring communication security and data privacy in WSNs. In 2013, Xue et al. proposed a temporal-credential-based mutual authentication and key agreement scheme for WSNs. However, in this paper, we point out that Xue et al.'s scheme cannot resist stolen-verifier, insider, off-line password guessing, smart card lost problem and many logged-in users' attacks and these security weaknesses make the scheme inapplicable to practical WSN applications. To tackle these problems, we suggest a simple countermeasure to prevent proposed attacks while the other merits of Xue et al.'s authentication scheme are left unchanged. PMID:23887085

Dependency links can hinder the evolution of cooperation in the prisoner's dilemma game on lattices and networks.

PubMed

Wang, Xuwen; Nie, Sen; Wang, Binghong

2015-01-01

Networks with dependency links are more vulnerable when facing the attacks. Recent research also has demonstrated that the interdependent groups support the spreading of cooperation. We study the prisoner's dilemma games on spatial networks with dependency links, in which a fraction of individual pairs is selected to depend on each other. The dependency individuals can gain an extra payoff whose value is between the payoff of mutual cooperation and the value of temptation to defect. Thus, this mechanism reflects that the dependency relation is stronger than the relation of ordinary mutual cooperation, but it is not large enough to cause the defection of the dependency pair. We show that the dependence of individuals hinders, promotes and never affects the cooperation on regular ring networks, square lattice, random and scale-free networks, respectively. The results for the square lattice and regular ring networks are demonstrated by the pair approximation.

Statistics of optimal information flow in ensembles of regulatory motifs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crisanti, Andrea; De Martino, Andrea; Fiorentino, Jonathan

2018-02-01

Genetic regulatory circuits universally cope with different sources of noise that limit their ability to coordinate input and output signals. In many cases, optimal regulatory performance can be thought to correspond to configurations of variables and parameters that maximize the mutual information between inputs and outputs. Since the mid-2000s, such optima have been well characterized in several biologically relevant cases. Here we use methods of statistical field theory to calculate the statistics of the maximal mutual information (the "capacity") achievable by tuning the input variable only in an ensemble of regulatory motifs, such that a single controller regulates N targets. Assuming (i) sufficiently large N , (ii) quenched random kinetic parameters, and (iii) small noise affecting the input-output channels, we can accurately reproduce numerical simulations both for the mean capacity and for the whole distribution. Our results provide insight into the inherent variability in effectiveness occurring in regulatory systems with heterogeneous kinetic parameters.

Stability diagram for the forced Kuramoto model.

PubMed

Childs, Lauren M; Strogatz, Steven H

2008-12-01

We analyze the periodically forced Kuramoto model. This system consists of an infinite population of phase oscillators with random intrinsic frequencies, global sinusoidal coupling, and external sinusoidal forcing. It represents an idealization of many phenomena in physics, chemistry, and biology in which mutual synchronization competes with forced synchronization. In other words, the oscillators in the population try to synchronize with one another while also trying to lock onto an external drive. Previous work on the forced Kuramoto model uncovered two main types of attractors, called forced entrainment and mutual entrainment, but the details of the bifurcations between them were unclear. Here we present a complete bifurcation analysis of the model for a special case in which the infinite-dimensional dynamics collapse to a two-dimensional system. Exact results are obtained for the locations of Hopf, saddle-node, and Takens-Bogdanov bifurcations. The resulting stability diagram bears a striking resemblance to that for the weakly nonlinear forced van der Pol oscillator.

Optimized Projection Matrix for Compressive Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jianping; Pi, Yiming; Cao, Zongjie

2010-12-01

Compressive sensing (CS) is mainly concerned with low-coherence pairs, since the number of samples needed to recover the signal is proportional to the mutual coherence between projection matrix and sparsifying matrix. Until now, papers on CS always assume the projection matrix to be a random matrix. In this paper, aiming at minimizing the mutual coherence, a method is proposed to optimize the projection matrix. This method is based on equiangular tight frame (ETF) design because an ETF has minimum coherence. It is impossible to solve the problem exactly because of the complexity. Therefore, an alternating minimization type method is used to find a feasible solution. The optimally designed projection matrix can further reduce the necessary number of samples for recovery or improve the recovery accuracy. The proposed method demonstrates better performance than conventional optimization methods, which brings benefits to both basis pursuit and orthogonal matching pursuit.

Toward a Behavior of Reciprocity.

PubMed

Gernsbacher, Morton Ann

It is frequently believed that autism is characterized by a lack of social or emotional reciprocity. In this article, I question that assumption by demonstrating how many professionals-researchers and clinicians-and likewise many parents, have neglected the true meaning of reciprocity. Reciprocity is "a relation of mutual dependence or action or influence," or "a mode of exchange in which transactions take place between individuals who are symmetrically placed." Assumptions by clinicians and researchers suggest that they have forgotten that reciprocity needs to be mutual and symmetrical-that reciprocity is a two-way street. Research is reviewed to illustrate that when professionals, peers, and parents are taught to act reciprocally, autistic children become more responsive. In one randomized clinical trial of "reciprocity training" to parents, their autistic children's language developed rapidly and their social engagement increased markedly. Other demonstrations of how parents and professionals can increase their behavior of reciprocity are provided.

Avoidance of Phycomyces in a controlled environment.

PubMed Central

Meyer, P W; Matus, I J; Berg, H C

1987-01-01

The sporangiophore of the fungus Phycomyces bends away from nearby objects without ever touching them. It has been thought that these objects act as aerodynamic obstacles that damp random winds, thereby generating asymmetric distributions of a growth-promoting gas emitted by the growth zone. In the interest of testing this hypothesis, we studied avoidance in an environmental chamber in which convection was suppressed by a shallow thermal gradient. We also controlled pressure, temperature, and relative humidity of the air, electrostatic charge, and ambient light. A protocol was established that yielded avoidance rates constant from sporangiophore to sporangiophore to within +/- 10%. We found that avoidance occurred at normal rates in the complete absence of random winds. The rates were smaller at 100% than at lower values of relative humidity, but not by much. Remarkably, at a distance as great as 0.5 mm, avoidance from a 30-micron diam glass fiber (aligned parallel to the sporangiophore) was about the same as that from a planar glass sheet. However, the rate for the fiber fell more rapidly with distance. The rate for the sheet remained nearly constant out to approximately 4 mm. We conclude that avoidance depends either on adsorption by the barrier of a growth-inhibiting substance or emission by the barrier of a growth-promoting substance; it cannot occur by passive reflection. Models that can explain these effects are analyzed in the Appendix. PMID:3567313

All about Eve: Secret Sharing using Quantum Effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, Deborah J.

2005-01-01

This document discusses the nature of light (including classical light and photons), encryption, quantum key distribution (QKD), light polarization and beamsplitters and their application to information communication. A quantum of light represents the smallest possible subdivision of radiant energy (light) and is called a photon. The QKD key generation sequence is outlined including the receiver broadcasting the initial signal indicating reception availability, timing pulses from the sender to provide reference for gated detection of photons, the sender generating photons through random polarization while the receiver detects photons with random polarization and communicating via data link to mutually establish random keys. The QKD network vision includes inter-SATCOM, point-to-point Gnd Fiber and SATCOM-fiber nodes. QKD offers an unconditionally secure method of exchanging encryption keys. Ongoing research will focus on how to increase the key generation rate.

A Pilot Intervention to Promote Safer Sex in Heterosexual Puerto Rican Couples

PubMed Central

Pérez-Jiménez, David; Seal, David Wyatt; Ronis, David L.

2014-01-01

Although the sexual transmission of HIV occurs in the context of an intimate relationship, preventive interventions with couples are scarce, particularly those designed for Hispanics. In this article, we present the effect of a pilot intervention directed to prevent HIV/AIDS in heterosexual couples in Puerto Rico. The intervention was theory-based and consisted of five three-hour group sessions. Primary goals included increasing male condom use and the practice of mutual masturbation as a safer sex method, and promoting favorable attitudes toward these behaviors. Twenty-six couples participated in this study. Fifteen were randomly assigned to the intervention group and eleven to a control group. Retention rates at post-intervention and follow-up were 82% for the whole sample. Results showed that there was a significant increase in the use of male condoms with main partners in the intervention group when compared with the control group. Couples in the intervention group also had better scores on secondary outcomes, such as attitudes toward condom use and mutual masturbation, HIV information, sexual decision-making, and social support. We found that these effects persisted over the three month follow up. A significant effect was also observed for the practice of mutual masturbation, but not for sexual negotiation. These results showed that promoting male condom use in dyadic interventions among heterosexual couples in Puerto Rico is feasible. Our findings suggest that because vaginal penetration has been constructed as the sexual script endpoint among many Hispanic couples, promoting other non-penetrative practices, such as mutual masturbation, may be difficult. PMID:25512880

A Pilot Intervention to Promote Safer Sex in Heterosexual Puerto Rican Couples.

PubMed

Pérez-Jiménez, David; Seal, David Wyatt; Ronis, David L

2014-09-01

Although the sexual transmission of HIV occurs in the context of an intimate relationship, preventive interventions with couples are scarce, particularly those designed for Hispanics. In this article, we present the effect of a pilot intervention directed to prevent HIV/AIDS in heterosexual couples in Puerto Rico. The intervention was theory-based and consisted of five three-hour group sessions. Primary goals included increasing male condom use and the practice of mutual masturbation as a safer sex method, and promoting favorable attitudes toward these behaviors. Twenty-six couples participated in this study. Fifteen were randomly assigned to the intervention group and eleven to a control group. Retention rates at post-intervention and follow-up were 82% for the whole sample. Results showed that there was a significant increase in the use of male condoms with main partners in the intervention group when compared with the control group. Couples in the intervention group also had better scores on secondary outcomes, such as attitudes toward condom use and mutual masturbation, HIV information, sexual decision-making, and social support. We found that these effects persisted over the three month follow up. A significant effect was also observed for the practice of mutual masturbation, but not for sexual negotiation. These results showed that promoting male condom use in dyadic interventions among heterosexual couples in Puerto Rico is feasible. Our findings suggest that because vaginal penetration has been constructed as the sexual script endpoint among many Hispanic couples, promoting other non-penetrative practices, such as mutual masturbation, may be difficult.

Learn to Avoid or Overcome Leadership Obstacles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Auria, John

2015-01-01

Leadership is increasingly recognized as an important factor in moving schools forward, yet we have been relatively random in how we prepare and support them. Four obstacles often block or diminish their effectiveness. Avoiding or overcoming each of these requires an underlying set of skills and knowledge that we believe can be learned and…

Past and Present of the Chinese and Korean Trainees and Survival of a Small Manufacturing Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishihata, Mikio

In 1973, the author established the Nippon Bell Parts Co., Ltd. in Funabashi-city under his estimation of the advances in communication, information, semiconductor and automotive industries, then he has focused on R&D and developed the manufacturing of precise parts. During the past 30 years, he has himself experienced the importance of the mutual exchange between Japan and China and Korea, for keeping the human capability as well as for the management and the technical development to avoid a bankruptcy. The author is intentionally acting for the education of craftsmen in small and medium-sized manufacturing industries.

Stress Management in Cyst-Forming Free-Living Protists: Programmed Cell Death and/or Encystment

PubMed Central

Khan, Naveed Ahmed; Iqbal, Junaid

2015-01-01

In the face of harsh conditions and given a choice, a cell may (i) undergo programmed cell death, (ii) transform into a cancer cell, or (iii) enclose itself into a cyst form. In metazoans, the available evidence suggests that cellular machinery exists only to execute or avoid programmed cell death, while the ability to form a cyst was either lost or never developed. For cyst-forming free-living protists, here we pose the question whether the ability to encyst was gained at the expense of the programmed cell death or both functions coexist to counter unfavorable environmental conditions with mutually exclusive phenotypes. PMID:25648302

Guilt: an interpersonal approach.

PubMed

Baumeister, R F; Stillwell, A M; Heatherton, T F

1994-03-01

Multiple sets of empirical research findings on guilt are reviewed to evaluate the view that guilt should be understood as an essentially social phenomenon that happens between people as much as it happens inside them. Guilt appears to arise from interpersonal transactions (including transgressions and positive inequities) and to vary significantly with the interpersonal context. In particular, guilt patterns appear to be strongest, most common, and most consistent in the context of communal relationships, which are characterized by expectations of mutual concern. Guilt serves various relationship-enhancing functions, including motivating people to treat partners well and avoid transgressions, minimizing inequities and enabling less powerful partners to get their way, and redistributing emotional distress.

Avoiding your greatest fear--malpractice.

PubMed

Coy, Kenneth; Stratton, Russell

2002-01-01

This article discusses ten clinically based behavioral approaches to minimizing the risk of a malpractice claim. Suggestions are stated in both a positive and negative way and ranked from least significant to most significant. Recommendations include the need to develop effective listening skills; learning to communicate with patients verbally and in writing; keeping patient expectations realistic; being thorough when examining and diagnosing; and knowing one's limitations. Also included is the need to inform patients concerning adverse events; keeping written records of what was said and done; discussing alternatives, risks, complications, and fees in advance; and developing a relationship with patients based on mutual respect and trust. Case examples are presented for each approach.

Innovation and industry-academia interactions: where conflicts arise and measures to avoid them.

PubMed

Vagelos, P Roy

2007-03-01

Every phase of the development of biopharmaceuticals and medical devices has the potential for conflict of interest, but adherence to established rules and practices throughout product development can eliminate the possibility of conflicts. Adherence to good practices should continue through the postmarketing period, with swift reporting and vigorous investigation of any safety concerns. Although some academic medical centers are restricting interactions between their faculty and industry to prevent possible conflicts in physician education about new products, industry and academia should look for new ways to come together in mutually agreed forums that focus on educating clinicians about new products in an efficient, transparent way.

Sliding of microtubules by a team of dynein motors: Understanding the effect of spatial distribution of motor tails and mutual exclusion of motor heads on microtubules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Hanumant Pratap; Takshak, Anjneya; Mall, Utkarsh; Kunwar, Ambarish

2016-06-01

Molecular motors are natural nanomachines that use the free energy released from ATP hydrolysis to generate mechanical forces. Cytoplasmic dynein motors often work collectively as a team to drive important processes such as axonal growth, proplatelet formation and mitosis, as forces generated by single motors are insufficient. A large team of dynein motors is used to slide cytoskeletal microtubules with respect to one another during the process of proplatelet formation and axonal growth. These motors attach to a cargo microtubule via their tail domains, undergo the process of detachment and reattachment of their head domains on another track microtubule, while sliding the cargo microtubule along the track. Traditional continuum/mean-field approaches used in the past are not ideal for studying the sliding mechanism of microtubules, as they ignore spatial and temporal fluctuations due to different possible distributions of motor tails on cargo filament, as well as binding/unbinding of motors from their track. Therefore, these models cannot be used to address important questions such as how the distribution of motor tails on microtubules, or how the mutual exclusion of motor heads on microtubule tracks affects the sliding velocity of cargo microtubule. To answer these, here we use a computational stochastic model where we model each dynein motor explicitly. In our model, we use both random as well as uniform distributions of dynein motors on cargo microtubule, as well as mutual exclusion of motors on microtubule tracks. We find that sliding velocities are least affected by the distribution of motor tails on microtubules, whereas they are greatly affected by mutual exclusion of motor heads on microtubule tracks. We also find that sliding velocity depends on the length of cargo microtubule if mutual exclusion among motor heads is considered.

Structural Insight Into the Role of Mutual Polymorphism and Conservatism in the Contact Zone of the NFR5-K1 Heterodimer With the Nod Factor.

PubMed

Igolkina, A A; Porozov, Yu B; Chizhevskaya, E P; Andronov, E E

2018-01-01

Sandwich-like docking configurations of the heterodimeric complex of NFR5 and K1 Vicia sativa receptor-like kinases together with the putative ligand, Nod factor (NF) of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae , were modeled and two of the most probable configurations were assessed through the analysis of the mutual polymorphisms and conservatism. We carried out this analysis based on the hypothesis that in a contact zone of two docked components (proteins or ligands) the population polymorphism or conservatism is mutual, i.e., the variation in one component has a reflected variation in the other component. The population material of 30 wild-growing V. sativa (leaf pieces) was collected from a large field (uncultivated for the past 25-years) and pooled; form this pool, 100 randomly selected cloned fragments of NFR5 gene and 100 of K1 gene were sequenced by the Sanger method. Congruence between population trees of NFR5 and K1 haplotypes allowed us to select two respective haplotypes, build their 3D structures, and perform protein-protein docking. In a separate simulation, the protein-ligand docking between NFR5 and NF was carried out. We merged the results of the two docking experiments and extracted NFR5-NF-K1 complexes, in which NF was located within the cavity between two receptors. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated two out of six complexes as stable. Regions of mutual polymorphism in the contact zone of one complex overlapped with known NF structural variations produced by R. leguminosarum bv. viciae . A total of 74% of the contact zone of another complex contained mutually polymorphic and conservative areas. Common traits of the obtained two stable structures allowed us to hypothesize the functional role of three-domain structure of plant LysM-RLKs in their heteromers.

A DRM based on renewable broadcast encryption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramkumar, Mahalingam; Memon, Nasir

2005-07-01

We propose an architecture for digital rights management based on a renewable, random key pre-distribution (KPD) scheme, HARPS (hashed random preloaded subsets). The proposed architecture caters for broadcast encryption by a trusted authority (TA) and by "parent" devices (devices used by vendors who manufacture compliant devices) for periodic revocation of devices. The KPD also facilitates broadcast encryption by peer devices, which permits peers to distribute content, and efficiently control access to the content encryption secret using subscription secrets. The underlying KPD also caters for broadcast authentication and mutual authentication of any two devices, irrespective of the vendors manufacturing the device, and thus provides a comprehensive solution for securing interactions between devices taking part in a DRM system.

A meta-analysis of an implicit measure of personality functioning: the Mutuality of Autonomy Scale.

PubMed

Graceffo, Robert A; Mihura, Joni L; Meyer, Gregory J

2014-01-01

The Mutuality of Autonomy scale (MA) is a Rorschach variable designed to capture the degree to which individuals mentally represent self and other as mutually autonomous versus pathologically destructive (Urist, 1977). Discussions of the MA's validity found in articles and chapters usually claim good support, which we evaluated by a systematic review and meta-analysis of its construct validity. Overall, in a random effects analysis across 24 samples (N = 1,801) and 91 effect sizes, the MA scale was found to maintain a relationship of r =.20, 95% CI [.16,.25], with relevant validity criteria. We hypothesized that MA summary scores that aggregate more MA response-level data would maintain the strongest relationship with relevant validity criteria. Results supported this hypothesis (aggregated scoring method: r =.24, k = 57, S = 24; nonaggregated scoring methods: r =.15, k = 34, S = 10; p =.039, 2-tailed). Across 7 exploratory moderator analyses, only 1 (criterion method) produced significant results. Criteria derived from the Thematic Apperception Test produced smaller effects than clinician ratings, diagnostic differentiation, and self-attributed characteristics; criteria derived from observer reports produced smaller effects than clinician ratings and self-attributed characteristics. Implications of the study's findings are discussed in terms of both research and clinical work.

Effects of a mutual recovery intervention on mental health in depressed elderly community-dwelling adults: a pilot study.

PubMed

Wang, Chao; Hua, Yujie; Fu, Hua; Cheng, Longfeng; Qian, Wen; Liu, Junyang; Crawford, Paul; Dai, Junming

2017-01-03

The prevalence of depression in the elderly is growing worldwide, and the population aging in China makes depression a major health problem for the elderly adults and a tremendous burden to the society. Effective interventions should be determined to provide an approach solving the problem and improving the situation. This study examined the effectiveness of a mutual recovery program intervention on depressive symptom, sleep quality, and well-being in community-dwelling elderly adults with depressive symptom in Shanghai. Recruitment was performed between July 2012 and August 2012. Using a cluster randomized wait-list controlled design, we randomized 6 communities (n = 237) into either the intervention group (3 communities, n = 105) or to a wait-list control group (3 communities, n = 132). All participants met the inclusion criteria for depression, which were defined by The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). From March to May of 2013, participants in the intervention group underwent a 2-month mutual recovery program intervention. The intervention included seven 90-min, weekly sessions that were based on a standardized self-designed schedule. Depression was used as primary outcome at three measurement moments: baseline (T1), before intervention at 24 weeks (T2), and immediately after intervention at 32 weeks (T3). Well-being and sleep quality were used as the secondary outcomes, and were evaluated based on the WHO-5 Well-being Index (WHO-5) and the Self-administered Sleep Questionnaire (SSQ). Finally, a total of 225 participants who completed all the sessions and the three measurements entered the final analysis. Mixed-model repeated measures ANOVAs were performed to estimate the intervention effects. There was no significant difference in gender, marriage, age structure, post-work type, and education background between the intervention and control group at baseline. Multivariate ANOVAs showed that there was no significant difference within the groups in terms of sleep, well-being, and depression at baseline and before the intervention. Mixed-model repeated measures ANOVAs detected a group × time interaction on depression, sleep, and well-being and showed a favorable intervention effect within groups immediately after the intervention. The mutual recovery program could be a creative and effective approach to improve mental health in older community-dwelling adults with depressive symptom.

Intervention Effects on Foster Preschoolers’ Attachment-Related Behaviors From a Randomized Trial

PubMed Central

Fisher, Philip A.; Kim, Hyoun K.

2008-01-01

This study examines change in attachment-related behaviors among foster preschoolers participating in a randomized trial of the Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care Program for Preschoolers (MTFC-P). Measures of secure, resistant, and avoidant behaviors were collected using a caregiver-report diary at 3-month intervals during the 12 months following a new foster placement. Children randomly assigned to the MTFC-P intervention condition (n = 57) showed significant increases in secure behavior and significant decreases in avoidant behavior relative to children assigned to a regular foster care condition (n = 60). Both groups showed significant decreases in resistant behavior over time. Analyses also revealed a significant interaction between treatment condition and age at first foster placement on change in secure behavior. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of early intervention and prevention services for foster preschoolers. PMID:17340186

Influence of conspecific and heterospecific aggregation cues and alarm odors on shelter choice by syntopic spiny lobsters.

PubMed

Briones-Fourzán, Patricia; Ramírez-Zaldívar, Eunice; Lozano-Alvarez, Enrique

2008-10-01

In spiny lobsters, conspecific scents ("aggregation cues") may mediate gregarious diurnal sheltering, but scents from injured conspecifics ("alarm odors") may elicit avoidance behavior. In laboratory experiments, individuals of two coexisting species, Panulirus guttatus (a reef-obligate) and P. argus (a temporary reef-dweller), significantly chose shelters emanating conspecific aggregation cues and responded randomly to shelters emanating heterospecific aggregation cues. However, despite evidence that the two species perceived each other's alarm odors to a similar extent, P. guttatus responded randomly to shelters emanating either conspecific or heterospecific alarm odors, whereas P. argus significantly avoided both. This differential influence of alarm odors likely reflects interspecific differences in life history, sociality, and behavior. The less social, reef-obligate P. guttatus lobsters forage close to their reef dens, into which they retract deeply upon perception of risk. This cryptic behavior may offset the need to avoid conspecific (and heterospecific) alarm odors. In contrast, avoidance of conspecific alarm odors by P. argus is consistent with its ontogenetic habitat shifts and greater sociality. Furthermore, because reef-dwelling P. argus lobsters forage across open areas away from the reef, an ability to avoid alarm odors from P. guttatus upon returning to their reef dens may increase their fitness.

An elevated plus-maze in mixed reality for studying human anxiety-related behavior.

PubMed

Biedermann, Sarah V; Biedermann, Daniel G; Wenzlaff, Frederike; Kurjak, Tim; Nouri, Sawis; Auer, Matthias K; Wiedemann, Klaus; Briken, Peer; Haaker, Jan; Lonsdorf, Tina B; Fuss, Johannes

2017-12-21

A dearth of laboratory tests to study actual human approach-avoidance behavior has complicated translational research on anxiety. The elevated plus-maze (EPM) is the gold standard to assess approach-avoidance behavior in rodents. Here, we translated the EPM to humans using mixed reality through a combination of virtual and real-world elements. In two validation studies, we observed participants' anxiety on a behavioral, physiological, and subjective level. Participants reported higher anxiety on open arms, avoided open arms, and showed an activation of endogenous stress systems. Participants' with high anxiety exhibited higher avoidance. Moreover, open arm avoidance was moderately predicted by participants' acrophobia and sensation seeking, with opposing influences. In a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled experiment, GABAergic stimulation decreased avoidance of open arms while alpha-2-adrenergic antagonism increased avoidance. These findings demonstrate cross-species validity of open arm avoidance as a translational measure of anxiety. We thus introduce the first ecologically valid assay to track actual human approach-avoidance behavior under laboratory conditions.

[Dimensions of work ethic as predictors of strategies to cope with stress].

PubMed

Grabowski, Damian; Pollak, Anita; Czerw, Agnieszka

2017-10-17

The article presents the mutual relations between the components of work ethic and the strategies of coping with stress used by employees of different branches. Work ethic was presented as a syndrome of the following attitudes: perceiving work as a moral value, treating work as a central value in life, and the belief in the importance of hard work that leads to success. This ethic also consists of the following components: unwillingness to waste time, disapproval of spare time (anti-leisure), willingness to delay gratification, willingness to act honestly at work (morality/ethic), and being independent (self-reliance). Coping strategies were presented as 3 dimensions (obtained by application of factor analysis of the questionnaire scales COPE (Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced)): proactive cognitive operations, avoidance of action and seeking support. The study conducted on 360 employees of different branches shows that the dimensions of the work ethic are moderately related to strategies emphasizing proactive cognitive operations and poorly related to seeking support and avoidance of action. At the same time, the relations between work ethic and avoidance of action are negative (higher work ethic is linked with lower tendency to avoid action). Predictors of proactive cognitive operations are unwillingness to waste time, treating work as a central value in life, willingness to act honestly at work (morality/ethic) and being independent (self-reliance). Med Pr 2017;68(6):711-724. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Light-dependent intracellular positioning of mitochondria in Arabidopsis thaliana mesophyll cells.

PubMed

Islam, Md Sayeedul; Niwa, Yasuo; Takagi, Shingo

2009-06-01

Mitochondria, the power house of the cell, are one of the most dynamic cell organelles. Although there are several reports on actin- or microtubule-dependent movement of mitochondria in plant cells, intracellular positioning and motility of mitochondria under different light conditions remain open questions. Mitochondria were visualized in living Arabidopsis thaliana leaf cells using green fluorescent protein fused to a mitochondrion-targeting signal. In darkness, mitochondria were distributed randomly in palisade cells. In contrast, mitochondria accumulated along the periclinal walls, similar to the accumulation response of chloroplasts, when treated with weak blue light (470 nm, 4 micromol m(-2) s(-1)). Under strong blue light (100 micromol m(-2) s(-1)), mitochondria occupied the anticlinal positions similar to the avoidance response of chloroplasts and nuclei. While strong red light (660 nm, 100 micromol m(-2) s(-1)) induced the accumulation of mitochondria along the inner periclinal walls, green light exhibited little effect on the distribution of mitochondria. In addition, the mode of movement of individual mitochondria along the outer periclinal walls under different light conditions was precisely analyzed by time-lapse fluorescence microscopy. A gradual increase in the number of static mitochondria located in the vicinity of chloroplasts with a time period of blue light illumination clearly demonstrated the accumulation response of mitochondria. Light-induced co-localization of mitochondria with chloroplasts strongly suggested their mutual metabolic interactions. This is the first characterization of the light-dependent redistribution of mitochondria in plant cells.

Anthropic Reasoning about Fine-Tuning, and Neoclassical Cosmology: Providence, Omnipresence, and Observation Selection Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Theodore, Jr.

2011-10-01

Anthropic reasoning about observation selection effects upon the appearance of cosmic providential fine-tuning (fine-tuning that provides for life) is often motivated by a desire to avoid theological implications (implications favoring the idea of a divine cosmic provider) without appealing to sheer lucky-for-us-cosmic-jackpot happenstance and coincidence. Cosmic coincidence can be rendered less incredible by appealing to a multiverse context. Cosmic providence can be rendered non-theological by appealing to an agent-less providential purpose, or by appealing to less-than-omnipresent/local providers, such as alien intelligences creating life- providing baby universes. Instead of choosing either cosmic coincidence or cosmic providence, as though they were mutually exclusive; it is better to accept both. Neoclassical thought accepts coincidence and providence, plus many local providers and one omnipresent provider. Moreover, fundamental observation selection theory should distinguish the many local observers of some events from the one omnipresent observer of all events. Accepting both coincidence and providence avoids classical theology (providence without coincidence) and classical atheism (coincidence without providence), but not neoclassical theology (providence with coincidence). Cosmology cannot avoid the idea of an all-inclusive omnipresent providential dice-throwing living-creative whole of reality, an idea essential to neoclassical theology, and to neoclassical cosmology.

The Evolution of Covert Signaling.

PubMed

Smaldino, Paul E; Flamson, Thomas J; McElreath, Richard

2018-03-20

Human sociality depends upon the benefits of mutual aid and extensive communication. However, diverse norms and preferences complicate mutual aid, and ambiguity in meaning hinders communication. Here we demonstrate that these two problems can work together to enhance cooperation through the strategic use of deliberately ambiguous signals: covert signaling. Covert signaling is the transmission of information that is accurately received by its intended audience but obscured when perceived by others. Such signals may allow coordination and enhanced cooperation while also avoiding the alienation or hostile reactions of individuals with different preferences. Although the empirical literature has identified potential mechanisms of covert signaling, such as encryption in humor, there is to date no formal theory of its dynamics. We introduce a novel mathematical model to assess when a covert signaling strategy will evolve, as well as how receiver attitudes coevolve with covert signals. Covert signaling plausibly serves an important function in facilitating within-group cooperative assortment by allowing individuals to pair up with similar group members when possible and to get along with dissimilar ones when necessary. This mechanism has broad implications for theories of signaling and cooperation, humor, social identity, political psychology, and the evolution of human cultural complexity.

EPA guidance on building trust in mental health services.

PubMed

Gaebel, W; Muijen, M; Baumann, A E; Bhugra, D; Wasserman, D; van der Gaag, R J; Heun, R; Zielasek, J

2014-02-01

To advance mental health care use by developing recommendations to increase trust from the general public and patients, those who have been in contact with services, those who have never been in contact and those who care for their families in the mental health care system. We performed a systematic literature search and the retrieved documents were evaluated by two independent reviewers. Evidence tables were generated and recommendations were developed in an expert and stakeholder consensus process. We developed five recommendations which may increase trust in mental health care services and advance mental health care service utilization. Trust is a mutual, complex, multidimensional and dynamic interrelationship of a multitude of factors. Its components may vary between individuals and over time. They may include, among others, age, place of residence, ethnicity, culture, experiences as a service user, and type of disorder. For mental health care services, issues of knowledge about mental health services, confidentiality, continuity of treatment, dignity, safety and avoidance of stigma and coercion are central elements to increase trust. Evidence-based recommendations to increase mutual trust of service users and psychiatrists have been developed and may help to increase mental health care service utilization. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A new mutually reinforcing network node and link ranking algorithm

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhenghua; Dueñas-Osorio, Leonardo; Padgett, Jamie E.

2015-01-01

This study proposes a novel Normalized Wide network Ranking algorithm (NWRank) that has the advantage of ranking nodes and links of a network simultaneously. This algorithm combines the mutual reinforcement feature of Hypertext Induced Topic Selection (HITS) and the weight normalization feature of PageRank. Relative weights are assigned to links based on the degree of the adjacent neighbors and the Betweenness Centrality instead of assigning the same weight to every link as assumed in PageRank. Numerical experiment results show that NWRank performs consistently better than HITS, PageRank, eigenvector centrality, and edge betweenness from the perspective of network connectivity and approximate network flow, which is also supported by comparisons with the expensive N-1 benchmark removal criteria based on network efficiency. Furthermore, it can avoid some problems, such as the Tightly Knit Community effect, which exists in HITS. NWRank provides a new inexpensive way to rank nodes and links of a network, which has practical applications, particularly to prioritize resource allocation for upgrade of hierarchical and distributed networks, as well as to support decision making in the design of networks, where node and link importance depend on a balance of local and global integrity. PMID:26492958

Physical activity within a CBT intervention improves coping with pain in traumatized refugees: results of a randomized controlled design.

PubMed

Liedl, Alexandra; Müller, Julia; Morina, Naser; Karl, Anke; Denke, Claudia; Knaevelsrud, Christine

2011-02-01

Many traumatized refugees experience both posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. Based on Mutual Maintenance Theory and the Perpetual Avoidance Model, this study examined the additional effect of physical activity within a biofeedback-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-BF) for traumatized refugees. In a controlled design, 36 patients were randomized into one of three conditions (CBT-BF, CBT-BF with physical activity [CBT-BF+active], and a waiting list control group [WL]). Thirty patients (n=10 in each group) completed the treatment and a follow-up assessment 3 months later. Participants' coping strategies, pain and mental health status, and physiological reactivity were assessed before and after the intervention and at 3-month follow-up. Treatment effects were analyzed using analyses of variance with baseline scores as covariates (ANCOVAs) and the Reliable Change Index. The CBT-BF and CBT-BF+active groups showed improvements in all outcome measures relative to the WL group. The effect sizes for the main outcome measures were higher in the CBT-BF+active group than in the CBT-BF group. Repeated measures analyses of covariance showed significant group effects for coping strategies--in particular, for the "cognitive restructuring" and "counter-activities" subscales as well as a marginally significant group effect for "perceived self-competence"--with the CBT-BF+active group showing more favorable outcomes than the CBT-BF group. Moreover, 60% of participants in the CBT-BF+active group showed clinically reliable intraindividual change in at least one subscale of the pain coping strategies questionnaire, compared with just 30% of participants in the CBT-BF group. Findings of improved coping strategies, larger effect sizes, and higher rates of clinical improvement in the CBT-BF+active group suggest that physical activity adds value to pain management interventions for traumatized refugees. Given the small sample size, however, these preliminary results need replication in a larger trial. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Aged Residential Care Healthcare Utilization Study (ARCHUS): a multidisciplinary, cluster randomized controlled trial designed to reduce acute avoidable hospitalizations from long-term care facilities.

PubMed

Connolly, Martin J; Boyd, Michal; Broad, Joanna B; Kerse, Ngaire; Lumley, Thomas; Whitehead, Noeline; Foster, Susan

2015-01-01

To assess effect of a complex, multidisciplinary intervention aimed at reducing avoidable acute hospitalization of residents of residential aged care (RAC) facilities. Cluster randomized controlled trial. RAC facilities with higher than expected hospitalizations in Auckland, New Zealand, were recruited and randomized to intervention or control. A total of 1998 residents of 18 intervention facilities and 18 control facilities. A facility-based complex intervention of 9 months' duration. The intervention comprised gerontology nurse specialist (GNS)-led staff education, facility bench-marking, GNS resident review, and multidisciplinary (geriatrician, primary-care physician, pharmacist, GNS, and facility nurse) discussion of residents selected using standard criteria. Primary end point was avoidable hospitalizations. Secondary end points were all acute admissions, mortality, and acute bed-days. Follow-up was for a total of 14 months. The intervention did not affect main study end points: number of acute avoidable hospital admissions (RR 1.07; 95% CI 0.85-1.36; P = .59) or mortality (RR 1.11; 95% CI 0.76-1.61; P = .62). This multidisciplinary intervention, packaging selected case review, and staff education had no overall impact on acute hospital admissions or mortality. This may have considerable implications for resourcing in the acute and RAC sectors in the face of population aging. Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12611000187943). Copyright © 2015 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of music therapy on drug avoidance self-efficacy in patients on a detoxification unit: a three-group randomized effectiveness study.

PubMed

Silverman, Michael J

2014-01-01

Self-efficacy is a component of Bandura's social cognitive theory and can lead to abstinence and a reduction of relapse potential for people who have substance abuse disorders. To date, no music therapy researcher has utilized this theoretical model to address abstinence and reduce the likelihood of relapse in people who have addictions. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of music therapy on drug avoidance self-efficacy in a randomized three-group wait-list control design with patients on a detoxification unit. Participants (N = 131) were cluster randomized to one of three single-session conditions: music therapy, verbal therapy, or wait-list control. Music therapy participants received a group lyric analysis intervention, verbal therapy participants received a group talk therapy session, and wait-list control participants eventually received a group recreational music therapy intervention. Although there was no significant between-group difference in drug avoidance self-efficacy, participants in the music therapy condition tended to have the highest mean drug avoidance self-efficacy scores. Posttest written comments supported the use of both music therapy and verbal therapy sessions. Two music therapy participants specifically noted that their initial skepticism had dissipated after receiving music therapy. Despite a lack of significant differences, the theoretical support of self-efficacy for substance abuse rehabilitation suggests that this may be an area of continued clinical focus and empirical investigation. Clinical anecdotes, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Testing Maternal Depression and Attachment Style as Moderators of Early Head Start's Effects on Parenting

PubMed Central

Berlin, Lisa J.; Whiteside-Mansell, Leanne; Roggman, Lori A.; Green, Beth L.; Robinson, JoAnn; Spieker, Susan

2010-01-01

This study examined maternal depression, attachment avoidance, and attachment anxiety as moderators of Early Head Start's effects on four parenting outcomes assessed at age 3. Participants (N = 947) were drawn from six sites of the Early Head Start National Research and Evaluation Project, a multi-site randomized trial. Findings suggest more positive program effects for mothers with less initial attachment avoidance or attachment anxiety. First, baseline attachment avoidance moderated EHS program effects on observed maternal supportiveness, such that program mothers with lower baseline attachment avoidance were rated as more supportive of their 3-year-olds than program mothers with higher baseline attachment avoidance. Second, program effects on spanking varied depending on mothers’ baseline attachment anxiety. PMID:21240694

Testing maternal depression and attachment style as moderators of Early Head Start's effects on parenting.

PubMed

Berlin, Lisa J; Whiteside-Mansell, Leanne; Roggman, Lori A; Green, Beth L; Robinson, JoAnn; Spieker, Susan

2011-01-01

This study examined maternal depression, attachment avoidance, and attachment anxiety as moderators of Early Head Start's effects on four parenting outcomes assessed at age three. Participants (N = 947) were drawn from six sites of the Early Head Start National Research and Evaluation Project, a multi-site randomized trial. Findings suggest more positive program effects for mothers with less initial attachment avoidance or attachment anxiety. First, baseline attachment avoidance moderated Early Head Start program effects on observed maternal supportiveness, such that program mothers with lower baseline attachment avoidance were rated as more supportive of their three-year-olds than program mothers with higher baseline attachment avoidance. Second, program effects on spanking varied depending on mothers' baseline attachment anxiety.

Random early detection for congestion avoidance in wired networks: a discretized pursuit learning-automata-like solution.

PubMed

Misra, Sudip; Oommen, B John; Yanamandra, Sreekeerthy; Obaidat, Mohammad S

2010-02-01

In this paper, we present a learning-automata-like The reason why the mechanism is not a pure LA, but rather why it yet mimics one, will be clarified in the body of this paper. (LAL) mechanism for congestion avoidance in wired networks. Our algorithm, named as LAL Random Early Detection (LALRED), is founded on the principles of the operations of existing RED congestion-avoidance mechanisms, augmented with a LAL philosophy. The primary objective of LALRED is to optimize the value of the average size of the queue used for congestion avoidance and to consequently reduce the total loss of packets at the queue. We attempt to achieve this by stationing a LAL algorithm at the gateways and by discretizing the probabilities of the corresponding actions of the congestion-avoidance algorithm. At every time instant, the LAL scheme, in turn, chooses the action that possesses the maximal ratio between the number of times the chosen action is rewarded and the number of times that it has been chosen. In LALRED, we simultaneously increase the likelihood of the scheme converging to the action, which minimizes the number of packet drops at the gateway. Our approach helps to improve the performance of congestion avoidance by adaptively minimizing the queue-loss rate and the average queue size. Simulation results obtained using NS2 establish the improved performance of LALRED over the traditional RED methods which were chosen as the benchmarks for performance comparison purposes.

Group Matching: Is This a Research Technique to Be Avoided?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Donald C.; Klein, Donald F.

1988-01-01

The variance of the sample difference and the power of the "F" test for mean differences were studied under group matching on covariates and also under random assignment. Results shed light on systematic assignment procedures advocated to provide more precise estimates of treatment effects than simple random assignment. (TJH)

Generalized self-adjustment method for statistical mechanics of composite materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan'kov, A. A.

1997-03-01

A new method is developed for the statistical mechanics of composite materials — the generalized selfadjustment method — which makes it possible to reduce the problem of predicting effective elastic properties of composites with random structures to the solution of two simpler "averaged" problems of an inclusion with transitional layers in a medium with the desired effective elastic properties. The inhomogeneous elastic properties and dimensions of the transitional layers take into account both the "approximate" order of mutual positioning, and also the variation in the dimensions and elastics properties of inclusions through appropriate special averaged indicator functions of the random structure of the composite. A numerical calculation of averaged indicator functions and effective elastic characteristics is performed by the generalized self-adjustment method for a unidirectional fiberglass on the basis of various models of actual random structures in the plane of isotropy.

Isolation and Connectivity in Random Geometric Graphs with Self-similar Intensity Measures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dettmann, Carl P.

2018-05-01

Random geometric graphs consist of randomly distributed nodes (points), with pairs of nodes within a given mutual distance linked. In the usual model the distribution of nodes is uniform on a square, and in the limit of infinitely many nodes and shrinking linking range, the number of isolated nodes is Poisson distributed, and the probability of no isolated nodes is equal to the probability the whole graph is connected. Here we examine these properties for several self-similar node distributions, including smooth and fractal, uniform and nonuniform, and finitely ramified or otherwise. We show that nonuniformity can break the Poisson distribution property, but it strengthens the link between isolation and connectivity. It also stretches out the connectivity transition. Finite ramification is another mechanism for lack of connectivity. The same considerations apply to fractal distributions as smooth, with some technical differences in evaluation of the integrals and analytical arguments.

Synchronization of random bit generators based on coupled chaotic lasers and application to cryptography.

PubMed

Kanter, Ido; Butkovski, Maria; Peleg, Yitzhak; Zigzag, Meital; Aviad, Yaara; Reidler, Igor; Rosenbluh, Michael; Kinzel, Wolfgang

2010-08-16

Random bit generators (RBGs) constitute an important tool in cryptography, stochastic simulations and secure communications. The later in particular has some difficult requirements: high generation rate of unpredictable bit strings and secure key-exchange protocols over public channels. Deterministic algorithms generate pseudo-random number sequences at high rates, however, their unpredictability is limited by the very nature of their deterministic origin. Recently, physical RBGs based on chaotic semiconductor lasers were shown to exceed Gbit/s rates. Whether secure synchronization of two high rate physical RBGs is possible remains an open question. Here we propose a method, whereby two fast RBGs based on mutually coupled chaotic lasers, are synchronized. Using information theoretic analysis we demonstrate security against a powerful computational eavesdropper, capable of noiseless amplification, where all parameters are publicly known. The method is also extended to secure synchronization of a small network of three RBGs.

Entropy of spatial network ensembles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coon, Justin P.; Dettmann, Carl P.; Georgiou, Orestis

2018-04-01

We analyze complexity in spatial network ensembles through the lens of graph entropy. Mathematically, we model a spatial network as a soft random geometric graph, i.e., a graph with two sources of randomness, namely nodes located randomly in space and links formed independently between pairs of nodes with probability given by a specified function (the "pair connection function") of their mutual distance. We consider the general case where randomness arises in node positions as well as pairwise connections (i.e., for a given pair distance, the corresponding edge state is a random variable). Classical random geometric graph and exponential graph models can be recovered in certain limits. We derive a simple bound for the entropy of a spatial network ensemble and calculate the conditional entropy of an ensemble given the node location distribution for hard and soft (probabilistic) pair connection functions. Under this formalism, we derive the connection function that yields maximum entropy under general constraints. Finally, we apply our analytical framework to study two practical examples: ad hoc wireless networks and the US flight network. Through the study of these examples, we illustrate that both exhibit properties that are indicative of nearly maximally entropic ensembles.

Superslow relaxation in identical phase oscillators with random and frustrated interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daido, H.

2018-04-01

This paper is concerned with the relaxation dynamics of a large population of identical phase oscillators, each of which interacts with all the others through random couplings whose parameters obey the same Gaussian distribution with the average equal to zero and are mutually independent. The results obtained by numerical simulation suggest that for the infinite-size system, the absolute value of Kuramoto's order parameter exhibits superslow relaxation, i.e., 1/ln t as time t increases. Moreover, the statistics on both the transient time T for the system to reach a fixed point and the absolute value of Kuramoto's order parameter at t = T are also presented together with their distribution densities over many realizations of the coupling parameters.

Gaze perception in social anxiety and social anxiety disorder

PubMed Central

Schulze, Lars; Renneberg, Babette; Lobmaier, Janek S.

2013-01-01

Clinical observations suggest abnormal gaze perception to be an important indicator of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Experimental research has yet paid relatively little attention to the study of gaze perception in SAD. In this article we first discuss gaze perception in healthy human beings before reviewing self-referential and threat-related biases of gaze perception in clinical and non-clinical socially anxious samples. Relative to controls, socially anxious individuals exhibit an enhanced self-directed perception of gaze directions and demonstrate a pronounced fear of direct eye contact, though findings are less consistent regarding the avoidance of mutual gaze in SAD. Prospects for future research and clinical implications are discussed. PMID:24379776

Borderline Personality Disorder and the Effects of Instructed Emotional Avoidance or Acceptance in Daily Life.

PubMed

Chapman, Alexander L; Rosenthal, M Zachary; Dixon-Gordon, Katherine L; Turner, Brianna J; Kuppens, Peter

2017-08-01

This study examined the effects of avoidance- versus acceptance-oriented emotion regulation instructions among individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD; n = 48), major depressive disorder (MDD; n = 54), and non-psychiatric controls (NPC; n = 50) using ecological momentary assessment. Participants were randomly assigned to either accept or avoid negative emotions, and monitored their moods, urges, and distress tolerance several times per day over 6 days. Avoidance instructions resulted in reduced negative affect and urges for maladaptive behaviors uniquely among BPD participants. Together with past research, and consistent with treatment approaches emphasizing the short-term use of skills to avoid or distract from emotions (e.g., DBT; Linehan, 1993b, 2015), these findings suggest that avoidance of negative emotions may have temporary benefits for individuals with BPD. Acceptance-oriented strategies may take longer or may require more extensive training to be beneficial for emotional functioning in everyday life in BPD.

Assessment of predation risk through conspecific alarm odors by spiny lobsters

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Strong “alarm odors” emanating from lethally injured conspecifics may indicate an imminent risk of predation to spiny lobsters. In laboratory trials,1 strong conspecific alarm odors elicited avoidance in Panulirus argus, a highly gregarious species that displays collective defense behavior, but not in Panulirus guttatus, a species that tends to aggregate when reproductive activity is high (spring) but not when it is low (late summer) and does not display collective defensive behavior. To reduce predation risk, however, lobsters may autotomize limbs, thus sustaining nonlethal injuries. I tested the response of these lobsters to scents emanating from intact, lethally-injured and non-lethally injured conspecifics. In P. argus, these scents elicited, respectively, attraction, avoidance and a random response, suggesting that, in P. argus, avoidance of conspecific alarm odors depends on their strength. In contrast, P. guttatus lobsters responded at random to scents of lethally injured conspecifics and showed a similar response to scents of intact and non-lethally injured conspecifics in the spring (attraction) and in the summer (random), reflecting the more cryptic defensive behavior of this species. Therefore, both species use conspecific alarm odors for risk-assessment, but each responds to these cues in the most effective way to reduce its risk of predation. PMID:19721871

Assessment of predation risk through conspecific alarm odors by spiny lobsters: How much is too much?

PubMed

Briones-Fourzán, Patricia

2009-07-01

Strong "alarm odors" emanating from lethally injured conspecifics may indicate an imminent risk of predation to spiny lobsters. In laboratory trials,1 strong conspecific alarm odors elicited avoidance in Panulirus argus, a highly gregarious species that displays collective defense behavior, but not in Panulirus guttatus, a species that tends to aggregate when reproductive activity is high (spring) but not when it is low (late summer) and does not display collective defensive behavior. To reduce predation risk, however, lobsters may autotomize limbs, thus sustaining nonlethal injuries. I tested the response of these lobsters to scents emanating from intact, lethally-injured and non-lethally injured conspecifics. In P. argus, these scents elicited, respectively, attraction, avoidance and a random response, suggesting that, in P. argus, avoidance of conspecific alarm odors depends on their strength. In contrast, P. guttatus lobsters responded at random to scents of lethally injured conspecifics and showed a similar response to scents of intact and non-lethally injured conspecifics in the spring (attraction) and in the summer (random), reflecting the more cryptic defensive behavior of this species. Therefore, both species use conspecific alarm odors for risk-assessment, but each responds to these cues in the most effective way to reduce its risk of predation.

Known plaintext attack on double random phase encoding using fingerprint as key and a method for avoiding the attack.

PubMed

Tashima, Hideaki; Takeda, Masafumi; Suzuki, Hiroyuki; Obi, Takashi; Yamaguchi, Masahiro; Ohyama, Nagaaki

2010-06-21

We have shown that the application of double random phase encoding (DRPE) to biometrics enables the use of biometrics as cipher keys for binary data encryption. However, DRPE is reported to be vulnerable to known-plaintext attacks (KPAs) using a phase recovery algorithm. In this study, we investigated the vulnerability of DRPE using fingerprints as cipher keys to the KPAs. By means of computational experiments, we estimated the encryption key and restored the fingerprint image using the estimated key. Further, we propose a method for avoiding the KPA on the DRPE that employs the phase retrieval algorithm. The proposed method makes the amplitude component of the encrypted image constant in order to prevent the amplitude component of the encrypted image from being used as a clue for phase retrieval. Computational experiments showed that the proposed method not only avoids revealing the cipher key and the fingerprint but also serves as a sufficiently accurate verification system.

Registration of PET and CT images based on multiresolution gradient of mutual information demons algorithm for positioning esophageal cancer patients.

PubMed

Jin, Shuo; Li, Dengwang; Wang, Hongjun; Yin, Yong

2013-01-07

Accurate registration of 18F-FDG PET (positron emission tomography) and CT (computed tomography) images has important clinical significance in radiation oncology. PET and CT images are acquired from (18)F-FDG PET/CT scanner, but the two acquisition processes are separate and take a long time. As a result, there are position errors in global and deformable errors in local caused by respiratory movement or organ peristalsis. The purpose of this work was to implement and validate a deformable CT to PET image registration method in esophageal cancer to eventually facilitate accurate positioning the tumor target on CT, and improve the accuracy of radiation therapy. Global registration was firstly utilized to preprocess position errors between PET and CT images, achieving the purpose of aligning these two images on the whole. Demons algorithm, based on optical flow field, has the features of fast process speed and high accuracy, and the gradient of mutual information-based demons (GMI demons) algorithm adds an additional external force based on the gradient of mutual information (GMI) between two images, which is suitable for multimodality images registration. In this paper, GMI demons algorithm was used to achieve local deformable registration of PET and CT images, which can effectively reduce errors between internal organs. In addition, to speed up the registration process, maintain its robustness, and avoid the local extremum, multiresolution image pyramid structure was used before deformable registration. By quantitatively and qualitatively analyzing cases with esophageal cancer, the registration scheme proposed in this paper can improve registration accuracy and speed, which is helpful for precisely positioning tumor target and developing the radiation treatment planning in clinical radiation therapy application.

Registration of PET and CT images based on multiresolution gradient of mutual information demons algorithm for positioning esophageal cancer patients

PubMed Central

Jin, Shuo; Li, Dengwang; Yin, Yong

2013-01-01

Accurate registration of  18F−FDG PET (positron emission tomography) and CT (computed tomography) images has important clinical significance in radiation oncology. PET and CT images are acquired from  18F−FDG PET/CT scanner, but the two acquisition processes are separate and take a long time. As a result, there are position errors in global and deformable errors in local caused by respiratory movement or organ peristalsis. The purpose of this work was to implement and validate a deformable CT to PET image registration method in esophageal cancer to eventually facilitate accurate positioning the tumor target on CT, and improve the accuracy of radiation therapy. Global registration was firstly utilized to preprocess position errors between PET and CT images, achieving the purpose of aligning these two images on the whole. Demons algorithm, based on optical flow field, has the features of fast process speed and high accuracy, and the gradient of mutual information‐based demons (GMI demons) algorithm adds an additional external force based on the gradient of mutual information (GMI) between two images, which is suitable for multimodality images registration. In this paper, GMI demons algorithm was used to achieve local deformable registration of PET and CT images, which can effectively reduce errors between internal organs. In addition, to speed up the registration process, maintain its robustness, and avoid the local extremum, multiresolution image pyramid structure was used before deformable registration. By quantitatively and qualitatively analyzing cases with esophageal cancer, the registration scheme proposed in this paper can improve registration accuracy and speed, which is helpful for precisely positioning tumor target and developing the radiation treatment planning in clinical radiation therapy application. PACS numbers: 87.57.nj, 87.57.Q‐, 87.57.uk PMID:23318381

Evolutionary emergence and maintenance of horizontally transmitted mutualism that do not rely on the supply of standing variation in symbiont quality.

PubMed

Uchiumi, Y; Ohtsuki, H; Sasaki, A

2017-12-01

Mutualism based on reciprocal exchange of costly services must avoid exploitation by 'free-rides'. Accordingly, hosts discriminate against free-riding symbionts in many mutualistic relationships. However, as the selective advantage of discriminators comes from the presence of variability in symbiont quality that they eliminate, discrimination and thus mutualism have been considered to be maintained with exogenous supply of free-riders. In this study, we tried to resolve the 'paradoxical' co-evolution of discrimination by hosts and cooperation by symbionts, by comparing two different types of discrimination: 'one-shot' discrimination, where a host does not reacquire new symbionts after evicting free-riders, and 'resampling' discrimination, where a host does from the environment. Our study shows that this apparently minor difference in discrimination types leads to qualitatively different evolutionary outcomes. First, although it has been usually considered that the benefit of discriminators is derived from the variability of symbiont quality, the benefit of a certain type of discriminators (e.g. one-shot discrimination) is proportional to the frequency of free-riders, which is in stark contrast to the case of resampling discrimination. As a result, one-shot discriminators can invade the free-rider/nondiscriminator population, even if standing variation for symbiont quality is absent. Second, our one-shot discriminators can also be maintained without exogenous supply of free-riders and hence is free from the paradox of discrimination. Therefore, our result indicates that the paradox is not a common feature of evolution of discrimination but is a problem of specific types of discrimination. © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Dependency Links Can Hinder the Evolution of Cooperation in the Prisoner’s Dilemma Game on Lattices and Networks

PubMed Central

Wang, Xuwen; Nie, Sen; Wang, Binghong

2015-01-01

Networks with dependency links are more vulnerable when facing the attacks. Recent research also has demonstrated that the interdependent groups support the spreading of cooperation. We study the prisoner’s dilemma games on spatial networks with dependency links, in which a fraction of individual pairs is selected to depend on each other. The dependency individuals can gain an extra payoff whose value is between the payoff of mutual cooperation and the value of temptation to defect. Thus, this mechanism reflects that the dependency relation is stronger than the relation of ordinary mutual cooperation, but it is not large enough to cause the defection of the dependency pair. We show that the dependence of individuals hinders, promotes and never affects the cooperation on regular ring networks, square lattice, random and scale-free networks, respectively. The results for the square lattice and regular ring networks are demonstrated by the pair approximation. PMID:25798579

Computing quantum discord is NP-complete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Yichen

2014-03-01

We study the computational complexity of quantum discord (a measure of quantum correlation beyond entanglement), and prove that computing quantum discord is NP-complete. Therefore, quantum discord is computationally intractable: the running time of any algorithm for computing quantum discord is believed to grow exponentially with the dimension of the Hilbert space so that computing quantum discord in a quantum system of moderate size is not possible in practice. As by-products, some entanglement measures (namely entanglement cost, entanglement of formation, relative entropy of entanglement, squashed entanglement, classical squashed entanglement, conditional entanglement of mutual information, and broadcast regularization of mutual information) and constrained Holevo capacity are NP-hard/NP-complete to compute. These complexity-theoretic results are directly applicable in common randomness distillation, quantum state merging, entanglement distillation, superdense coding, and quantum teleportation; they may offer significant insights into quantum information processing. Moreover, we prove the NP-completeness of two typical problems: linear optimization over classical states and detecting classical states in a convex set, providing evidence that working with classical states is generically computationally intractable.

Maximum mutual information estimation of a simplified hidden MRF for offline handwritten Chinese character recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Yan; Reichenbach, Stephen E.

1999-01-01

Understanding of hand-written Chinese characters is at such a primitive stage that models include some assumptions about hand-written Chinese characters that are simply false. So Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) may not be an optimal method for hand-written Chinese characters recognition. This concern motivates the research effort to consider alternative criteria. Maximum Mutual Information Estimation (MMIE) is an alternative method for parameter estimation that does not derive its rationale from presumed model correctness, but instead examines the pattern-modeling problem in automatic recognition system from an information- theoretic point of view. The objective of MMIE is to find a set of parameters in such that the resultant model allows the system to derive from the observed data as much information as possible about the class. We consider MMIE for recognition of hand-written Chinese characters using on a simplified hidden Markov Random Field. MMIE provides improved performance improvement over MLE in this application.

Mutually beneficial relationship in optimization between search-space smoothing and stochastic search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasegawa, Manabu; Hiramatsu, Kotaro

2013-10-01

The effectiveness of the Metropolis algorithm (MA) (constant-temperature simulated annealing) in optimization by the method of search-space smoothing (SSS) (potential smoothing) is studied on two types of random traveling salesman problems. The optimization mechanism of this hybrid approach (MASSS) is investigated by analyzing the exploration dynamics observed in the rugged landscape of the cost function (energy surface). The results show that the MA can be successfully utilized as a local search algorithm in the SSS approach. It is also clarified that the optimization characteristics of these two constituent methods are improved in a mutually beneficial manner in the MASSS run. Specifically, the relaxation dynamics generated by employing the MA work effectively even in a smoothed landscape and more advantage is taken of the guiding function proposed in the idea of SSS; this mechanism operates in an adaptive manner in the de-smoothing process and therefore the MASSS method maintains its optimization function over a wider temperature range than the MA.

[Implementation of good quality and safety practices. Descriptive study in a occupational mutual health centre].

PubMed

Manzanera, R; Plana, M; Moya, D; Ortner, J; Mira, J J

2016-01-01

To describe the level of implementation of quality and safety good practice elements in a Mutual Society health centre. A Cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the level of implementation of good practices using a questionnaire. Some quality dimensions were also assessed (scale 0 to 10) by a set of 87 quality coordinators of health centres and a random sample of 54 healthcare professionals working in small centres. Seventy quality coordinators and 27 professionals replied (response rates 80% and 50%, respectively. There were no differences in the assessment of quality attributes between both groups. They identified as areas for improvement: use of practice guidelines (7.6/10), scientific and technical skills (7.5/10), and patient satisfaction (7.7/10). Availability and accessibility to clinical reports, informed consent, availability of hydro-alcoholic solution, and to record allergies, were considered of high importance to be implemented, with training and research, improvements in equipment and technology plans, adherence to clinical practice guidelines and the preparation of risk maps, being of less importance. The good practices related to equipment and resources have a higher likelihood to be implemented, meanwhile those related to quality and safety attitudes have more barriers before being implemented. The mutual has a similar behaviour than other healthcare institutions. Copyright © 2015 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Identification of cis-regulatory modules in promoters of human genes exploiting mutual positioning of transcription factors

PubMed Central

Nandi, Soumyadeep; Blais, Alexandre; Ioshikhes, Ilya

2013-01-01

In higher organisms, gene regulation is controlled by the interplay of non-random combinations of multiple transcription factors (TFs). Although numerous attempts have been made to identify these combinations, important details, such as mutual positioning of the factors that have an important role in the TF interplay, are still missing. The goal of the present work is in silico mapping of some of such associating factors based on their mutual positioning, using computational screening. We have selected the process of myogenesis as a study case, and we focused on TF combinations involving master myogenic TF Myogenic differentiation (MyoD) with other factors situated at specific distances from it. The results of our work show that some muscle-specific factors occur together with MyoD within the range of ±100 bp in a large number of promoters. We confirm co-occurrence of the MyoD with muscle-specific factors as described in earlier studies. However, we have also found novel relationships of MyoD with other factors not specific for muscle. Additionally, we have observed that MyoD tends to associate with different factors in proximal and distal promoter areas. The major outcome of our study is establishing the genome-wide connection between biological interactions of TFs and close co-occurrence of their binding sites. PMID:23913413

Spike Train Auto-Structure Impacts Post-Synaptic Firing and Timing-Based Plasticity

PubMed Central

Scheller, Bertram; Castellano, Marta; Vicente, Raul; Pipa, Gordon

2011-01-01

Cortical neurons are typically driven by several thousand synapses. The precise spatiotemporal pattern formed by these inputs can modulate the response of a post-synaptic cell. In this work, we explore how the temporal structure of pre-synaptic inhibitory and excitatory inputs impact the post-synaptic firing of a conductance-based integrate and fire neuron. Both the excitatory and inhibitory input was modeled by renewal gamma processes with varying shape factors for modeling regular and temporally random Poisson activity. We demonstrate that the temporal structure of mutually independent inputs affects the post-synaptic firing, while the strength of the effect depends on the firing rates of both the excitatory and inhibitory inputs. In a second step, we explore the effect of temporal structure of mutually independent inputs on a simple version of Hebbian learning, i.e., hard bound spike-timing-dependent plasticity. We explore both the equilibrium weight distribution and the speed of the transient weight dynamics for different mutually independent gamma processes. We find that both the equilibrium distribution of the synaptic weights and the speed of synaptic changes are modulated by the temporal structure of the input. Finally, we highlight that the sensitivity of both the post-synaptic firing as well as the spike-timing-dependent plasticity on the auto-structure of the input of a neuron could be used to modulate the learning rate of synaptic modification. PMID:22203800

Anxiety and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Patients With Low–Tumor Burden Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Randomly Assigned to Two Different Rituximab Dosing Regimens: Results From ECOG Trial E4402 (RESORT)

PubMed Central

Wagner, Lynne I.; Zhao, Fengmin; Hong, Fangxin; Williams, Michael E.; Gascoyne, Randy D.; Krauss, John C.; Advani, Ranjana H.; Go, Ronald S.; Habermann, Thomas M.; Leach, Joseph W.; O'Connor, Brian; Schuster, Stephen J.; Cella, David; Horning, Sandra J.; Kahl, Brad S.

2015-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare illness-related anxiety among participants in the Rituximab Extended Schedule or Retreatment Trial (RESORT) randomly assigned to maintenance rituximab (MR) versus rituximab re-treatment (RR). A secondary objective was to examine whether the superiority of MR versus RR on anxiety depended on illness-related coping style. Patients and Methods Patients (N = 253) completed patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures at random assignment to MR or RR (baseline); at 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 months after random assignment; and at rituximab failure. PRO measures assessed illness-related anxiety and coping style, and secondary end points including general anxiety, worry and interference with emotional well-being, depression, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Patients were classified as using an active or avoidant illness-related coping style. Independent sample t tests and linear mixed-effects models were used to identify treatment arm differences on PRO end points and differences based on coping style. Results Illness-related anxiety was comparable between treatment arms at all time points (P > .05), regardless of coping style (active or avoidant). Illness-related anxiety and general anxiety significantly decreased over time on both arms. HRQoL scores were relatively stable and did not change significantly from baseline for both arms. An avoidant coping style was associated with significantly higher anxiety (18% and 13% exceeded clinical cutoff points at baseline and 6 months, respectively) and poorer HRQoL compared with an active coping style (P < .001), regardless of treatment arm assignment. Conclusion Surveillance until RR at progression was not associated with increased anxiety compared with MR, regardless of coping style. Avoidant coping was associated with higher anxiety and poorer HRQoL. PMID:25605841

Waveform Design and Diversity for Advanced Space-Time Adaptive Processing and Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-01

It suggests that a smart use of some a-priori information about the operating environment, when processing the received signal and designing the...random variable with the same variance of the backscattering target amplitude αT , and D ( αT , α G T ) is the Kullback − Leibler divergence, see [65...MI . Proof. See Appendix 3.6.6. Thus, we can use the optimization procedure of Algorithm 4 to optimize the Mutual Information between the target

Efficient Estimation of Mutual Information for Strongly Dependent Variables

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-11

the two possibilities: for a fixed dimension d and near- est neighbor parameter k, we find a constant ↵ k,d , such that if V̄ (i)/V (i) < ↵ k,d , then...also compare the results to several baseline estima- tors: KSG (Kraskov et al., 2004), generalized near- est neighbor graph (GNN) (Pál et al., 2010...Amaury Lendasse, and Francesco Corona. A boundary corrected expansion of the moments of near- est neighbor distributions. Random Struct. Algorithms

Mutual Use of Trail-Following Chemical Cues by a Termite Host and Its Inquiline

PubMed Central

Cristaldo, Paulo Fellipe; DeSouza, Og; Krasulová, Jana; Jirošová, Anna; Kutalová, Kateřina; Lima, Eraldo Rodrigues; Šobotník, Jan; Sillam-Dussès, David

2014-01-01

Termite nests are often secondarily inhabited by other termite species ( = inquilines) that cohabit with the host. To understand this association, we studied the trail-following behaviour in two Neotropical species, Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) and its obligatory inquiline, Inquilinitermes microcerus (Termitidae: Termitinae). Using behavioural experiments and chemical analyses, we determined that the trail-following pheromone of C. cyphergaster is made of neocembrene and (3Z,6Z,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol. Although no specific compound was identified in I. microcerus, workers were able to follow the above compounds in behavioural bioassays. Interestingly, in choice tests, C. cyphergaster prefers conspecific over heterospecific trails while I. microcerus shows the converse behaviour. In no-choice tests with whole body extracts, C. cyphergaster showed no preference for, while I. microcerus clearly avoided heterospecific trails. This seems to agree with the hypothesis that trail-following pheromones may shape the cohabitation of C. cyphergaster and I. microcerus and reinforce the idea that their cohabitation is based on conflict-avoiding strategies. PMID:24465533

Mutual use of trail-following chemical cues by a termite host and its inquiline.

PubMed

Cristaldo, Paulo Fellipe; Desouza, Og; Krasulová, Jana; Jirošová, Anna; Kutalová, Kateřina; Lima, Eraldo Rodrigues; Sobotník, Jan; Sillam-Dussès, David

2014-01-01

Termite nests are often secondarily inhabited by other termite species ( = inquilines) that cohabit with the host. To understand this association, we studied the trail-following behaviour in two Neotropical species, Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) and its obligatory inquiline, Inquilinitermes microcerus (Termitidae: Termitinae). Using behavioural experiments and chemical analyses, we determined that the trail-following pheromone of C. cyphergaster is made of neocembrene and (3Z,6Z,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol. Although no specific compound was identified in I. microcerus, workers were able to follow the above compounds in behavioural bioassays. Interestingly, in choice tests, C. cyphergaster prefers conspecific over heterospecific trails while I. microcerus shows the converse behaviour. In no-choice tests with whole body extracts, C. cyphergaster showed no preference for, while I. microcerus clearly avoided heterospecific trails. This seems to agree with the hypothesis that trail-following pheromones may shape the cohabitation of C. cyphergaster and I. microcerus and reinforce the idea that their cohabitation is based on conflict-avoiding strategies.

Adaptive Advantage of Myrmecochory in the Ant-Dispersed Herb Lamium amplexicaule (Lamiaceae): Predation Avoidance through the Deterrence of Post-Dispersal Seed Predators

PubMed Central

Tanaka, Koki; Ogata, Kanako; Mukai, Hiromi; Yamawo, Akira; Tokuda, Makoto

2015-01-01

Seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) is found worldwide, but the benefits that plants obtain from this mutualism remain uncertain. In the present study, we conducted laboratory experiments to demonstrate seed predator avoidance as a benefit of myrmecochory using the annual ant-dispersed herb Lamium amplexicaule, the disperser ant Tetramorium tsushimae, and the seed predatory burrower bug Adomerus rotundus. We compared the predation intensity of Lamium amplexicaule seeds by Adomerus rotundus under the presence or absence of Tetramorium tsushimae. Both the number of seeds sucked by Adomerus rotundus adults and the feeding duration of sucked seeds by nymphs were significantly reduced in the presence of ants. This effect was most likely due to the behavioral alteration of Adomerus rotundus in response to the ant presence, because ants seldom predated Adomerus rotundus during the experiment. Our results demonstrated that the presence of ants decreases post-dispersal seed predation, even when the ants do not bury the seeds. The present study thus suggests that the non-consumptive effects of ants on seed predators benefit myrmecochorous plants. PMID:26197397

Effects of allergen and trigger factor avoidance advice in primary care on asthma control: a randomized-controlled trial.

PubMed

Bobb, C; Ritz, T; Rowlands, G; Griffiths, C

2010-01-01

Allergy contributes significantly to asthma exacerbation, yet avoidance of triggers, in particular allergens, is rarely addressed in detail in regular asthma review in primary care. To determine whether structured, individually tailored allergen and trigger avoidance advice, given as part of a primary care asthma review, improves lung function and asthma control. In a randomized-controlled trial 214 adults with asthma in six general practices were either offered usual care during a primary care asthma review or usual care with additional allergen and trigger identification (by skin prick testing and structured allergy assessment) and avoidance advice according to a standardized protocol by trained practice nurses. Main outcome measures were lung function, asthma control, asthma self-efficacy. Both intervention groups were equivalent in demographic and asthma-related variables at baseline. At 3-6-month follow-up, patients receiving the allergen and trigger avoidance review showed significant improvements in lung function (assessed by blinded research nurses) compared with those receiving usual care. Significantly more patients in the intervention group than in the control group showed improvements in forced expiratory volume in 1 s > or =15%. No significant differences were found in self-report measures of asthma control. Asthma-specific self-efficacy improved in both groups but did not differ between groups. Allergen and trigger identification and avoidance advice, given as part of a structured asthma review delivered in primary care by nurses results in clinically important improvements in lung function but not self-report of asthma control. ISRCTN45684820.

Augmenting Outpatient Alcohol Treatment as Usual With Online Alcohol Avoidance Training: Protocol for a Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Bratti-van der Werf, Marleen KJ; Postel, Marloes G; Pieterse, Marcel E; Ben Allouch, Somaya; Wiers, Reinout W; Bohlmeijer, Ernst T; Salemink, Elske

2018-01-01

Background Recent theoretical models emphasize the role of impulsive processes in alcohol addiction, which can be retrained with computerized Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) training. In this study, the focus is on action tendencies that are activated relatively automatically. Objective The aim of the study is to examine the effectiveness of online CBM Alcohol Avoidance Training using an adapted Approach-Avoidance Task as a supplement to treatment as usual (TAU) in an outpatient treatment setting. Methods The effectiveness of 8 online sessions of CBM Alcohol Avoidance Training added to TAU is tested in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial with pre- and postassessments, plus follow-up assessments after 3 and 6 months. Participants are adult patients (age 18 years or over) currently following Web-based or face-to-face TAU to reduce or stop drinking. These patients are randomly assigned to a CBM Alcohol Avoidance or a placebo training. The primary outcome measure is a reduction in alcohol consumption. We hypothesize that TAU + CBM will result in up to a 13-percentage point incremental effect in the number of patients reaching the safe drinking guidelines compared to TAU + placebo CBM. Secondary outcome measures include an improvement in health status and a decrease in depression, anxiety, stress, and possible mediation by the change in approach bias. Finally, patients’ adherence, acceptability, and credibility will be examined. Results The trial was funded in 2014 and is currently in the active participant recruitment phase (since May 2015). Enrolment will be completed in 2019. First results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2020. Conclusions The main purpose of this study is to increase our knowledge about the added value of online Alcohol Avoidance Training as a supplement to TAU in an outpatient treatment setting. If the added effectiveness of the training is proven, the next step could be to incorporate the intervention into current treatment. Trial Registration Netherlands Trial Register NTR5087; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=5087 (Archived at WebCite http://www.webcitation.org/6wuS4i1tH) PMID:29496657

Clinical and psychological moderators of the effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on persistent pain in women treated for primary breast cancer - explorative analyses from a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Johannsen, M; O'Toole, M S; O'Connor, M; Jensen, A B; Zachariae, R

2017-02-01

Mindfulness-based intervention has been found efficacious in reducing persistent pain in women treated for breast cancer. Little, however, is known about possible moderators of the effect. We explored clinical and psychological moderators of the effect on pain intensity previously found in a randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) with women treated for breast cancer with persistent pain. A total of 129 women treated for breast cancer reporting persistent pain were randomized to MBCT or a wait-list control. The primary outcome of pain intensity (11-point numeric rating scale) was measured at baseline, post-intervention, three, and six months follow-up. Proposed clinical moderators included age, axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), radiotherapy, and endocrine treatment. Psychological moderators included psychological distress [the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)], the adult attachment dimensions anxiety and avoidance [the Experiences in Close Relationships Short Form (the ECR-SF)], and alexithymia [the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20)]. Multi-level models were used to test moderation effects over time, i.e. time × group × moderator. Only attachment avoidance (p = 0.03, d = 0.36) emerged as a statistically significant moderator. Higher levels of attachment avoidance predicted a larger effect of MBCT in reducing pain intensity compared with lower levels attachment avoidance. None of the remaining psychological or clinical moderators reached statistical significance. However, based on the effect size, radiotherapy (p = 0.075, d = 0.49) was indicated as a possible clinical moderator of the effect, with radiotherapy being associated with a smaller effect of MBCT on pain intensity over time compared with no radiotherapy. Attachment avoidance, and potentially radiotherapy, may be clinically relevant factors for identifying the patients who may benefit most from MBCT as a pain intervention. Due to the exploratory nature of the analyses, the results should be considered preliminary.

Video interaction guidance inviting transcendence of postpartum depressed mothers' self-centered state and holding behavior.

PubMed

Vik, Kari; Braten, Stein

2009-05-01

By sometimes evoking self-absorbed and avoidance behaviors in new mothers, postnatal depression affects the quality of mother-infant interaction, which in turn may invoke distress and avoidance in the infant and cause even more lasting impairment in the child's development. Three depressed mothers, A, B, and C, are reported upon after having been offered counseling in accordance with the Marte Meo approach through jointly watching with the therapist video replays of themselves interacting with their newborns. Clinical vignettes are offered which indicate how empathic and positive support of a sensitive therapist can be helpful in inviting the mother's recognition of her importance to her infant and facilitating mutually gratifying interaction between mother and child. Protocol analyses of select sessions of video-related therapy reveal that two of the mothers sometimes complete the therapist's unfinished statements in an other-centered manner, thereby transcending their initial self-centered state. This is most dramatic in the case of Mother A, who starts out in the first session almost incapable of speech, merely nodding or shaking her head. In addition to other indications of improved mother-infant interaction, comparison of pre- and postguidance windows regarding the three mothers' holding behaviors reveals a shift from an avoidance or anxious stance to closer and more secure holding. Copyright © 2009 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

Family cohesion and posttraumatic intrusion and avoidance among war veterans: a 20-year longitudinal study.

PubMed

Zerach, Gadi; Solomon, Zahava; Horesh, Danny; Ein-Dor, Tsachi

2013-02-01

The bi-directional relationships between combat-induced posttraumatic symptoms and family relations are yet to be understood. The present study assesses the longitudinal interrelationship of posttraumatic intrusion and avoidance and family cohesion among 208 Israeli combat veterans from the 1982 Lebanon War. Two groups of veterans were assessed with self-report questionnaires 1, 3 and 20 years after the war: a combat stress reaction (CSR) group and a matched non-CSR control group. Latent Trajectories Modeling showed that veterans of the CSR group reported higher intrusion and avoidance than non-CSR veterans at all three points of time. With time, there was a decline in these symptoms in both groups, but the decline was more salient among the CSR group. The latter also reported lower levels of family cohesion. Furthermore, an incline in family cohesion levels was found in both groups over the years. Most importantly, Autoregressive Cross-Lagged Modeling among CSR and non-CSR veterans revealed that CSR veterans' posttraumatic symptoms in 1983 predicted lower family cohesion in 1985, and lower family cohesion, in turn, predicted posttraumatic symptoms in 2002. The findings suggest that psychological breakdown on the battlefield is a marker for future family cohesion difficulties. Our results lend further support for the bi-directional mutual effects of posttraumatic symptoms and family cohesion over time.

Attachment as Moderator of Treatment Outcome in Major Depression: A Randomized Control Trial of Interpersonal Psychotherapy versus Cognitive Behavior Therapy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McBride, Carolina; Atkinson, Leslie; Quilty, Lena C.; Bagby, R. Michael

2006-01-01

Anxiety and avoidance dimensions of adult attachment insecurity were tested as moderators of treatment outcome for interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Fifty-six participants with major depression were randomly assigned to these treatment conditions. Beck Depression Inventory-II, Six-Item Hamilton Rating Scale…

Deploying Team Science Principles to Optimize Interdisciplinary Lung Cancer Care Delivery: Avoiding the Long and Winding Road to Optimal Care.

PubMed

Osarogiagbon, Raymond U; Rodriguez, Hector P; Hicks, Danielle; Signore, Raymond S; Roark, Kristi; Kedia, Satish K; Ward, Kenneth D; Lathan, Christopher; Santarella, Scott; Gould, Michael K; Krasna, Mark J

2016-11-01

The complexity of lung cancer care mandates interaction between clinicians with different skill sets and practice cultures in the routine delivery of care. Using team science principles and a case-based approach, we exemplify the need for the development of real care teams for patients with lung cancer to foster coordination among the multiple specialists and staff engaged in routine care delivery. Achieving coordinated lung cancer care is a high-priority public health challenge because of the volume of patients, lethality of disease, and well-described disparities in quality and outcomes of care. Coordinating mechanisms need to be cultivated among different types of specialist physicians and care teams, with differing technical expertise and practice cultures, who have traditionally functioned more as coactively working groups than as real teams. Coordinating mechanisms, including shared mental models, high-quality communication, mutual trust, and mutual performance monitoring, highlight the challenge of achieving well-coordinated care and illustrate how team science principles can be used to improve quality and outcomes of lung cancer care. To develop the evidence base to support coordinated lung cancer care, research comparing the effectiveness of a diverse range of multidisciplinary care team approaches and interorganizational coordinating mechanisms should be promoted.

ESPRIT-Like Two-Dimensional DOA Estimation for Monostatic MIMO Radar with Electromagnetic Vector Received Sensors under the Condition of Gain and Phase Uncertainties and Mutual Coupling

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yongshun; Zheng, Guimei; Feng, Cunqian; Tang, Jun

2017-01-01

In this paper, we focus on the problem of two-dimensional direction of arrival (2D-DOA) estimation for monostatic MIMO Radar with electromagnetic vector received sensors (MIMO-EMVSs) under the condition of gain and phase uncertainties (GPU) and mutual coupling (MC). GPU would spoil the invariance property of the EMVSs in MIMO-EMVSs, thus the effective ESPRIT algorithm unable to be used directly. Then we put forward a C-SPD ESPRIT-like algorithm. It estimates the 2D-DOA and polarization station angle (PSA) based on the instrumental sensors method (ISM). The C-SPD ESPRIT-like algorithm can obtain good angle estimation accuracy without knowing the GPU. Furthermore, it can be applied to arbitrary array configuration and has low complexity for avoiding the angle searching procedure. When MC and GPU exist together between the elements of EMVSs, in order to make our algorithm feasible, we derive a class of separated electromagnetic vector receiver and give the S-SPD ESPRIT-like algorithm. It can solve the problem of GPU and MC efficiently. And the array configuration can be arbitrary. The effectiveness of our proposed algorithms is verified by the simulation result. PMID:29072588

ESPRIT-Like Two-Dimensional DOA Estimation for Monostatic MIMO Radar with Electromagnetic Vector Received Sensors under the Condition of Gain and Phase Uncertainties and Mutual Coupling.

PubMed

Zhang, Dong; Zhang, Yongshun; Zheng, Guimei; Feng, Cunqian; Tang, Jun

2017-10-26

In this paper, we focus on the problem of two-dimensional direction of arrival (2D-DOA) estimation for monostatic MIMO Radar with electromagnetic vector received sensors (MIMO-EMVSs) under the condition of gain and phase uncertainties (GPU) and mutual coupling (MC). GPU would spoil the invariance property of the EMVSs in MIMO-EMVSs, thus the effective ESPRIT algorithm unable to be used directly. Then we put forward a C-SPD ESPRIT-like algorithm. It estimates the 2D-DOA and polarization station angle (PSA) based on the instrumental sensors method (ISM). The C-SPD ESPRIT-like algorithm can obtain good angle estimation accuracy without knowing the GPU. Furthermore, it can be applied to arbitrary array configuration and has low complexity for avoiding the angle searching procedure. When MC and GPU exist together between the elements of EMVSs, in order to make our algorithm feasible, we derive a class of separated electromagnetic vector receiver and give the S-SPD ESPRIT-like algorithm. It can solve the problem of GPU and MC efficiently. And the array configuration can be arbitrary. The effectiveness of our proposed algorithms is verified by the simulation result.

A longitudinal study of the comparative efficacy of Women for Sobriety, LifeRing, SMART Recovery, and 12-step groups for those with AUD.

PubMed

Zemore, Sarah E; Lui, Camillia; Mericle, Amy; Hemberg, Jordana; Kaskutas, Lee Ann

2018-05-01

Despite the effectiveness of 12-step groups, most people reporting a prior alcohol use disorder (AUD) do not sustain involvement in such groups at beneficial levels. This highlights the need for research on other mutual help groups that address alcohol problems and may attract those who avoid 12-step groups. The current study addresses this need, offering outcome data from the first longitudinal, comparative study of 12-step groups and their alternatives: The Peer ALlternatives for Addiction (PAL) Study. Adults with a lifetime AUD were surveyed at baseline (N=647), 6months (81% response rate) and 12months (83% response rate). Members of the largest known secular mutual help alternatives, namely Women for Sobriety (WFS), LifeRing, and SMART, were recruited in collaboration with group directors; current 12-step attendees were recruited from an online meeting hub. Online surveys assessed demographic and clinical variables; mutual help involvement; and alcohol and drug use and severity. Analyses involved multivariate logistic GEEs separately modelling alcohol abstinence, alcohol problems, and total abstinence across 6 and 12months. Key predictors were baseline primary group affiliation (PGA); primary group involvement (PGI) at both baseline and 6months; and the interaction between baseline PGA and 6-month PGI. The critical effects of interest were the interactions, expressing whether associations between changes in PGI from baseline to 6months and substance use outcomes differed by primary group. None of the interactions between baseline PGA and 6-month PGI were significant, suggesting no differences in the efficacy of WFS, LifeRing, or SMART, vs. 12-step groups. Nevertheless, some PGA main effects emerged. Compared to 12-step members, those identifying SMART as their primary group at baseline fared worse across outcomes, and those affiliating with LifeRing showed lower odds of total abstinence. Still, these effects became nonsignificant when controlling for baseline alcohol recovery goal, suggesting that any group differences may be explained by selection of those with weaker abstinence motivation into LifeRing and (especially) SMART. This study makes a valuable contribution in view of the extremely limited evidence on mutual help alternatives. Results tentatively suggest that WFS, LifeRing, and SMART are as effective as 12-step groups for those with AUDs, and that this population has the best odds of success when committing to lifetime total abstinence. An optimal care plan may thus involve facilitating involvement in a broad array of mutual help groups and supporting abstinence motivation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Protecting against both pregnancy and disease: predictors of dual method use among a sample of women.

PubMed

Harvey, S Marie; Henderson, Jillian T; Branch, Meredith Roberts

2004-01-01

Although male condoms are the best form of protection against HIV/STDs, they are not the most effective method for preventing unintended pregnancy. Consequently, use of condoms and a highly effective contraceptive-referred to as dual use-is recommended as the optimal protection against both disease and pregnancy. However, little is known about the factors that promote dual use. This study examined associations of dual method use with women's background characteristics, intrapersonal factors, and relationship characteristics. Data are from a random sample of women selected from a large managed care organization in the Pacific Northwest. The analytic sample contained 371 women who completed a telephone survey and reported use of contraceptives in the past 3 months. Three mutually exclusive method use groups were constructed: effective contraceptive only (hormonal methods, intrauterine device, surgical sterilization) (59%), condom only (24%), and dual use (18%). Variables hypothesized to influence dual use were compared across the three groups in bivariate and multivariate analyses. Findings indicate that women who were younger, reported more than one sexual partner in the past year, and were highly motivated to avoid HIV/STDs--were more likely to use dual methods rather than condoms only or an effective contraceptive method. Women confident about using condoms without feeling embarrassed or breaking the sexual mood were more likely to use dual methods rather than a single effective method. Finally, women with confidence in their ability to use condoms correctly are more likely to rely solely on condoms. Policy and practice implications are discussed.

Non-Markovianity Measure Based on Brukner-Zeilinger Invariant Information for Unital Quantum Dynamical Maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Zhi; Zhu, Lie-Qiang; Li, Li

2017-03-01

A non-Markovianity measure based on Brukner-Zeilinger invariant information to characterize non-Markovian effect of open systems undergoing unital dynamical maps is proposed. The method takes advantage of non-increasing property of the Brukner-Zeilinger invariant information under completely positive and trace-preserving unital maps. The simplicity of computing the Brukner-Zeilinger invariant information is the advantage of the proposed measure because of mainly depending on the purity of quantum state. The measure effectively captures the characteristics of non-Markovianity of unital dynamical maps. As some concrete application, we consider two typical non-Markovian noise channels, i.e., the phase damping channel and the random unitary channel to show the sensitivity of the proposed measure. By investigation, we find that the conditions of detecting the non-Markovianity for the phase damping channel are consistent with the results of existing measures for non-Markovianity, i.e., information flow, divisibility and quantum mutual information. However, for the random unitary channel non-Markovian conditions are same to that of the information flow, but is different from that of the divisibility and quantum mutual information. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 61505053, the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province under Grant No. 2015JJ3092, the Research Foundation of Education Bureau of Hunan Province, China under Grant No. 16B177, the School Foundation from the Hunan University of Arts and Science under Grant No. 14ZD01

A general strategy for cloning viroids and other small circular RNAs that uses minimal amounts of template and does not require prior knowledge of its sequence.

PubMed

Navarro, B; Daròs, J A; Flores, R

1996-01-01

Two PCR-based methods are described for obtaining clones of small circular RNAs of unknown sequence and for which only minute amounts are available. To avoid introducing any assumption about the RNA sequence, synthesis of the cDNAs is initiated with random primers. The cDNA population is then PCR-amplified using a primer whose sequence is present at both sides of the cDNAs, since they have been obtained with random hexamers and then a linker with the sequence of the PCR primer has been ligated to their termini, or because the cDNAs have been synthesized with an oligonucleotide that contains the sequence of the PCR primer at its 5' end and six randomized positions at its 3' end. The procedures need only approximately 50 ng of purified RNA template. The reasons for the emergence of cloning artifacts and precautions to avoid them are discussed.

Effects of Myofascial Release in Nonspecific Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Arguisuelas, María D; Lisón, Juan Francisco; Sánchez-Zuriaga, Daniel; Martínez-Hurtado, Isabel; Doménech-Fernández, Julio

2017-05-01

Double-blind, randomized parallel sham-controlled trial with concealed allocation and intention-to treat analysis. To investigate the effects of an isolate myofascial release (MFR) protocol on pain, disability, and fear-avoidance beliefs in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). MFR is a form of manual medicine widely used by physiotherapists in the management of different musculoskeletal pathologies. Up to this moment, no previous studies have reported the effects of an isolated MFR treatment in patients with CLBP. Fifty-four participants, with nonspecific CLBP, were randomized to MFR group (n = 27) receiving four sessions of myofascial treatment, each lasting 40 minutes, and to control group (n = 27) receiving a sham MFR. Variables studied were pain measured by means Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and visual analog scale (VAS), disability measured with Roland Morris Questionnaire, and fear-avoidance beliefs measured with Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire. Subjects receiving MFR displayed significant improvements in pain (SF-MPQ) (mean difference -7.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -14.5 to -1.1, P = 0.023) and sensory SF-MPQ subscale (mean difference -6.1; 95% CI: -10.8 to -1.5, P = 0.011) compared to the sham group, but no differences were found in VAS between groups. Disability and the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire score also displayed a significant decrease in the MFR group (P < 0.05) as compared to sham MFR. MFR therapy produced a significant improvement in both pain and disability. Because the minimal clinically important differences in pain and disability are, however, included in the 95% CI, we cannot know whether this improvement is clinically relevant. 2.

Inbreeding avoidance in an isolated indigenous Zapotec community in the valley of Oaxaca, southern Mexico.

PubMed

Little, Bertis B; Malina, Robert M

2005-06-01

We analyzed inbreeding using surname isonymy in an indigenous genetic isolate. The subjects were residents of a rural Zapotec-speaking community in the valley of Oaxaca, southern Mexico. The community can be classified as a genetic isolate with an average gene flow of < or = 3% per generation. Surnames were collected for individuals in each household in pedigree form using the culturally traditional patronym-matronym naming. Estimation of inbreeding from surname isonymy is facilitated by the traditional patronym-matronym name assignment among indigenous Mexican populations. A total of 2,149 individuals had valid surname patronym-matronym pairings, including 484 deceased ancestors. Surname isonymy analysis methods were used to estimate total inbreeding and to segregate it into random and nonrandom components. The surname isonymy coefficient computed from 119 isonymous surname pairings (119/2,149) was 0.0554. The estimated inbreeding coefficient from surname isonymy was 0.0138 (0.0554/4). The random and nonrandom components of inbreeding were F(r) = 0.0221 and F(n) = -0.0091, respectively. The results suggest that consanguinity is culturally avoided. Nonrandom inbreeding decreased total inbreeding by about 41%. Total estimated inbreeding by surname isonymy was 0.0138, which is similar to inbreeding estimated from a sample of pedigrees, 0.01. Socially prescribed inbreeding avoidance substantially lowered total F through negative nonrandom inbreeding. Even in the situation of genetic isolation and small effective population size (N(e)), estimated inbreeding is lower than may have otherwise occurred if inbreeding were only random. However, among the poorest individuals, socially prescribed jural rules for inbreeding avoidance failed to operate. Thus the preponderance of inbreeding appears to occur among the poor, economically disadvantaged in the community.

26 CFR 1.831-3 - Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, mutual...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, mutual fire insurance companies issuing perpetual policies, and mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating on the basis of premium deposits; taxable years...

26 CFR 1.831-3 - Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, mutual...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, mutual fire insurance companies issuing perpetual policies, and mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating on the basis of premium deposits; taxable years...

26 CFR 1.831-3 - Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, mutual...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, mutual fire insurance companies issuing perpetual policies, and mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating on the basis of premium deposits; taxable years...

26 CFR 1.831-3 - Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, mutual...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, mutual fire insurance companies issuing perpetual policies, and mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating on the basis of premium deposits; taxable years...

Avoidance as an obstacle to preventing depression among urban women at high risk for violent trauma.

PubMed

Silverstein, Michael; Kistin, Caroline; Bair-Merritt, Megan; Wiltsey-Stirman, Shannon; Feinberg, Emily; Diaz-Linhart, Yaminette; Sandler, Jenna; Chen, Ning; Cabral, Howard

2016-02-01

The impact of depression interventions is often attenuated in women who have experienced trauma. We explored whether psychological avoidance could explain this phenomenon. We synthesized two pilot randomized trials of problem-solving education (PSE) among a total of 93 urban mothers. Outcomes included depressive symptoms and perceived stress. Mothers with avoidant coping styles experienced an average 1.25 episodes of moderately severe depressive symptoms over 3 months of follow-up, compared to 0.40 episodes among those with non-avoidant coping (adjusted incident rate ratio [aIRR] 2.18; 95 % CI 1.06, 4.48). PSE tended to perform better among mothers with non-avoidant coping. Among mothers with non-avoidant coping, PSE mothers experienced an average 0.24 episodes, compared to 0.58 episodes among non-avoidant controls (aIRR 0.27; 95 % CI 0.05, 1.34). Among mothers with avoidant coping, PSE mothers experienced an average 1.26 episodes, compared to 1.20 episodes among avoidant controls (aIRR 0.76; 95 % CI 0.44, 1.33). This trend toward differential impact persisted when avoidance was measured as a problem-solving style and among traumatized mothers with and without avoidant PTSD symptoms. Further research is warranted to explore the hypothesis that psychological avoidance could explain why certain depression treatment and prevention strategies break down in the presence of trauma.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder with Integrated Techniques from Emotion-Focused and Interpersonal Therapies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, Michelle G.; Castonguay, Louis G.; Borkovec, Thomas D.; Fisher, Aaron J.; Boswell, James F.; Szkodny, Lauren E.; Nordberg, Samuel S.

2011-01-01

Objective: Recent models suggest that generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms may be maintained by emotional processing avoidance and interpersonal problems. Method: This is the first randomized controlled trial to test directly whether cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) could be augmented with the addition of a module targeting interpersonal…

Improved Neural Networks with Random Weights for Short-Term Load Forecasting

PubMed Central

Lang, Kun; Zhang, Mingyuan; Yuan, Yongbo

2015-01-01

An effective forecasting model for short-term load plays a significant role in promoting the management efficiency of an electric power system. This paper proposes a new forecasting model based on the improved neural networks with random weights (INNRW). The key is to introduce a weighting technique to the inputs of the model and use a novel neural network to forecast the daily maximum load. Eight factors are selected as the inputs. A mutual information weighting algorithm is then used to allocate different weights to the inputs. The neural networks with random weights and kernels (KNNRW) is applied to approximate the nonlinear function between the selected inputs and the daily maximum load due to the fast learning speed and good generalization performance. In the application of the daily load in Dalian, the result of the proposed INNRW is compared with several previously developed forecasting models. The simulation experiment shows that the proposed model performs the best overall in short-term load forecasting. PMID:26629825

Improved Neural Networks with Random Weights for Short-Term Load Forecasting.

PubMed

Lang, Kun; Zhang, Mingyuan; Yuan, Yongbo

2015-01-01

An effective forecasting model for short-term load plays a significant role in promoting the management efficiency of an electric power system. This paper proposes a new forecasting model based on the improved neural networks with random weights (INNRW). The key is to introduce a weighting technique to the inputs of the model and use a novel neural network to forecast the daily maximum load. Eight factors are selected as the inputs. A mutual information weighting algorithm is then used to allocate different weights to the inputs. The neural networks with random weights and kernels (KNNRW) is applied to approximate the nonlinear function between the selected inputs and the daily maximum load due to the fast learning speed and good generalization performance. In the application of the daily load in Dalian, the result of the proposed INNRW is compared with several previously developed forecasting models. The simulation experiment shows that the proposed model performs the best overall in short-term load forecasting.

Self-avoiding walks on scale-free networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrero, Carlos P.

2005-01-01

Several kinds of walks on complex networks are currently used to analyze search and navigation in different systems. Many analytical and computational results are known for random walks on such networks. Self-avoiding walks (SAW’s) are expected to be more suitable than unrestricted random walks to explore various kinds of real-life networks. Here we study long-range properties of random SAW’s on scale-free networks, characterized by a degree distribution P (k) ˜ k-γ . In the limit of large networks (system size N→∞ ), the average number sn of SAW’s starting from a generic site increases as μn , with μ= < k2 > / -1 . For finite N , sn is reduced due to the presence of loops in the network, which causes the emergence of attrition of the paths. For kinetic growth walks, the average maximum length increases as a power of the system size: ˜ Nα , with an exponent α increasing as the parameter γ is raised. We discuss the dependence of α on the minimum allowed degree in the network. A similar power-law dependence is found for the mean self-intersection length of nonreversal random walks. Simulation results support our approximate analytical calculations.

The prevalence of fibromyalgia in other chronic pain conditions.

PubMed

Yunus, Muhammad B

2012-01-01

Central sensitivity syndromes (CSS) include fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), irritable bowel syndrome, temporomandibular disorder, restless legs syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other similar chronic painful conditions that are based on central sensitization (CS). CSS are mutually associated. In this paper, prevalence of FMS among other members of CSS has been described. An important recent recognition is an increased prevalence of FMS in other chronic pain conditions with structural pathology, for example, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, ankylosing spondylitis, osteoarthritis, diabetes mellitus, and inflammatory bowel disease. Diagnosis and proper management of FMS among these diseases are of crucial importance so that unwarranted use of such medications as corticosteroids can be avoided, since FMS often occurs when RA or SLE is relatively mild.

The Prevalence of Fibromyalgia in Other Chronic Pain Conditions

PubMed Central

Yunus, Muhammad B.

2012-01-01

Central sensitivity syndromes (CSS) include fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), irritable bowel syndrome, temporomandibular disorder, restless legs syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other similar chronic painful conditions that are based on central sensitization (CS). CSS are mutually associated. In this paper, prevalence of FMS among other members of CSS has been described. An important recent recognition is an increased prevalence of FMS in other chronic pain conditions with structural pathology, for example, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, ankylosing spondylitis, osteoarthritis, diabetes mellitus, and inflammatory bowel disease. Diagnosis and proper management of FMS among these diseases are of crucial importance so that unwarranted use of such medications as corticosteroids can be avoided, since FMS often occurs when RA or SLE is relatively mild. PMID:22191024

Experimental modification of interpretation bias about animal fear in young children: effects on cognition, avoidance behavior, anxiety vulnerability, and physiological responding.

PubMed

Lester, Kathryn J; Field, Andy P; Muris, Peter

2011-01-01

This study investigated the effects of experimentally modifying interpretation biases for children's cognitions, avoidance behavior, anxiety vulnerability, and physiological responding. Sixty-seven children (6-11 years) were randomly assigned to receive a positive or negative interpretation bias modification procedure to induce interpretation biases toward or away from threat about ambiguous situations involving Australian marsupials. Children rapidly learned to select outcomes of ambiguous situations, which were congruent with their assigned condition. Furthermore, following positive modification, children's threat biases about novel ambiguous situations significantly decreased, whereas threat biases significantly increased after negative modification. In response to a stress-evoking behavioral avoidance test, positive modification attenuated behavioral avoidance compared to negative modification. However, no significant effects of bias modification on anxiety vulnerability or physiological responses to this stress-evoking Behavioral Avoidance Task were observed.

Cloning by limiting dilution: an improved estimate that an interesting culture is monoclonal.

PubMed Central

Staszewski, R.

1984-01-01

An interesting culture obtained by limiting dilution is less likely to be monoclonal than a random viable culture. Current practice using limiting dilution to establish monoclonal lines of interesting recombinant DNA or hybridoma-derived organisms overestimates the probability that promising cultures are monoclonal, resulting in inadequate dilutions, with the need for additional subcloning and the avoidable loss (avoidable instability) of interesting lines by overgrowth with uninteresting varieties. PMID:6537695

Compressed Secret Key Agreement:Maximizing Multivariate Mutual Information per Bit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Chung

2017-10-01

The multiterminal secret key agreement problem by public discussion is formulated with an additional source compression step where, prior to the public discussion phase, users independently compress their private sources to filter out strongly correlated components for generating a common secret key. The objective is to maximize the achievable key rate as a function of the joint entropy of the compressed sources. Since the maximum achievable key rate captures the total amount of information mutual to the compressed sources, an optimal compression scheme essentially maximizes the multivariate mutual information per bit of randomness of the private sources, and can therefore be viewed more generally as a dimension reduction technique. Single-letter lower and upper bounds on the maximum achievable key rate are derived for the general source model, and an explicit polynomial-time computable formula is obtained for the pairwise independent network model. In particular, the converse results and the upper bounds are obtained from those of the related secret key agreement problem with rate-limited discussion. A precise duality is shown for the two-user case with one-way discussion, and such duality is extended to obtain the desired converse results in the multi-user case. In addition to posing new challenges in information processing and dimension reduction, the compressed secret key agreement problem helps shed new light on resolving the difficult problem of secret key agreement with rate-limited discussion, by offering a more structured achieving scheme and some simpler conjectures to prove.

Glucocorticosteroid-free versus glucocorticosteroid-containing immunosuppression for liver transplanted patients.

PubMed

Fairfield, Cameron; Penninga, Luit; Powell, James; Harrison, Ewen M; Wigmore, Stephen J

2018-04-09

Liver transplantation is an established treatment option for end-stage liver failure. Now that newer, more potent immunosuppressants have been developed, glucocorticosteroids may no longer be needed and their removal may prevent adverse effects. To assess the benefits and harms of glucocorticosteroid avoidance (excluding intra-operative use or treatment of acute rejection) or withdrawal versus glucocorticosteroid-containing immunosuppression following liver transplantation. We searched the Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Controlled Trials Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, Science Citation Index Expanded and Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science, Literatura Americano e do Caribe em Ciencias da Saude (LILACS), World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, ClinicalTrials.gov, and The Transplant Library until May 2017. Randomised clinical trials assessing glucocorticosteroid avoidance or withdrawal versus glucocorticosteroid-containing immunosuppression for liver transplanted people. Our inclusion criteria stated that participants should have received the same co-interventions. We included trials that assessed complete glucocorticosteroid avoidance (excluding intra-operative use or treatment of acute rejection) versus short-term glucocorticosteroids, as well as trials that assessed short-term glucocorticosteroids versus long-term glucocorticosteroids. We used RevMan to conduct meta-analyses, calculating risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous variables and mean difference (MD) for continuous variables, both with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We used a random-effects model and a fixed-effect model and reported both results where a discrepancy existed; otherwise we reported only the results from the fixed-effect model. We assessed the risk of systematic errors using 'Risk of bias' domains. We controlled for random errors by performing Trial Sequential Analysis. We presented our results in a 'Summary of findings' table. We included 17 completed randomised clinical trials, but only 16 studies with 1347 participants provided data for the meta-analyses. Ten of the 16 trials assessed complete postoperative glucocorticosteroid avoidance (excluding intra-operative use or treatment of acute rejection) versus short-term glucocorticosteroids (782 participants) and six trials assessed short-term glucocorticosteroids versus long-term glucocorticosteroids (565 participants). One additional study assessed complete post-operative glucocorticosteroid avoidance but could only be incorporated into qualitative analysis of the results due to limited data published in an abstract. All trials were at high risk of bias. Only eight trials reported on the type of donor used. Overall, we found no statistically significant difference for mortality (RR 1.15, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.44; low-quality evidence), graft loss including death (RR 1.15, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.46; low-quality evidence), or infection (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.05; very low-quality evidence) when glucocorticosteroid avoidance or withdrawal was compared with glucocorticosteroid-containing immunosuppression. Acute rejection and glucocorticosteroid-resistant rejection were statistically significantly more frequent when glucocorticosteroid avoidance or withdrawal was compared with glucocorticosteroid-containing immunosuppression (RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.64; low-quality evidence; and RR 2.14, 95% CI 1.13 to 4.02; very low-quality evidence). Diabetes mellitus and hypertension were statistically significantly less frequent when glucocorticosteroid avoidance or withdrawal was compared with glucocorticosteroid-containing immunosuppression (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.99; low-quality evidence; and RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.90; low-quality evidence). We performed Trial Sequential Analysis for all outcomes. None of the outcomes crossed the monitoring boundaries or reached the required information size. Hence, we cannot exclude random errors from the results of the conventional meta-analyses. Many of the benefits and harms of glucocorticosteroid avoidance or withdrawal remain uncertain because of the limited number of published randomised clinical trials, limited numbers of participants and outcomes, and high risk of bias in the trials. Glucocorticosteroid avoidance or withdrawal appears to reduce diabetes mellitus and hypertension whilst increasing acute rejection, glucocorticosteroid-resistant rejection, and renal impairment. We could identify no other benefits or harms of glucocorticosteroid avoidance or withdrawal. Glucocorticosteroid avoidance or withdrawal may be of benefit in selected patients, especially those at low risk of rejection and high risk of hypertension or diabetes mellitus. The optimal duration of glucocorticosteroid administration remains unclear. More randomised clinical trials assessing glucocorticosteroid avoidance or withdrawal are needed. These should be large, high-quality trials that minimise the risk of random and systematic error.

Relationship between Personality Traits and Endogenous Analgesia: The Role of Harm Avoidance.

PubMed

Nahman-Averbuch, Hadas; Yarnitsky, David; Sprecher, Elliot; Granovsky, Yelena; Granot, Michal

2016-01-01

Whether psychological factors such as anxiety and pain catastrophizing levels influence the expression of endogenous analgesia in general and, more specifically, the conditioned pain modulation (CPM) response is still under debate. It may be assumed that other psychological characteristics also play a role in the CPM response. The neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine are involved both in CPM, as well as personality traits such as harm avoidance (HA), novelty seeking (NS), and reward dependence (RD), which can be obtained by the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ). However, the associations between these traits (HA, NS, and RD) with endogenous analgesia revealed by CPM have not yet been explored. Healthy middle-age subjects (n = 28) completed the TPQ, Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory, and the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and were assessed for CPM paradigms using thermal phasic temporal summation as the "test stimulus" and hand immersion into hot water bath (CPM water) or contact heat (CPM contact) for "conditioning stimulus." Higher levels of HA were associated with less-efficient CPM responses obtained by both paradigms: CPM water (r = 0.418, P = 0.027) and CPM contact (r = 0.374, P = 0.050). However, NS and RD were not associated with the other measurements. No significant relationship was observed between state anxiety and pain catastrophizing levels and the CPM responses. The relationship between the capacity of endogenous analgesia and the tendency to avoid aversive experience can be explained by mutual mechanisms involving similar neurotransmitters or brain areas. These findings illuminate the key role of harm avoidance obtained by the TPQ in determining the characteristics of pain modulation profile. © 2014 World Institute of Pain.

From coupled elementary units to the complexity of the glass transition.

PubMed

Rehwald, Christian; Rubner, Oliver; Heuer, Andreas

2010-09-10

Supercooled liquids display fascinating properties upon cooling such as the emergence of dynamic length scales. Different models strongly vary with respect to the choice of the elementary subsystems as well as their mutual coupling. Here we show via computer simulations of a glass former that both ingredients can be identified via analysis of finite-size effects within the continuous-time random walk framework. The subsystems already contain complete information about thermodynamics and diffusivity, whereas the coupling determines structural relaxation and the emergence of dynamic length scales.

Modeling channel interference in an orbital angular momentum-multiplexed laser link

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anguita, Jaime A.; Neifeld, Mark A.; Vasic, Bane V.

2009-08-01

We study the effects of optical turbulence on the energy crosstalk among constituent orbital angular momentum (OAM) states in a vortex-based multi-channel laser communication link and determine channel interference in terms of turbulence strength and OAM state separation. We characterize the channel interference as a function of C2n and transmit OAM state, and propose probability models to predict the random fluctuations in the received signals for such architecture. Simulations indicate that turbulence-induced channel interference is mutually correlated across receive channels.

PLANETESIMAL FORMATION BY GRAVITATIONAL INSTABILITY OF A POROUS DUST DISK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Michikoshi, Shugo; Kokubo, Eiichiro, E-mail: michikos@ccs.tsukuba.ac.jp, E-mail: kokubo@th.nao.ac.jp

2016-07-10

It has recently been proposed that porous icy dust aggregates are formed by the pairwise accretion of dust aggregates beyond the snowline. We calculate the equilibrium random velocity of porous dust aggregates, taking into account mutual gravitational scattering, collisions, gas drag, and turbulent stirring and scattering. We find that the disk of porous dust aggregates becomes gravitationally unstable as the aggregates evolve through gravitational compression in the minimum-mass solar nebula model for a reasonable range of turbulence strength, which leads to rapid formation of planetesimals.

Finite-sample corrected generalized estimating equation of population average treatment effects in stepped wedge cluster randomized trials.

PubMed

Scott, JoAnna M; deCamp, Allan; Juraska, Michal; Fay, Michael P; Gilbert, Peter B

2017-04-01

Stepped wedge designs are increasingly commonplace and advantageous for cluster randomized trials when it is both unethical to assign placebo, and it is logistically difficult to allocate an intervention simultaneously to many clusters. We study marginal mean models fit with generalized estimating equations for assessing treatment effectiveness in stepped wedge cluster randomized trials. This approach has advantages over the more commonly used mixed models that (1) the population-average parameters have an important interpretation for public health applications and (2) they avoid untestable assumptions on latent variable distributions and avoid parametric assumptions about error distributions, therefore, providing more robust evidence on treatment effects. However, cluster randomized trials typically have a small number of clusters, rendering the standard generalized estimating equation sandwich variance estimator biased and highly variable and hence yielding incorrect inferences. We study the usual asymptotic generalized estimating equation inferences (i.e., using sandwich variance estimators and asymptotic normality) and four small-sample corrections to generalized estimating equation for stepped wedge cluster randomized trials and for parallel cluster randomized trials as a comparison. We show by simulation that the small-sample corrections provide improvement, with one correction appearing to provide at least nominal coverage even with only 10 clusters per group. These results demonstrate the viability of the marginal mean approach for both stepped wedge and parallel cluster randomized trials. We also study the comparative performance of the corrected methods for stepped wedge and parallel designs, and describe how the methods can accommodate interval censoring of individual failure times and incorporate semiparametric efficient estimators.

Temporal variation in the mating structure of Sanday, Orkney Islands.

PubMed

Brennan, E R; Relethford, J H

1983-01-01

Pedigree and vital statistics data from the population of Sanday, Orkney Islands, Scotland, were used to assess temporal changes in population structure. Secular trends in patterns of mate choice were analysed for three separate birth cohorts of spouses: 1855-1884, 1885-1924 and 1925-1964. The degree to which mating was random or assortative with respect to both genealogical and geographic distance was determined by comparing average characteristics of all potential mates of married males with those of actual wives. We integrated this procedure, originally developed by Dyke (1971), into a three-fold investigation of population structure: (1) comparison of random and non-random components of relatedness as measured from pedigree data; (2) an analysis of marital distance distributions for actual and potential mates of married males; and (3) the relationship between genealogical relatedness and geographic distance. As population size decreased from 1881 to the present, total kinship and spatial distances between spouses increased. Whereas the random component of relatedness increased over time, consanguinity avoidance was sufficient to decrease the total coefficient of kinship over time. Part of the increase in consanguinity avoidance was associated with isolate breakdown, as distances between island-born spouses, as well as the total amount of off-island migration, increased from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Mate choice was influenced by geographic distance for all time periods, although this effect diminished over time. Since decreases in population size, concomitant with increases in consanguinity avoidance and community exogamy, have probably occurred quite frequently in small human populations, as well as in rural Western communities in the past century, observed secular trends illustrate the potential for change in population structure characteristic of isolate breakdown.

12 CFR 575.12 - Conversion or liquidation of mutual holding companies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Conversion or liquidation of mutual holding... MUTUAL HOLDING COMPANIES § 575.12 Conversion or liquidation of mutual holding companies. (a) Conversion... stock issued by the parent mutual holding company in connection with the conversion of the parent mutual...

Augmenting Outpatient Alcohol Treatment as Usual With Online Alcohol Avoidance Training: Protocol for a Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Bratti-van der Werf, Marleen Kj; Laurens, Melissa C; Postel, Marloes G; Pieterse, Marcel E; Ben Allouch, Somaya; Wiers, Reinout W; Bohlmeijer, Ernst T; Salemink, Elske

2018-03-01

Recent theoretical models emphasize the role of impulsive processes in alcohol addiction, which can be retrained with computerized Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) training. In this study, the focus is on action tendencies that are activated relatively automatically. The aim of the study is to examine the effectiveness of online CBM Alcohol Avoidance Training using an adapted Approach-Avoidance Task as a supplement to treatment as usual (TAU) in an outpatient treatment setting. The effectiveness of 8 online sessions of CBM Alcohol Avoidance Training added to TAU is tested in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial with pre- and postassessments, plus follow-up assessments after 3 and 6 months. Participants are adult patients (age 18 years or over) currently following Web-based or face-to-face TAU to reduce or stop drinking. These patients are randomly assigned to a CBM Alcohol Avoidance or a placebo training. The primary outcome measure is a reduction in alcohol consumption. We hypothesize that TAU + CBM will result in up to a 13-percentage point incremental effect in the number of patients reaching the safe drinking guidelines compared to TAU + placebo CBM. Secondary outcome measures include an improvement in health status and a decrease in depression, anxiety, stress, and possible mediation by the change in approach bias. Finally, patients' adherence, acceptability, and credibility will be examined. The trial was funded in 2014 and is currently in the active participant recruitment phase (since May 2015). Enrolment will be completed in 2019. First results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2020. The main purpose of this study is to increase our knowledge about the added value of online Alcohol Avoidance Training as a supplement to TAU in an outpatient treatment setting. If the added effectiveness of the training is proven, the next step could be to incorporate the intervention into current treatment. Netherlands Trial Register NTR5087; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=5087 (Archived at WebCite http://www.webcitation.org/6wuS4i1tH). ©Marleen KJ Bratti-van der Werf, Melissa C Laurens, Marloes G Postel, Marcel E Pieterse, Somaya Ben Allouch, Reinout W Wiers, Ernst T Bohlmeijer, Elske Salemink. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 01.03.2018.

Penna Bit-String Model with Constant Population

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Oliveira, P. M. C.; de Oliveira, S. Moss; Sá Martins, J. S.

We removed from the Penna model for biological aging any random killing Verhulst factor. Deaths are due only to genetic diseases and the population size is fixed, instead of fluctuating around some constant value. We show that these modifications give qualitatively the same results obtained in an earlier paper, where the random killings (used to avoid an exponential increase of the population) were applied only to newborns.

Randomized shortest-path problems: two related models.

PubMed

Saerens, Marco; Achbany, Youssef; Fouss, François; Yen, Luh

2009-08-01

This letter addresses the problem of designing the transition probabilities of a finite Markov chain (the policy) in order to minimize the expected cost for reaching a destination node from a source node while maintaining a fixed level of entropy spread throughout the network (the exploration). It is motivated by the following scenario. Suppose you have to route agents through a network in some optimal way, for instance, by minimizing the total travel cost-nothing particular up to now-you could use a standard shortest-path algorithm. Suppose, however, that you want to avoid pure deterministic routing policies in order, for instance, to allow some continual exploration of the network, avoid congestion, or avoid complete predictability of your routing strategy. In other words, you want to introduce some randomness or unpredictability in the routing policy (i.e., the routing policy is randomized). This problem, which will be called the randomized shortest-path problem (RSP), is investigated in this work. The global level of randomness of the routing policy is quantified by the expected Shannon entropy spread throughout the network and is provided a priori by the designer. Then, necessary conditions to compute the optimal randomized policy-minimizing the expected routing cost-are derived. Iterating these necessary conditions, reminiscent of Bellman's value iteration equations, allows computing an optimal policy, that is, a set of transition probabilities in each node. Interestingly and surprisingly enough, this first model, while formulated in a totally different framework, is equivalent to Akamatsu's model ( 1996 ), appearing in transportation science, for a special choice of the entropy constraint. We therefore revisit Akamatsu's model by recasting it into a sum-over-paths statistical physics formalism allowing easy derivation of all the quantities of interest in an elegant, unified way. For instance, it is shown that the unique optimal policy can be obtained by solving a simple linear system of equations. This second model is therefore more convincing because of its computational efficiency and soundness. Finally, simulation results obtained on simple, illustrative examples show that the models behave as expected.

Effect of Retraining Approach-Avoidance Tendencies on an Exercise Task: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Cheval, Boris; Sarrazin, Philippe; Pelletier, Luc; Friese, Malte

2016-12-01

Promoting regular physical activity (PA) and lessening sedentary behaviors (SB) constitute a public health priority. Recent evidence suggests that PA and SB are not only related to reflective processes (eg, behavioral intentions), but also to impulsive approach-avoidance tendencies (IAAT). This study aims to test the effect of a computerized IAAT intervention on an exercise task. Participants (N = 115) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 experimental conditions, in which they were either trained to approach PA and avoid SB (ApPA-AvSB condition), to approach SB and avoid PA (ApSB-AvPA condition), or to approach and avoid PA and SB equally often (active control condition). The main outcome variable was the time spent carrying out a moderate intensity exercise task. IAAT toward PA decreased in the ApSB-AvPA condition, tended to increase in the ApPA-AvSB condition, and remained stable in the control condition. Most importantly, the ApPA-AvSB manipulation led to more time spent exercising than the ApSB-AvPA condition. Sensitivity analyses excluding individuals who were highly physically active further revealed that participants in the ApPA-AvSB condition spent more time exercising than participants in the control condition. These findings provide preliminary evidence that a single intervention session can successfully change impulsive approach tendencies toward PA and can increase the time devoted to an exercise task, especially among individuals who need to be more physically active. Potential implications for health behavior theories and behavior change interventions are outlined.

A multi-site proof-of-concept investigation of computerized approach-avoidance training in adolescent cannabis users.

PubMed

Jacobus, Joanna; Taylor, Charles T; Gray, Kevin M; Meredith, Lindsay R; Porter, Anna M; Li, Irene; Castro, Norma; Squeglia, Lindsay M

2018-06-01

Few effective treatment options exist for cannabis-using youth. This pilot study aimed to test Approach-Avoidance Training to reduce cannabis use with non-treatment-seeking adolescents. Eighty cannabis-using non-treatment-seeking adolescents (average age 19) were recruited from San Diego, California and Charleston, South Carolina, and randomized to complete either six sessions of Cannabis Approach-Avoidance Task Training (CAAT-training) designed to reduce automatic approach biases for cannabis cues or CAAT-sham training. Change in two primary outcome variables was examined: 1) cannabis approach bias and 2) percent cannabis use days over study enrollment. Change in percent alcohol use days over study enrollment was explored as a secondary outcome. A mixed models repeated measures analysis confirmed the group by time interaction effect for approach bias failed to reach statistical significance (p = .06). Significant group by time interaction effects (ps < 0.05) predicted percent days of cannabis and alcohol use over study enrollment. Participants randomized to the avoid cannabis condition (CAAT-training) reported 7% fewer days of cannabis use compared to 0% change for sham; unexpectedly, those in the avoid cannabis condition reported 10% percent more alcohol use days compared to 3% more for sham. Computerized cognitive bias modification paradigms may have utility in reducing adolescent cannabis use. Future work should consider developing a paradigm that addresses both cannabis and alcohol, as well as alternative computerized approaches for coping with addictive behavior in conjunction with bias modification. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Anisotropic distribution of orbit poles of binary asteroids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pravec, P.; Scheirich, P.; Vokrouhlický, D.; Harris, A. W.; Kusnirak, P.; Hornoch, K.; Pray, D. P.; Higgins, D.; Galád, A.; Világi, J.; Gajdos, S.; Kornos, L.; Oey, J.; Husárik, M.; Cooney, W. R.; Gross, J.; Terrell, D.; Durkee, R.; Pollock, J.; Reichart, D.; Ivarsen, K.; Haislip, J.; Lacluyze, A.; Krugly, Y. N.; Gaftonyuk, N.; Dyvig, R.; Reddy, V.; Stephens, R. D.; Chiorny, V.; Vaduvescu, O.; Longa, P.; Tudorica, A.; Warner, B. D.; Masi, G.; Brinsfield, J.; Gonçalves, R.; Brown, P.; Krzeminski, Z.; Gerashchenko, O.; Marchis, F.

2011-10-01

Our photometric observations of 18 mainbelt binary systems in more than one apparition revealed a strikingly high number of 15 having positively re-observed mutual events in the return apparitions. Our simulations of the survey showed that the data strongly suggest that poles of mutual orbits between components of binary asteroids are not distributed randomly: The null hypothesis of the isotropic distribution of orbit poles is rejected at a confidence level greater than 99.99%. Binary orbit poles concentrate at high ecliptic latitudes, within 30° of the poles of the ecliptic. We propose that the binary orbit poles oriented preferentially up/down-right are due to formation of small binary systems by rotational fission of critically spinning parent bodies with poles near the YORP asymptotic states with obliquities near 0 and 180°. An alternative process of elimination of binaries with poles closer to the ecliptic by the Kozai dynamics of gravitational perturbations from the sun does not explain the observed orbit pole concentration as in the close asteroid binary systems the J2 perturbation due to the primary dominates the solar-tide effect.

Tightening the entropic uncertainty bound in the presence of quantum memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adabi, F.; Salimi, S.; Haseli, S.

2016-06-01

The uncertainty principle is a fundamental principle in quantum physics. It implies that the measurement outcomes of two incompatible observables cannot be predicted simultaneously. In quantum information theory, this principle can be expressed in terms of entropic measures. M. Berta et al. [Nat. Phys. 6, 659 (2010), 10.1038/nphys1734] have indicated that uncertainty bound can be altered by considering a particle as a quantum memory correlating with the primary particle. In this article, we obtain a lower bound for entropic uncertainty in the presence of a quantum memory by adding an additional term depending on the Holevo quantity and mutual information. We conclude that our lower bound will be tightened with respect to that of Berta et al. when the accessible information about measurements outcomes is less than the mutual information about the joint state. Some examples have been investigated for which our lower bound is tighter than Berta et al.'s lower bound. Using our lower bound, a lower bound for the entanglement of formation of bipartite quantum states has been obtained, as well as an upper bound for the regularized distillable common randomness.

Investigation of a protein complex network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mashaghi, A. R.; Ramezanpour, A.; Karimipour, V.

2004-09-01

The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the first eukaryote whose genome has been completely sequenced. It is also the first eukaryotic cell whose proteome (the set of all proteins) and interactome (the network of all mutual interactions between proteins) has been analyzed. In this paper we study the structure of the yeast protein complex network in which weighted edges between complexes represent the number of shared proteins. It is found that the network of protein complexes is a small world network with scale free behavior for many of its distributions. However we find that there are no strong correlations between the weights and degrees of neighboring complexes. To reveal non-random features of the network we also compare it with a null model in which the complexes randomly select their proteins. Finally we propose a simple evolutionary model based on duplication and divergence of proteins.

Dual-channel in-line digital holographic double random phase encryption

PubMed Central

Das, Bhargab; Yelleswarapu, Chandra S; Rao, D V G L N

2012-01-01

We present a robust encryption method for the encoding of 2D/3D objects using digital holography and virtual optics. Using our recently developed dual-plane in-line digital holography technique, two in-line digital holograms are recorded at two different planes and are encrypted using two different double random phase encryption configurations, independently. The process of using two mutually exclusive encryption channels makes the system more robust against attacks since both the channels should be decrypted accurately in order to get a recognizable reconstruction. Results show that the reconstructed object is unrecognizable even when the portion of the correct phase keys used during decryption is close to 75%. The system is verified against blind decryptions by evaluating the SNR and MSE. Validation of the proposed method and sensitivities of the associated parameters are quantitatively analyzed and illustrated. PMID:23471012

Effects of a social accountability approach, CARE's Community Score Card, on reproductive health-related outcomes in Malawi: A cluster-randomized controlled evaluation.

PubMed

Gullo, Sara; Galavotti, Christine; Sebert Kuhlmann, Anne; Msiska, Thumbiko; Hastings, Phil; Marti, C Nathan

2017-01-01

Social accountability approaches, which emphasize mutual responsibility and accountability by community members, health care workers, and local health officials for improving health outcomes in the community, are increasingly being employed in low-resource settings. We evaluated the effects of a social accountability approach, CARE's Community Score Card (CSC), on reproductive health outcomes in Ntcheu district, Malawi using a cluster-randomized control design. We matched 10 pairs of communities, randomly assigning one from each pair to intervention and control arms. We conducted two independent cross-sectional surveys of women who had given birth in the last 12 months, at baseline and at two years post-baseline. Using difference-in-difference (DiD) and local average treatment effect (LATE) estimates, we evaluated the effects on outcomes including modern contraceptive use, antenatal and postnatal care service utilization, and service satisfaction. We also evaluated changes in indicators developed by community members and service providers in the intervention areas. DiD analyses showed significantly greater improvements in the proportion of women receiving a home visit during pregnancy (B = 0.20, P < .01), receiving a postnatal visit (B = 0.06, P = .01), and overall service satisfaction (B = 0.16, P < .001) in intervention compared to control areas. LATE analyses estimated significant effects of the CSC intervention on home visits by health workers (114% higher in intervention compared to control) (B = 1.14, P < .001) and current use of modern contraceptives (57% higher) (B = 0.57, P < .01). All 13 community- and provider-developed indicators improved, with 6 of them showing significant improvements. By facilitating the relationship between community members, health service providers, and local government officials, the CSC contributed to important improvements in reproductive health-related outcomes. Further, the CSC builds mutual accountability, and ensures that solutions to problems are locally-relevant, locally-supported and feasible to implement.

The "ick" Factor Matters: Disgust Prospectively Predicts Avoidance in Chemotherapy Patients.

PubMed

Reynolds, Lisa M; Bissett, Ian P; Porter, David; Consedine, Nathan S

2016-12-01

Chemotherapy can be physically and psychologically demanding. Avoidance and withdrawal are common among patients coping with these demands. This report compares established emotional predictors of avoidance during chemotherapy (embarrassment; distress) with an emotion (disgust) that has been unstudied in this context. This report outlines secondary analyses of an RCT where 68 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy were randomized to mindfulness or relaxation interventions. Self-reported baseline disgust (DS-R), embarrassment (SES-SF), and distress (Distress Thermometer) were used to prospectively predict multiple classes of avoidance post-intervention and at 3 months follow-up. Measures assessed social avoidance, cognitive and emotional avoidance (IES Avoidance), as well as information seeking and treatment adherence (General Adherence Scale). Repeated-measures ANOVAs evaluated possible longitudinal changes in disgust and forward entry regression models contrasted the ability of the affective variables to predict avoidance. Although disgust did not change over time or vary between groups, greater disgust predicted greater social, cognitive, and emotional avoidance, as well as greater information seeking. Social avoidance was predicted by trait embarrassment and distress predicted non-adherence. This report represents the first investigation of disgust's ability to prospectively predict avoidance in people undergoing chemotherapy. Compared to embarrassment and distress, disgust was a more consistent predictor across avoidance domains and its predictive ability was evident across a longer period of time. Findings highlight disgust's role as an indicator of likely avoidance in this health context. Early identification of cancer patients at risk of deleterious avoidance may enable timely interventions and has important clinical implications (ACTRN12613000238774).

Individual wealth-based selection supports cooperation in spatial public goods games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiaojie; Szolnoki, Attila

2016-09-01

In a social dilemma game group members are allowed to decide if they contribute to the joint venture or not. As a consequence, defectors, who do not invest but only enjoy the mutual benefit, prevail and the system evolves onto the tragedy of the common state. This unfortunate scenario can be avoided if participation is not obligatory but only happens with a given probability. But what if we also consider a player’s individual wealth when to decide about participation? To address this issue we propose a model in which the probabilistic participation in the public goods game is combined with a conditional investment mode that is based on individual wealth: if a player’s wealth exceeds a threshold value then it is qualified and can participate in the joint venture. Otherwise, the participation is forbidden in the investment interactions. We show that if only probabilistic participation is considered, spatially structured populations cannot support cooperation better than well-mixed populations where full defection state can also be avoided for small participation probabilities. By adding the wealth-based criterion of participation, however, structured populations are capable to augment network reciprocity relevantly and allow cooperator strategy to dominate in a broader parameter interval.

Electric sail, photonic sail and deorbiting applications of the freely guided photonic blade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janhunen, Pekka

2014-01-01

We consider a freely guided photonic blade (FGPB) which is a centrifugally stretched sheet of photonic sail membrane that can be tilted by changing the centre of mass or by other means. The FGPB can be installed at the tip of each main tether of an electric solar wind sail (E-sail) so that one can actively manage the tethers to avoid their mutual collisions and to modify the spin rate of the sail if needed. This enables a more scalable and modular E-sail than the baseline approach where auxiliary tethers are used for collision avoidance. For purely photonic sail applications one can remove the tethers and increase the size of the blades to obtain a novel variant of the heliogyro that can have a significantly higher packing density than the traditional heliogyro. For satellite deorbiting in low Earth orbit (LEO) conditions, analogous designs exist where the E-sail effect is replaced by the negative polarity plasma brake effect and the photonic pressure by atmospheric drag. We conclude that the FGPB appears to be an enabling technique for diverse applications. We also outline a way of demonstrating it on ground and in LEO at low cost.

Sustained cooperation by running away from bad behavior

PubMed Central

Efferson, Charles; Roca, Carlos P.; Vogt, Sonja; Helbing, Dirk

2016-01-01

For cooperation to evolve, some mechanism must limit the rate at which cooperators are exposed to defectors. Only then can the advantages of mutual cooperation outweigh the costs of being exploited. Although researchers widely agree on this, they disagree intensely about which evolutionary mechanisms can explain the extraordinary cooperation exhibited by humans. Much of the controversy follows from disagreements about the informational regularity that allows cooperators to avoid defectors. Reliable information can allow cooperative individuals to avoid exploitation, but which mechanisms can sustain such a situation is a matter of considerable dispute. We conducted a behavioral experiment to see if cooperators could avoid defectors when provided with limited amounts of explicit information. We gave each participant the simple option to move away from her current neighborhood at any time. Participants were not identifiable as individuals, and they could not track each other's tendency to behave more or less cooperatively. More broadly, a participant had no information about the behavior she was likely to encounter if she moved, and so information about the risk of exploitation was extremely limited. Nonetheless, our results show that simply providing the option to move allowed cooperation to persist for a long period of time. Our results further show that movement, even though it involved considerable uncertainty, allowed would-be cooperators to assort positively and eliminate on average any individual payoff disadvantage associated with cooperation. This suggests that choosing to move, even under limited information, can completely reorganize the mix of selective forces relevant for the evolution of cooperation. PMID:26766895

Integration of Weather Avoidance and Traffic Separation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Consiglio, Maria C.; Chamberlain, James P.; Wilson, Sara R.

2011-01-01

This paper describes a dynamic convective weather avoidance concept that compensates for weather motion uncertainties; the integration of this weather avoidance concept into a prototype 4-D trajectory-based Airborne Separation Assurance System (ASAS) application; and test results from a batch (non-piloted) simulation of the integrated application with high traffic densities and a dynamic convective weather model. The weather model can simulate a number of pseudo-random hazardous weather patterns, such as slow- or fast-moving cells and opening or closing weather gaps, and also allows for modeling of onboard weather radar limitations in range and azimuth. The weather avoidance concept employs nested "core" and "avoid" polygons around convective weather cells, and the simulations assess the effectiveness of various avoid polygon sizes in the presence of different weather patterns, using traffic scenarios representing approximately two times the current traffic density in en-route airspace. Results from the simulation experiment show that the weather avoidance concept is effective over a wide range of weather patterns and cell speeds. Avoid polygons that are only 2-3 miles larger than their core polygons are sufficient to account for weather uncertainties in almost all cases, and traffic separation performance does not appear to degrade with the addition of weather polygon avoidance. Additional "lessons learned" from the batch simulation study are discussed in the paper, along with insights for improving the weather avoidance concept. Introduction

WE-FG-206-08: Pulmonary Functional Imaging Biomarkers of NSCLC to Guide and Optimize Functional Lung Avoidance Radiotherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sheikh, Khadija; Capaldi, Dante PI; Parraga, Grace

Purpose: Functional lung avoidance radiotherapy promises optimized therapy planning by minimizing dose to well-functioning lung and maximizing dose to the rest of the lung. Patients with NSCLC commonly present with co-morbid COPD and heterogeneously distributed ventilation abnormalities stemming from emphysema, airways disease, and tumour burden. We hypothesized that pulmonary functional imaging methods may be used to optimize radiotherapy plans to avoid regions of well-functioning lung and significantly improve outcomes like quality-of-life and survival. To ascertain the utility of functional lung avoidance therapy in clinical practice, we measured COPD phenotypes in NSCLC patients enrolled in a randomized-controlled-clinical-trial prior to curative intentmore » therapy. Methods: Thirty stage IIIA/IIIB NSCLC patients provided written informed consent to a randomized-controlled-clinical-trial ( http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02002052 ) comparing outcomes in patients randomized to standard or image-guided radiotherapy. Hyperpolarized noble gas MRI ventilation-defect-percent (VDP) (Kirby et al, Acad Radiol, 2012) as well as CT-emphysema measurements were determined. Patients were stratified based on quantitative imaging evidence of ventilation-defects and emphysema into two subgroups: 1) tumour-specific ventilation defects only (TSD), and, 2) tumour-specific and other ventilation defects with and without emphysema (TSD{sub VE}). Receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curves were used to characterize the performance of clinical measures as predictors of the presence of non-tumour specific ventilation defects. Results: Twenty-one out of thirty subjects (70%) had non-tumour specific ventilation defects (TSD{sub VE}) and nine subjects had ONLY tumour-specific defects (TSD). Subjects in the TSD{sub VE} group had significantly greater smoking-history (p=.006) and airflow obstruction (FEV{sub 1}/FVC) (p=.001). ROC analysis demonstrated an 87% classification rate for smoking pack-years, 90% for FEV{sub 1}/FVC, and 56% for tumour RECIST measurements for identifying patients with non-tumour and tumour-specific ventilation abnormalities. Conclusion: 70% of NSCLC patients had ventilation abnormalities stemming from emphysema, airways disease and tumour burden. Smoking-history and airflow obstruction, but not RECIST, identified NSCLC patients with ventilation abnormalities appropriate for functional lung avoidance therapy.« less

Robust reliable sampled-data control for switched systems with application to flight control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakthivel, R.; Joby, Maya; Shi, P.; Mathiyalagan, K.

2016-11-01

This paper addresses the robust reliable stabilisation problem for a class of uncertain switched systems with random delays and norm bounded uncertainties. The main aim of this paper is to obtain the reliable robust sampled-data control design which involves random time delay with an appropriate gain control matrix for achieving the robust exponential stabilisation for uncertain switched system against actuator failures. In particular, the involved delays are assumed to be randomly time-varying which obeys certain mutually uncorrelated Bernoulli distributed white noise sequences. By constructing an appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional (LKF) and employing an average-dwell time approach, a new set of criteria is derived for ensuring the robust exponential stability of the closed-loop switched system. More precisely, the Schur complement and Jensen's integral inequality are used in derivation of stabilisation criteria. By considering the relationship among the random time-varying delay and its lower and upper bounds, a new set of sufficient condition is established for the existence of reliable robust sampled-data control in terms of solution to linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Finally, an illustrative example based on the F-18 aircraft model is provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed design procedures.

Bayesian prestack seismic inversion with a self-adaptive Huber-Markov random-field edge protection scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Yu-Kun; Zhou, Hui; Chen, Han-Ming; Zou, Ya-Ming; Guan, Shou-Jun

2013-12-01

Seismic inversion is a highly ill-posed problem, due to many factors such as the limited seismic frequency bandwidth and inappropriate forward modeling. To obtain a unique solution, some smoothing constraints, e.g., the Tikhonov regularization are usually applied. The Tikhonov method can maintain a global smooth solution, but cause a fuzzy structure edge. In this paper we use Huber-Markov random-field edge protection method in the procedure of inverting three parameters, P-velocity, S-velocity and density. The method can avoid blurring the structure edge and resist noise. For the parameter to be inverted, the Huber-Markov random-field constructs a neighborhood system, which further acts as the vertical and lateral constraints. We use a quadratic Huber edge penalty function within the layer to suppress noise and a linear one on the edges to avoid a fuzzy result. The effectiveness of our method is proved by inverting the synthetic data without and with noises. The relationship between the adopted constraints and the inversion results is analyzed as well.

Quantization of Gaussian samples at very low SNR regime in continuous variable QKD applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daneshgaran, Fred; Mondin, Marina

2016-09-01

The main problem for information reconciliation in continuous variable Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) at low Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) is quantization and assignment of labels to the samples of the Gaussian Random Variables (RVs) observed at Alice and Bob. Trouble is that most of the samples, assuming that the Gaussian variable is zero mean which is de-facto the case, tend to have small magnitudes and are easily disturbed by noise. Transmission over longer and longer distances increases the losses corresponding to a lower effective SNR exasperating the problem. This paper looks at the quantization problem of the Gaussian samples at very low SNR regime from an information theoretic point of view. We look at the problem of two bit per sample quantization of the Gaussian RVs at Alice and Bob and derive expressions for the mutual information between the bit strings as a result of this quantization. The quantization threshold for the Most Significant Bit (MSB) should be chosen based on the maximization of the mutual information between the quantized bit strings. Furthermore, while the LSB string at Alice and Bob are balanced in a sense that their entropy is close to maximum, this is not the case for the second most significant bit even under optimal threshold. We show that with two bit quantization at SNR of -3 dB we achieve 75.8% of maximal achievable mutual information between Alice and Bob, hence, as the number of quantization bits increases beyond 2-bits, the number of additional useful bits that can be extracted for secret key generation decreases rapidly. Furthermore, the error rates between the bit strings at Alice and Bob at the same significant bit level are rather high demanding very powerful error correcting codes. While our calculations and simulation shows that the mutual information between the LSB at Alice and Bob is 0.1044 bits, that at the MSB level is only 0.035 bits. Hence, it is only by looking at the bits jointly that we are able to achieve a mutual information of 0.2217 bits which is 75.8% of maximum achievable. The implication is that only by coding both MSB and LSB jointly can we hope to get close to this 75.8% limit. Hence, non-binary codes are essential to achieve acceptable performance.

Rethinking maternal-fetal conflict: gender and equality in perinatal ethics.

PubMed

Harris, L H

2000-11-01

Practitioners who care for pregnant women face dilemmas when their patients use illicit drugs, reject medical recommendations, or cause fetal harm. Many ethics scholars characterize those situations as maternal-fetal conflicts. In conflict-based models, maternal rights are considered to conflict with fetal rights, or moral obligations owed to pregnant women are considered to conflict with those owed to their fetuses. I offer an alternative model of pregnancy ethics by applying relational and equality-based moral theories to situations of fetal harm by pregnant women. In this model, clinicians faced with ethical dilemmas should attempt to understand pregnant women and their decisions within their broad social networks and communities, ask how the clinician's personal standpoint influences outcomes judged to be ethical, and determine whether the clinician's ethical formulations reduce or enhance existing gender, class, or racial inequality. This model focuses on the mutual needs of pregnant women and fetuses rather than on their mutually exclusive needs. It also avoids many pitfalls of traditional ethical formulations, specifically their tendency to neglect gender-specific modes of moral reasoning, their implicit assumptions that application of universal principles like autonomy and beneficence results in objective ethical solutions, and their failure to account for the ways that projecting fetal needs perpetuates social inequalities. This model provides the ethical foundations for moving law and policy away from criminalization and toward prevention of prenatal harm.

Meeting and treating cultural difference in primary care: a qualitative interview study.

PubMed

Wachtler, Caroline; Brorsson, Annika; Troein, Margareta

2006-02-01

Primary care doctors see patients from diverse cultural backgrounds and communication plays an important role in diagnosis and treatment. Communication problems can arise when patient and doctor do not share the same cultural background. The aim of this study was to examine how consultations with immigrant patients are understood by GPs and how GPs manage these consultations. Semi-structured interviews with GPs about their experiences with immigrant patients were recorded on audio-tape, transcribed and analysed using a qualitative thematic analysis methodology. A constructivist approach was taken to analysis and interpretation. Culture is not in focus when GPs meet immigrant patients. The consultation is seen as a meeting between individuals, where cultural difference is just one of many individual factors that influence how well doctor and patient understand each other. However, when mutual understanding is poor and the consultation not successful, cultural differences are central. The GPs try to conduct their consultations with immigrant patients in the same way that they conduct all their consultations. There is no specific focus on culture, instead, GPs tend to avoid addressing even pronounced cultural differences. This study indicates that cultural difference is not treated in GPs consultation with immigrant patients. Learning about cultural difference's effect on mutual understanding between doctor and patient could improve GPs cross-cultural communication. Increased awareness of the culture the doctor brings to the consultation could facilitate management of cross-cultural consultations.

A framework for the identification of long-term social avoidance in longitudinal datasets

PubMed Central

Levengood, Alexis; Foroughirad, Vivienne; Mann, Janet; Krzyszczyk, Ewa

2017-01-01

Animal sociality is of significant interest to evolutionary and behavioural ecologists, with efforts focused on the patterns, causes and fitness outcomes of social preference. However, individual social patterns are the consequence of both attraction to (preference for) and avoidance of conspecifics. Despite this, social avoidance has received far less attention than social preference. Here, we detail the necessary steps to generate a spatially explicit, iterative null model which can be used to identify non-random social avoidance in longitudinal studies of social animals. We specifically identify and detail parameters which will influence the validity of the model. To test the usability of this model, we applied it to two longitudinal studies of social animals (Eastern water dragons (Intellegama lesueurii) and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus)) to identify the presence of social avoidances. Using this model allowed us to identify the presence of social avoidances in both species. We hope that the framework presented here inspires interest in addressing this critical gap in our understanding of animal sociality, in turn allowing for a more holistic understanding of social interactions, relationships and structure. PMID:28879006

A framework for the identification of long-term social avoidance in longitudinal datasets.

PubMed

Strickland, Kasha; Levengood, Alexis; Foroughirad, Vivienne; Mann, Janet; Krzyszczyk, Ewa; Frère, Celine H

2017-08-01

Animal sociality is of significant interest to evolutionary and behavioural ecologists, with efforts focused on the patterns, causes and fitness outcomes of social preference. However, individual social patterns are the consequence of both attraction to (preference for) and avoidance of conspecifics. Despite this, social avoidance has received far less attention than social preference. Here, we detail the necessary steps to generate a spatially explicit, iterative null model which can be used to identify non-random social avoidance in longitudinal studies of social animals. We specifically identify and detail parameters which will influence the validity of the model. To test the usability of this model, we applied it to two longitudinal studies of social animals (Eastern water dragons ( Intellegama lesueurii ) and bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops aduncus )) to identify the presence of social avoidances. Using this model allowed us to identify the presence of social avoidances in both species. We hope that the framework presented here inspires interest in addressing this critical gap in our understanding of animal sociality, in turn allowing for a more holistic understanding of social interactions, relationships and structure.

Enhancing the Selection of Backoff Interval Using Fuzzy Logic over Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

PubMed Central

Ranganathan, Radha; Kannan, Kathiravan

2015-01-01

IEEE 802.11 is the de facto standard for medium access over wireless ad hoc network. The collision avoidance mechanism (i.e., random binary exponential backoff—BEB) of IEEE 802.11 DCF (distributed coordination function) is inefficient and unfair especially under heavy load. In the literature, many algorithms have been proposed to tune the contention window (CW) size. However, these algorithms make every node select its backoff interval between [0, CW] in a random and uniform manner. This randomness is incorporated to avoid collisions among the nodes. But this random backoff interval can change the optimal order and frequency of channel access among competing nodes which results in unfairness and increased delay. In this paper, we propose an algorithm that schedules the medium access in a fair and effective manner. This algorithm enhances IEEE 802.11 DCF with additional level of contention resolution that prioritizes the contending nodes according to its queue length and waiting time. Each node computes its unique backoff interval using fuzzy logic based on the input parameters collected from contending nodes through overhearing. We evaluate our algorithm against IEEE 802.11, GDCF (gentle distributed coordination function) protocols using ns-2.35 simulator and show that our algorithm achieves good performance. PMID:25879066

Is there a sensitive period in human incest avoidance?

PubMed

Luo, Liqun

2011-06-24

Many studies support the proposition that early cosocialization with opposite-sex children has the effect of inhibiting later mutual sexual attraction, but the existence of a period in the life cycle in which individuals are sensitive to the effect of early cosocialization has been a matter of controversy. Drawing on earlier traditional psychological research, and on more recent work guided by parental investment theory, we hypothesized that only for maternal perinatal association (MPA)-absent males a less-than- around-three-years age difference with the sister can predict stronger aversion to sibling incest. The results corroborated the hypothesis. The results can be interpreted as support for the existence of a sensitive period as well as for the potent role of MPA. Cross-cultural comparative studies were called on to further test the hypothesis.

On the wake of a Darrieus turbine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Base, T. E.; Phillips, P.; Robertson, G.; Nowak, E. S.

1981-01-01

The theory and experimental measurements on the aerodynamic decay of a wake from high performance vertical axis wind turbine are discussed. In the initial experimental study, the wake downstream of a model Darrieus rotor, 28 cm diameter and a height of 45.5 cm, was measured in a Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel. The wind turbine was run at the design tip speed ratio of 5.5. It was found that the wake decayed at a slower rate with distance downstream of the turbine, than a wake from a screen with similar troposkein shape and drag force characteristics as the Darrieus rotor. The initial wind tunnel results indicated that the vertical axis wind turbines should be spaced at least forty diameters apart to avoid mutual power depreciation greater than ten per cent.

Paradox of pattern separation and adult neurogenesis: A dual role for new neurons balancing memory resolution and robustness.

PubMed

Johnston, Stephen T; Shtrahman, Matthew; Parylak, Sarah; Gonçalves, J Tiago; Gage, Fred H

2016-03-01

Hippocampal adult neurogenesis is thought to subserve pattern separation, the process by which similar patterns of neuronal inputs are transformed into distinct neuronal representations, permitting the discrimination of highly similar stimuli in hippocampus-dependent tasks. However, the mechanism by which immature adult-born dentate granule neurons cells (abDGCs) perform this function remains unknown. Two theories of abDGC function, one by which abDGCs modulate and sparsify activity in the dentate gyrus and one by which abDGCs act as autonomous coding units, are generally suggested to be mutually exclusive. This review suggests that these two mechanisms work in tandem to dynamically regulate memory resolution while avoiding memory interference and maintaining memory robustness. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Safety analysis of discrete event systems using a simplified Petri net controller.

PubMed

Zareiee, Meysam; Dideban, Abbas; Asghar Orouji, Ali

2014-01-01

This paper deals with the problem of forbidden states in discrete event systems based on Petri net models. So, a method is presented to prevent the system from entering these states by constructing a small number of generalized mutual exclusion constraints. This goal is achieved by solving three types of Integer Linear Programming problems. The problems are designed to verify the constraints that some of them are related to verifying authorized states and the others are related to avoiding forbidden states. The obtained constraints can be enforced on the system using a small number of control places. Moreover, the number of arcs related to these places is small, and the controller after connecting them is maximally permissive. © 2013 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Universities Reaching Outwards: Science Education Partnerships with Urban School Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandifer, Cody

2013-03-01

The goals of this talk are to: (1) describe how universities, physics departments, and individual faculty can partner with urban school systems to benefit K-16 students, teacher education programs, and university instructors, (2) summarize research on effective university-school system education partnerships, and (3) offer advice and share lessons learned so that university partners can avoid common pitfalls and maximize the potential for collaborative success. Possible areas of university-school collaboration include resident teachers, curricular review, early teaching experiences, demo sharing sessions, ongoing professional development, on- and off-campus science outreach, RET programs, science education resource centers, and others. University-school educational partnerships offer numerous benefits but can be challenging to implement and maintain. Research shows that most successful partnerships possess the following characteristics: mutual self-interest, participant commitment, mutual trust and respect, shared decision-making, information sharing, and ongoing evaluation. K-16 course and curriculum redesign is a specific issue that has its own unique set of contextual factors that impact the project's chance at success, including available materials, administrative support, formative assessments, pilot-testing and instructor feedback, and ongoing professional development. I have learned a number of lessons in own science education collaborations with the Baltimore City Public School System, which is an urban school system with 200 schools, 84,000 students, and 10,700 teachers and administrators. These lessons pertain to: communication, administrative power, and the structure of the school system; relevant contextual factors in the university and K-12 schools; and good old-fashioned common sense.Specific advice on K-16 science education partnerships will be provided to help universities increase student and instructor satisfaction with their physics and teacher education programs, maintain a positive and mutually beneficial relationship with local schools, and improve science education at all levels of instruction. Common sense is encouraged, but not required, to attend the invited talk.

24 CFR 203.422 - Right and liability under Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Mortgage Insurance Fund and Distributive Shares § 203.422 Right and liability under Mutual Mortgage... to any liability arising under the mutuality of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Right and liability under Mutual...

24 CFR 203.422 - Right and liability under Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Mortgage Insurance Fund and Distributive Shares § 203.422 Right and liability under Mutual Mortgage... to any liability arising under the mutuality of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Right and liability under Mutual...

Mutuality in the provision of Scottish healthcare.

PubMed

Howieson, Brian

2015-11-01

The backdrop to this article is provided by the Better Health, Better Care Action Plan (Scottish Government, 2007), Section 1 of which is entitled 'Towards a Mutual NHS'. According to Better Health, Better Care (Scottish Government, 2007: 5): 'Mutual organisations are designed to serve their members. They are designed to gather people around a common sense of purpose. They are designed to bring the organisation together in what people often call "co-production."' The aim of this article is to précis the current knowledge of mutuality in the provision of Scottish healthcare. In detail, it will: introduce the 'mutual' organisation; offer a historical perspective of mutuality; suggest why healthcare mutuality is important; and briefly, detail the differences in mutual health-care policy in England and Scotland. It is hoped that this analysis will help researchers and practitioners alike appreciate further the philosophy of mutuality in the provision of Scottish healthcare. © The Author(s) 2015.

Analysis of random drop for gateway congestion control. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hashem, Emam Salaheddin

1989-01-01

Lately, the growing demand on the Internet has prompted the need for more effective congestion control policies. Currently No Gateway Policy is used to relieve and signal congestion, which leads to unfair service to the individual users and a degradation of overall network performance. Network simulation was used to illustrate the character of Internet congestion and its causes. A newly proposed gateway congestion control policy, called Random Drop, was considered as a promising solution to the pressing problem. Random Drop relieves resource congestion upon buffer overflow by choosing a random packet from the service queue to be dropped. The random choice should result in a drop distribution proportional to the bandwidth distribution among all contending TCP connections, thus applying the necessary fairness. Nonetheless, the simulation experiments demonstrate several shortcomings with this policy. Because Random Drop is a congestion control policy, which is not applied until congestion has already occurred, it usually results in a high drop rate that hurts too many connections including well-behaved ones. Even though the number of packets dropped is different from one connection to another depending on the buffer utilization upon overflow, the TCP recovery overhead is high enough to neutralize these differences, causing unfair congestion penalties. Besides, the drop distribution itself is an inaccurate representation of the average bandwidth distribution, missing much important information about the bandwidth utilization between buffer overflow events. A modification of Random Drop to do congestion avoidance by applying the policy early was also proposed. Early Random Drop has the advantage of avoiding the high drop rate of buffer overflow. The early application of the policy removes the pressure of congestion relief and allows more accurate signaling of congestion. To be used effectively, algorithms for the dynamic adjustment of the parameters of Early Random Drop to suite the current network load must still be developed.

[Effect of 5-HT1A receptors in the hippocampal DG on active avoidance learning in rats].

PubMed

Jiang, Feng-ze; Lv, Jing; Wang, Dan; Jiang, Hai-ying; Li, Ying-shun; Jin, Qing-hua

2015-01-01

To investigate the effects of serotonin (5-HTIA) receptors in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) on active avoidance learning in rats. Totally 36 SD rats were randomly divided into control group, antagonist group and agonist group(n = 12). Active avoidance learning ability of rats was assessed by the shuttle box. The extracellular concentrations of 5-HT in the DG during active avoidance conditioned reflex were measured by microdialysis and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques. Then the antagonist (WAY-100635) or agonist (8-OH-DPAT) of the 5-HT1A receptors were microinjected into the DG region, and the active avoidance learning was measured. (1) During the active avoidance learning, the concentration of 5-HT in the hippocampal DG was significantly increased in the extinction but not establishment in the conditioned reflex, which reached 164.90% ± 26.07% (P <0.05) of basal level. (2) The microinjection of WAY-100635 (an antagonist of 5-HT1A receptor) into the DG did not significantly affect the active avoidance learning. (3) The microinjection of 8-OH-DPAT(an agonist of 5-HT1A receptor) into the DG significantly facilitated the establishment process and inhibited the extinction process during active avoidance conditioned reflex. The data suggest that activation of 5-HT1A receptors in hipocampal DG may facilitate active avoidance learning and memory in rats.

The Interrelationships of Coping Styles and Professional Burnout Among Physiotherapists

PubMed Central

Nowakowska-Domagala, Katarzyna; Jablkowska-Górecka, Karolina; Kostrzanowska-Jarmakowska, Lilianna; Mortoń, Marta; Stecz, Patryk

2015-01-01

Abstract Burnout is a pathological syndrome in which emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DEP), and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment (PA) develop in response to prolonged occupational stress. Those working in the physiotherapy profession appear to be at risk for professional burnout brought on by the specific character of the medical professions, involving continuous contact with patients and associated stress, as well as poor working conditions. However, literature data concerning the scale of professional burnout and its psychosocial correlates remain scarce. The aim of the present study was to assess the scale of professional burnout among physiotherapists and to determine the interrelationships between coping styles and burnout symptoms. The sample consisted of 117 professionally active physiotherapists (90 women and 27 men) aged 21 to 55 years (mean [M] 31.88, standard deviation [SD] = 9.14, responsiveness rate of 80.6%) from randomly selected medical institutions of the Lodz Region. The study was conducted using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) by Endler and Parker. Demographic and job-related data on the respondents were also collected. Task-oriented coping correlated negatively with DEP, EE, and low PA, in contrast to emotion-oriented coping. No correlation was found between avoidance-oriented coping and burnout symptoms. Similarly, no interactive correlations between coping styles and particular burnout symptoms were confirmed. Coping styles correlate independently with professional burnout, without any mutual correlations. Physiotherapists employing a wider spectrum of task-oriented strategies are slightly more satisfied with their job. The incidence of burnout syndrome in the analyzed group is similar to that observed in other medical professions and requires the adoption of preventive measures. PMID:26091455

The Interrelationships of Coping Styles and Professional Burnout Among Physiotherapists: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Nowakowska-Domagala, Katarzyna; Jablkowska-Górecka, Karolina; Kostrzanowska-Jarmakowska, Lilianna; Mortoń, Marta; Stecz, Patryk

2015-06-01

Burnout is a pathological syndrome in which emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DEP), and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment (PA) develop in response to prolonged occupational stress. Those working in the physiotherapy profession appear to be at risk for professional burnout brought on by the specific character of the medical professions, involving continuous contact with patients and associated stress, as well as poor working conditions. However, literature data concerning the scale of professional burnout and its psychosocial correlates remain scarce. The aim of the present study was to assess the scale of professional burnout among physiotherapists and to determine the interrelationships between coping styles and burnout symptoms. The sample consisted of 117 professionally active physiotherapists (90 women and 27 men) aged 21 to 55 years (mean [M] 31.88, standard deviation [SD] = 9.14, responsiveness rate of 80.6%) from randomly selected medical institutions of the Lodz Region. The study was conducted using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) by Endler and Parker. Demographic and job-related data on the respondents were also collected. Task-oriented coping correlated negatively with DEP, EE, and low PA, in contrast to emotion-oriented coping. No correlation was found between avoidance-oriented coping and burnout symptoms. Similarly, no interactive correlations between coping styles and particular burnout symptoms were confirmed. Coping styles correlate independently with professional burnout, without any mutual correlations. Physiotherapists employing a wider spectrum of task-oriented strategies are slightly more satisfied with their job. The incidence of burnout syndrome in the analyzed group is similar to that observed in other medical professions and requires the adoption of preventive measures.

Ecological and evolutionary conditions for fruit abortion to regulate pollinating seed-eaters and increase plant production

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holland, J. Nathaniel; DeAngelis, Donald L.

2002-01-01

Coevolved mutualisms, such as those between senita cacti, yuccas, and their respective obligate pollinators, benefit both species involved in the interaction. However, in these pollination mutualisms the pollinator's larvae impose a cost on plants through consumption of developing seeds and fruit. The effects of pollinators on benefits and costs are expected to vary with the abundance of pollinators, because large population sizes result in more eggs and larval seed-eaters. Here, we develop the hypothesis that fruit abortion, which is common in yucca, senita, and plants in general, could in some cases have the function of limiting pollinator abundance and, thereby, increasing fruit production. Using a general steady-state model of fruit production and pollinator dynamics, we demonstrate that plants involved in pollinating seed-eater mutualisms can increase their fecundity by randomly aborting fruit. We show that the ecological conditions under which fruit abortion can improve plants fecundity are not unusual. They are best met when the plant is long-lived, the population dynamics of the pollinator are much faster than those of the plant, the loss of one fruit via abortion kills a larva that would have the expectation of destroying more than one fruit through its future egg laying as an adult moth, and the effects of fruit abortion on pollinator abundance are spatially localized. We then use the approach of adaptive dynamics to find conditions under which a fruit abortion strategy based on regulating the pollinator population could feasibly evolve in this type of plant–pollinator interaction.

Duration and mutual entrainment of changes in parenting practices engendered by behavioral parent training targeting recently separated mothers.

PubMed

Reed, Andrea; Snyder, James; Staats, Sarah; Forgatch, Marion S; Degarmo, David S; Patterson, Gerald R; Low, Sabina; Sinclair, Ryan; Schmidt, Nicole

2013-06-01

Parent management training (PMT) has beneficial effects on child and parent adjustment that last for 5 to 10 years. Short-term changes in parenting practices have been shown to mediate these effects, but the manner in which changes in specific components of parenting are sequenced and become reciprocally reinforcing (or mutually entrained) to engender and sustain the cascade of long-term beneficial effects resulting from PMT has received modest empirical attention. Long-term changes in parenting resulting from the Oregon model of PMT (PMTO) over a 2-year period were examined using data from the Oregon Divorce Study-II in which 238 recently separated mothers and their 6- to 10-year-old sons were randomly assigned to PMTO or a no treatment control (NTC) group. Multiple indicators of observed parenting practices were used to define constructs for positive parenting, monitoring and discipline at baseline, and at 6-, 12-, 18- and 30-months postbaseline. PMTO relative to NTC resulted in increased positive parenting and prevented deterioration in discipline and monitoring over the 30-month period. There were reliable sequential, transactional relationships among parenting practices; positive parenting supported better subsequent monitoring, and positive parenting and better monitoring supported subsequent effective discipline. Small improvements in parenting resulting from PMTO and small deteriorations in parenting in the NTC group may be sustained and amplified by mutually entrained relationships among parenting practices. These data about the change processes engendered by PMTO may provide information needed to enhance the power, effectiveness, and efficiency of behavioral parent training interventions.

Mutual benefits in academic-service partnership: An integrative review.

PubMed

Sadeghnezhad, Maliheh; Heshmati Nabavi, Fatemeh; Najafi, Fereshteh; Kareshki, Hossein; Esmaily, Habibollah

2018-05-30

Academic and service institutions involve with many challenges. Partnership programs are a golden opportunity to achieve mutual benefits to overcome these challenges. Identifying mutual benefits is the cornerstone of forming a successful partnership and guarantee to its continuity. There are definitions and instances of mutual benefits in the literature related to partnership programs, but there is no coherent evidence and clear picture of these benefits. This study is conducted to identify mutual benefits in academic-service partnership by analyzing the definitions and instances of it in the literature. An integrative review of key papers regarding mutual benefits in academic-service partnership was undertaken. This review was guided by the framework described by Whittemore and Knafl. Search of the following databases was conducted: MEDLINE, ERIC, Google Scholar, Emerald Insight and Science Direct. The search terms were mutual benefits, mutual gains, mutual interest, mutual expectations, mutual goals, mutual demand, partnership, collaboration, academic-service partnership and academic service collaboration. Cooper's five-stage integrative review method was used. Quality evaluation of articles was conducted. Data were abstracted from included articles. The analysis was conducted based on the qualitative content analysis of the literature suggested by Zhang and Wildemuth. 28 articles were included in this review. Mutual benefits are described in four categories include: synergy in training and empowerment of human resources, education improvement, access to shared resources, facilitate production and application of beneficial knowledge into practice. Mutual benefits in the academic-service partnership include a range of goals, interests, expectations, and needs of partner organizations that is achievable and measurable through joint planning and collaboration. We suggest academic and service policymakers to consider these benefits in the planning and evaluating partnership programs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Group Differences in the Mutual Gaze of Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bard, Kim A.; Myowa-Yamakoshi, Masako; Tomonaga, Masaki; Tanaka, Masayuki; Costall, Alan; Matsuzawa, Tetsuro

2005-01-01

A comparative developmental framework was used to determine whether mutual gaze is unique to humans and, if not, whether common mechanisms support the development of mutual gaze in chimpanzees and humans. Mother-infant chimpanzees engaged in approximately 17 instances of mutual gaze per hour. Mutual gaze occurred in positive, nonagonistic…

31 CFR 1024.320 - Reports by mutual funds of suspicious transactions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Reports by mutual funds of suspicious... (Continued) FINANCIAL CRIMES ENFORCEMENT NETWORK, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY RULES FOR MUTUAL FUNDS Reports Required To Be Made By Mutual Funds § 1024.320 Reports by mutual funds of suspicious transactions. (a...

An improved label propagation algorithm based on node importance and random walk for community detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Tianren; Xia, Zhengyou

2017-05-01

Currently, with the rapid development of information technology, the electronic media for social communication is becoming more and more popular. Discovery of communities is a very effective way to understand the properties of complex networks. However, traditional community detection algorithms consider the structural characteristics of a social organization only, with more information about nodes and edges wasted. In the meanwhile, these algorithms do not consider each node on its merits. Label propagation algorithm (LPA) is a near linear time algorithm which aims to find the community in the network. It attracts many scholars owing to its high efficiency. In recent years, there are more improved algorithms that were put forward based on LPA. In this paper, an improved LPA based on random walk and node importance (NILPA) is proposed. Firstly, a list of node importance is obtained through calculation. The nodes in the network are sorted in descending order of importance. On the basis of random walk, a matrix is constructed to measure the similarity of nodes and it avoids the random choice in the LPA. Secondly, a new metric IAS (importance and similarity) is calculated by node importance and similarity matrix, which we can use to avoid the random selection in the original LPA and improve the algorithm stability. Finally, a test in real-world and synthetic networks is given. The result shows that this algorithm has better performance than existing methods in finding community structure.

Random sex determination: When developmental noise tips the sex balance.

PubMed

Perrin, Nicolas

2016-12-01

Sex-determining factors are usually assumed to be either genetic or environmental. The present paper aims at drawing attention to the potential contribution of developmental noise, an important but often-neglected component of phenotypic variance. Mutual inhibitions between male and female pathways make sex a bistable equilibrium, such that random fluctuations in the expression of genes at the top of the cascade are sufficient to drive individual development toward one or the other stable state. Evolutionary modeling shows that stochastic sex determinants should resist elimination by genetic or environmental sex determinants under ecologically meaningful settings. On the empirical side, many sex-determination systems traditionally considered as environmental or polygenic actually provide evidence for large components of stochasticity. In reviewing the field, I argue that sex-determination systems should be considered within a three-ends continuum, rather than the classical two-ends continuum. © 2016 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

Influence of evolution on the stability of ecological communities.

PubMed

Loeuille, Nicolas

2010-12-01

In randomly assembled communities, diversity is known to have a destabilizing effect. Evolution may affect this result, but our theoretical knowledge of its role is mostly limited to models of small food webs. In the present article, I introduce evolution in a two-species Lotka-Volterra model in which I vary the interaction type and the cost constraining evolution. Regardless of the cost type, evolution tends to stabilize the dynamics more often in trophic interactions than for mutualism or competition. I then use simulations to study the effect of evolution in larger communities that contain all interaction types. Results suggest that evolution usually stabilizes the dynamics. This stabilizing effect is stronger when evolution affects trophic interactions, but happens for all interaction types. Stabilization decreases with diversity and evolution becomes destabilizing in very diverse communities. This suggests that evolution may not counteract the destabilizing effect of diversity observed in random communities. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

Under-sampling trajectory design for compressed sensing based DCE-MRI.

PubMed

Liu, Duan-duan; Liang, Dong; Zhang, Na; Liu, Xin; Zhang, Yuan-ting

2013-01-01

Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) needs high temporal and spatial resolution to accurately estimate quantitative parameters and characterize tumor vasculature. Compressed Sensing (CS) has the potential to accomplish this mutual importance. However, the randomness in CS under-sampling trajectory designed using the traditional variable density (VD) scheme may translate to uncertainty in kinetic parameter estimation when high reduction factors are used. Therefore, accurate parameter estimation using VD scheme usually needs multiple adjustments on parameters of Probability Density Function (PDF), and multiple reconstructions even with fixed PDF, which is inapplicable for DCE-MRI. In this paper, an under-sampling trajectory design which is robust to the change on PDF parameters and randomness with fixed PDF is studied. The strategy is to adaptively segment k-space into low-and high frequency domain, and only apply VD scheme in high-frequency domain. Simulation results demonstrate high accuracy and robustness comparing to VD design.

Scaling behavior of knotted random polygons and self-avoiding polygons: Topological swelling with enhanced exponent.

PubMed

Uehara, Erica; Deguchi, Tetsuo

2017-12-07

We show that the average size of self-avoiding polygons (SAPs) with a fixed knot is much larger than that of no topological constraint if the excluded volume is small and the number of segments is large. We call it topological swelling. We argue an "enhancement" of the scaling exponent for random polygons with a fixed knot. We study them systematically through SAP consisting of hard cylindrical segments with various different values of the radius of segments. Here we mean by the average size the mean-square radius of gyration. Furthermore, we show numerically that the topological balance length of a composite knot is given by the sum of those of all constituent prime knots. Here we define the topological balance length of a knot by such a number of segments that topological entropic repulsions are balanced with the knot complexity in the average size. The additivity suggests the local knot picture.

Epidemic spreading on random surfer networks with infected avoidance strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yun; Ding, Li; Huang, Yun-Han; Guan, Zhi-Hong

2016-12-01

In this paper, we study epidemic spreading on random surfer networks with infected avoidance (IA) strategy. In particular, we consider that susceptible individuals’ moving direction angles are affected by the current location information received from infected individuals through a directed information network. The model is mainly analyzed by discrete-time numerical simulations. The results indicate that the IA strategy can restrain epidemic spreading effectively. However, when long-distance jumps of individuals exist, the IA strategy’s effectiveness on restraining epidemic spreading is heavily reduced. Finally, it is found that the influence of the noises from information transferring process on epidemic spreading is indistinctive. Project supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61403284, 61272114, 61673303, and 61672112) and the Marine Renewable Energy Special Fund Project of the State Oceanic Administration of China (Grant No. GHME2013JS01).

Scaling behavior of knotted random polygons and self-avoiding polygons: Topological swelling with enhanced exponent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uehara, Erica; Deguchi, Tetsuo

2017-12-01

We show that the average size of self-avoiding polygons (SAPs) with a fixed knot is much larger than that of no topological constraint if the excluded volume is small and the number of segments is large. We call it topological swelling. We argue an "enhancement" of the scaling exponent for random polygons with a fixed knot. We study them systematically through SAP consisting of hard cylindrical segments with various different values of the radius of segments. Here we mean by the average size the mean-square radius of gyration. Furthermore, we show numerically that the topological balance length of a composite knot is given by the sum of those of all constituent prime knots. Here we define the topological balance length of a knot by such a number of segments that topological entropic repulsions are balanced with the knot complexity in the average size. The additivity suggests the local knot picture.

Mediators of Outcome in Complicated Grief Treatment.

PubMed

Glickman, Kim; Shear, M Katherine; Wall, Melanie M

2017-07-01

In this study, we examined the mechanisms of action of complicated grief treatment (CGT), an efficacious psychotherapy for complicated grief. We explored 3 putative mediators (guilt/self-blame related to the deceased, negative thoughts about the future, and avoidance) among treatment completers assigned to either CGT (n = 35) or interpersonal psychotherapy (n = 34) in a previously reported randomized controlled trial. Antidepressant use was examined as a moderator of mediation effects. A reduction in guilt/self-blame, negative thoughts about the future, and avoidance behavior each mediated the relationship between treatment group and complicated grief outcomes. Reduction in avoidance emerged as an independent mediator after controlling for all mediators. Reducing avoidance of situations and emotions connected to the loss seems to be a key mechanism of change in CGT. Revising counterfactual thinking around troubling aspects of the death may also play a role in facilitating effective adaptation to loss. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The effects of verbal information and approach-avoidance training on children's fear-related responses

PubMed Central

Lester, Kathryn J.; Lisk, Stephen C.; Mikita, Nina; Mitchell, Sophie; Huijding, Jorg; Rinck, Mike; Field, Andy P.

2015-01-01

Background and objectives This study examined the effects of verbal information and approach-avoidance training on fear-related cognitive and behavioural responses about novel animals. Methods One hundred and sixty children (7–11 years) were randomly allocated to receive: a) positive verbal information about one novel animal and threat information about a second novel animal (verbal information condition); b) approach-avoidance training in which they repeatedly pushed away (avoid) or pulled closer (approach) pictures of the animals (approach-avoidance training), c) a combined condition in which verbal information was given prior to approach-avoidance training (verbal information + approach-avoidance training) and d) a combined condition in which approach-avoidance training was given prior to verbal information (approach-avoidance training + verbal information). Results Threat and positive information significantly increased and decreased fear beliefs and avoidance behaviour respectively. Approach-avoidance training was successful in training the desired behavioural responses but had limited effects on fear-related responses. Verbal information and both combined conditions resulted in significantly larger effects than approach-avoidance training. We found no evidence for an additive effect of these pathways. Limitations This study used a non-clinical sample and focused on novel animals rather than animals about which children already had experience or established fears. The study also compared positive information/approach with threat information/avoid training, limiting specific conclusions regarding the independent effects of these conditions. Conclusions The present study finds little evidence in support of a possible causal role for behavioural response training in the aetiology of childhood fear. However, the provision of verbal information appears to be an important pathway involved in the aetiology of childhood fear. PMID:25698069

The effects of verbal information and approach-avoidance training on children's fear-related responses.

PubMed

Lester, Kathryn J; Lisk, Stephen C; Mikita, Nina; Mitchell, Sophie; Huijding, Jorg; Rinck, Mike; Field, Andy P

2015-09-01

This study examined the effects of verbal information and approach-avoidance training on fear-related cognitive and behavioural responses about novel animals. One hundred and sixty children (7-11 years) were randomly allocated to receive: a) positive verbal information about one novel animal and threat information about a second novel animal (verbal information condition); b) approach-avoidance training in which they repeatedly pushed away (avoid) or pulled closer (approach) pictures of the animals (approach-avoidance training), c) a combined condition in which verbal information was given prior to approach-avoidance training (verbal information + approach-avoidance training) and d) a combined condition in which approach-avoidance training was given prior to verbal information (approach-avoidance training + verbal information). Threat and positive information significantly increased and decreased fear beliefs and avoidance behaviour respectively. Approach-avoidance training was successful in training the desired behavioural responses but had limited effects on fear-related responses. Verbal information and both combined conditions resulted in significantly larger effects than approach-avoidance training. We found no evidence for an additive effect of these pathways. This study used a non-clinical sample and focused on novel animals rather than animals about which children already had experience or established fears. The study also compared positive information/approach with threat information/avoid training, limiting specific conclusions regarding the independent effects of these conditions. The present study finds little evidence in support of a possible causal role for behavioural response training in the aetiology of childhood fear. However, the provision of verbal information appears to be an important pathway involved in the aetiology of childhood fear. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

26 CFR 1.831-1 - Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, and mutual fire insurance companies issuing perpetual... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Other Insurance Companies § 1.831-1 Tax on...

26 CFR 1.831-1 - Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, and mutual fire insurance companies issuing perpetual... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Other Insurance Companies § 1.831-1 Tax on insurance...

26 CFR 1.831-1 - Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, and mutual fire insurance companies issuing perpetual... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Other Insurance Companies § 1.831-1 Tax on...

26 CFR 1.831-1 - Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, and mutual fire insurance companies issuing perpetual... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Other Insurance Companies § 1.831-1 Tax on...

26 CFR 1.831-1 - Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, and mutual fire insurance companies issuing perpetual... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Other Insurance Companies § 1.831-1 Tax on...

Effect of combined maternal and infant food-allergen avoidance on development of atopy in early infancy: a randomized study.

PubMed

Zeiger, R S; Heller, S; Mellon, M H; Forsythe, A B; O'Connor, R D; Hamburger, R N; Schatz, M

1989-07-01

The effect of maternal and infant avoidance of allergenic foods on food allergy was examined in a prenatally randomized, controlled trial of infants of atopic parents. The diet of the prophylactic-treated group (N = 103) included (1) maternal avoidance of cow's milk, egg, and peanut during the third trimester of pregnancy and lactation and (2) infant use of casein hydrolysate (Nutramigen) for supplementation or weaning, and avoidance of solid foods for 6 months; cow's milk, corn, soy, citrus, and wheat, for 12 months; and egg, peanut, and fish, for 24 months. In the control group (N = 185), mothers had unrestricted diets, and infants followed American Academy of Pediatrics feeding guidelines. The cumulative prevalence of atopy was lower at 12 months in the prophylactic-treated (16.2%) compared to the control (27.1%) group (p = 0.039), resulting from reduced food-associated atopic dermatitis, urticaria and/or gastrointestinal disease by 12 months (5.1% versus 16.4%; p = 0.007), and any positive food skin test by 24 months (16.5% versus 29.4%; p = 0.019), caused primarily by fewer positive milk skin tests (1% versus 12.4%; p = 0.001). The prevalences of allergic rhinitis, asthma, and inhalant skin tests were unaffected. Serum IgE levels in the prophylactic-treated group were marginally lower only at 4 months. Thus, reduced exposure of infants to allergenic foods appeared to reduce food sensitization and allergy primarily during the first year of life.

Development Testing and Subsequent Failure Investigation of a Spring Strut Mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dervan, Jared; Robertson, Brandan; Staab, Lucas; Culberson, Michael; Pellicciotti, Joseph

2014-01-01

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) and Lockheed Martin (LM) performed random vibration testing on a single spring strut development unit to assess its ability to withstand qualification level random vibration environments. Failure of the strut while exposed to random vibration resulted in a follow-on failure investigation, design changes, and additional development tests. This paper focuses on the results of the failure investigations referenced in detail in the NESC final report [1] including identified lessons learned to aid in future design iterations of the spring strut and to help other mechanism developers avoid similar pitfalls.

Development Testing and Subsequent Failure Investigation of a Spring Strut Mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dervan, Jared; Robertson, Brandon; Staab, Lucas; Culberson, Michael; Pellicciotti, Joseph

2014-01-01

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) and Lockheed Martin (LM) performed random vibration testing on a single spring strut development unit to assess its ability to withstand qualification level random vibration environments. Failure of the strut while exposed to random vibration resulted in a follow-on failure investigation, design changes, and additional development tests. This paper focuses on the results of the failure investigations referenced in detail in the NESC final report including identified lessons learned to aid in future design iterations of the spring strut and to help other mechanism developers avoid similar pitfalls.

Mutually unbiased product bases for multiple qudits

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McNulty, Daniel; Pammer, Bogdan; Weigert, Stefan

We investigate the interplay between mutual unbiasedness and product bases for multiple qudits of possibly different dimensions. A product state of such a system is shown to be mutually unbiased to a product basis only if each of its factors is mutually unbiased to all the states which occur in the corresponding factors of the product basis. This result implies both a tight limit on the number of mutually unbiased product bases which the system can support and a complete classification of mutually unbiased product bases for multiple qubits or qutrits. In addition, only maximally entangled states can be mutuallymore » unbiased to a maximal set of mutually unbiased product bases.« less

Wildfire Selectivity for Land Cover Type: Does Size Matter?

PubMed Central

Barros, Ana M. G.; Pereira, José M. C.

2014-01-01

Previous research has shown that fires burn certain land cover types disproportionally to their abundance. We used quantile regression to study land cover proneness to fire as a function of fire size, under the hypothesis that they are inversely related, for all land cover types. Using five years of fire perimeters, we estimated conditional quantile functions for lower (avoidance) and upper (preference) quantiles of fire selectivity for five land cover types - annual crops, evergreen oak woodlands, eucalypt forests, pine forests and shrublands. The slope of significant regression quantiles describes the rate of change in fire selectivity (avoidance or preference) as a function of fire size. We used Monte-Carlo methods to randomly permutate fires in order to obtain a distribution of fire selectivity due to chance. This distribution was used to test the null hypotheses that 1) mean fire selectivity does not differ from that obtained by randomly relocating observed fire perimeters; 2) that land cover proneness to fire does not vary with fire size. Our results show that land cover proneness to fire is higher for shrublands and pine forests than for annual crops and evergreen oak woodlands. As fire size increases, selectivity decreases for all land cover types tested. Moreover, the rate of change in selectivity with fire size is higher for preference than for avoidance. Comparison between observed and randomized data led us to reject both null hypotheses tested ( = 0.05) and to conclude it is very unlikely the observed values of fire selectivity and change in selectivity with fire size are due to chance. PMID:24454747

Experimental Design in Clinical 'Omics Biomarker Discovery.

PubMed

Forshed, Jenny

2017-11-03

This tutorial highlights some issues in the experimental design of clinical 'omics biomarker discovery, how to avoid bias and get as true quantities as possible from biochemical analyses, and how to select samples to improve the chance of answering the clinical question at issue. This includes the importance of defining clinical aim and end point, knowing the variability in the results, randomization of samples, sample size, statistical power, and how to avoid confounding factors by including clinical data in the sample selection, that is, how to avoid unpleasant surprises at the point of statistical analysis. The aim of this Tutorial is to help translational clinical and preclinical biomarker candidate research and to improve the validity and potential of future biomarker candidate findings.

Quantifying the value of redundant measurements at GCOS Reference Upper-Air Network sites

DOE PAGES

Madonna, F.; Rosoldi, M.; Güldner, J.; ...

2014-11-19

The potential for measurement redundancy to reduce uncertainty in atmospheric variables has not been investigated comprehensively for climate observations. We evaluated the usefulness of entropy and mutual correlation concepts, as defined in information theory, for quantifying random uncertainty and redundancy in time series of the integrated water vapour (IWV) and water vapour mixing ratio profiles provided by five highly instrumented GRUAN (GCOS, Global Climate Observing System, Reference Upper-Air Network) stations in 2010–2012. Results show that the random uncertainties on the IWV measured with radiosondes, global positioning system, microwave and infrared radiometers, and Raman lidar measurements differed by less than 8%.more » Comparisons of time series of IWV content from ground-based remote sensing instruments with in situ soundings showed that microwave radiometers have the highest redundancy with the IWV time series measured by radiosondes and therefore the highest potential to reduce the random uncertainty of the radiosondes time series. Moreover, the random uncertainty of a time series from one instrument can be reduced by ~ 60% by constraining the measurements with those from another instrument. The best reduction of random uncertainty is achieved by conditioning Raman lidar measurements with microwave radiometer measurements. In conclusion, specific instruments are recommended for atmospheric water vapour measurements at GRUAN sites. This approach can be applied to the study of redundant measurements for other climate variables.« less

31 CFR 1024.200 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... ENFORCEMENT NETWORK, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY RULES FOR MUTUAL FUNDS Programs § 1024.200 General. Mutual funds are subject to the program requirements set forth and cross referenced in this subpart. Mutual... that subpart which apply to mutual funds. ...

Trait and state disgust: an experimental investigation of disgust and avoidance in colorectal cancer decision scenarios.

PubMed

Reynolds, Lisa M; McCambridge, Sarah A; Bissett, Ian P; Consedine, Nathan S

2014-12-01

To evaluate whether trait and experimentally manipulated state disgust independently and/or interactively predict immediate and anticipated avoidance in decision scenarios related to colorectal cancer (CRC). Eighty participants, aged 18 to 66 years, completed questionnaires assessing trait disgust prior to a laboratory session. Participants were gender block randomized to disgust or control conditions before completing tasks assessing immediate avoidance of a CRC disgust elicitor (stoma bag) and anticipated avoidance in hypothetical CRC scenarios. Manipulation checks confirmed the elicitation of disgust in the experimental condition. Persons in the experimental condition were more likely to exhibit immediate avoidance behaviors in response to a commonly used bowel disease device (stoma bag), and trait disgust predicted time to touch the device. Trait disgust also moderated the influence of state disgust on anticipated avoidance, namely delay in help seeking for bowel symptoms and predicted rating disgusting side effects as more deterring to adherence. The current report suggests the importance of examining disgust in CRC contexts and provides the first empirical demonstration that state and trait aspects of disgust may interactively operate to deter certain types of decisions. It thus furthers understanding of emotions and avoidance in a health context that has had surprisingly little focus to date.

Smells Like Home: Chemically Mediated Co-Habitation of Two Termite Species in a Single Nest.

PubMed

Jirošová, Anna; Sillam-Dussès, David; Kyjaková, Pavlína; Kalinová, Blanka; Dolejšová, Klára; Jančařík, Andrej; Majer, Pavel; Cristaldo, Paulo Fellipe; Hanus, Robert

2016-10-01

Termite nests often are referred to as the most elaborate constructions of animals. However, some termite species do not build a nest at all and instead found colonies inside the nests of other termites. Since these so-called inquilines do not need to be in direct contact with the host population, the two colonies usually live in separate parts of the nest. Adaptations of both the inquiline and its host are likely to occur to maintain the spatial exclusion and reduce the costs of potential conflicts. Among them, mutual avoidance, based on chemical cues, is expected. We investigated chemical aspects of cohabitation between Constrictotermes cavifrons (Nasutitermitinae) and its obligatory inquiline Inquilinitermes inquilinus (Termitinae). Inquiline soldiers produce in their frontal glands a blend of wax esters, consisting of the C 12 alcohols (3Z)-dodec enol, (3Z,6Z)-dodecadienol, and dodecanol, esterified with different fatty acids. The C 12 alcohols appear to be cleaved gradually from the wax esters, and they occur in the frontal gland, in soldier headspace, and in the walls of the inquiline part of the nest. Electrophysiological experiments revealed that (3Z)-dodecenol and (3Z,6Z)-dodecadienol are perceived by workers of both species. Bioassays indicated that inquiline soldier heads, as well as the two synthetic compounds, are attractive to conspecific workers and elicit an arresting behavior, while host soldiers and workers avoid these chemicals at biologically relevant amounts. These observations support the hypothesis that chemically mediated spatial separation of the host and the inquiline is an element of a conflict-avoidance strategy in these species.

The Potential Impact of a "No-Buy" List on Youth Exposure to Alcohol Advertising on Cable Television.

PubMed

Ross, Craig S; Brewer, Robert D; Jernigan, David H

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to outline a method to improve alcohol industry compliance with its self-regulatory advertising placement guidelines on television with the goal of reducing youth exposure to noncompliant advertisements. Data were sourced from Nielsen (The Nielsen Company, New York, NY) for all alcohol advertisements on television in the United States for 2005-2012. A "no-buy" list, that is a list of cable television programs and networks to be avoided when purchasing alcohol advertising, was devised using three criteria: avoid placements on programs that were noncompliant in the past (serially noncompliant), avoid placements on networks at times of day when youth make up a high proportion of the audience (high-risk network dayparts), and use a "guardbanded" (or more restrictive) composition guideline when placing ads on low-rated programs (low rated). Youth were exposed to 15.1 billion noncompliant advertising impressions from 2005 to 2012, mostly on cable television. Together, the three no-buy list criteria accounted for 99% of 12.9 billion noncompliant advertising exposures on cable television for youth ages 2-20 years. When we evaluated the no-buy list criteria sequentially and mutually exclusively, serially noncompliant ads accounted for 67% of noncompliant exposure, high-risk network-daypart ads accounted for 26%, and low-rated ads accounted for 7%. These findings suggest that the prospective use of the no-buy list criteria when purchasing alcohol advertising could eliminate most noncompliant advertising exposures and could be incorporated into standard post-audit procedures that are widely used by the alcohol industry in assessing exposure to television advertising.

26 CFR 1.592-1 - Repayment of certain loans by mutual savings banks, building and loan associations, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... is wholly owned by the United States, or by any mutual fund established under the authority of the... 26 Internal Revenue 7 2011-04-01 2009-04-01 true Repayment of certain loans by mutual savings... (CONTINUED) Mutual Savings Banks, Etc. § 1.592-1 Repayment of certain loans by mutual savings banks, building...

26 CFR 1.592-1 - Repayment of certain loans by mutual savings banks, building and loan associations, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... is wholly owned by the United States, or by any mutual fund established under the authority of the... 26 Internal Revenue 7 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Repayment of certain loans by mutual savings... (CONTINUED) Mutual Savings Banks, Etc. § 1.592-1 Repayment of certain loans by mutual savings banks, building...

Public speaking avoidance as a treatment moderator for social anxiety disorder.

PubMed

Mesri, Bita; Niles, Andrea N; Pittig, Andre; LeBeau, Richard T; Haik, Ethan; Craske, Michelle G

2017-06-01

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) have both garnered empirical support for the effective treatment of social anxiety disorder. However, not every patient benefits equally from either treatment. Identifying moderators of treatment outcome can help to better understand which treatment is best suited for a particular patient. Forty-nine individuals who met criteria for social anxiety disorder were assessed as part of a randomized controlled trial comparing 12 weeks of CBT and ACT. Pre-treatment avoidance of social situations (measured via a public speaking task and clinician rating) was investigated as a moderator of post-treatment, 6-month follow-up, and 12-month follow-up social anxiety symptoms, stress reactivity, and quality of life. Public speaking avoidance was found to be a robust moderator of outcome measures, with more avoidant individuals generally benefitting more from CBT than ACT by 12-month follow-up. In contrast, clinician-rated social avoidance was not found to be a significant moderator of any outcome measure. Results were found only at 12-month follow-up. More comprehensive measures of avoidance would be useful for the field moving forward. Findings inform personalized medicine, suggesting that social avoidance measured behaviorally via a public speaking task may be a more robust factor in treatment prescription compared to clinician-rated social avoidance. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Freedom and imperative: mutual care between older spouses with physical disabilities.

PubMed

Torgé, Cristina Joy

2014-05-01

This article explores mutual caregiving between older spouses aging with physical disabilities. Nine older couples, where both partners had lived long lives with physical disabilities, were interviewed as dyads about mutual caregiving. The couples not only had access to different kinds and degrees of formal support but also provided mutual care to each other in a variety of ways. Interview coding using grounded theory led to two overarching categories from which motivation for mutual caregiving could be understood. These categories were Mutual care as freedom and Mutual care as imperative. The results extend understanding about how older couples with disabilities attached meaning to their mutual caregiving, and why mutual care was sometimes preferable, despite the availability of other sources of help and despite practical difficulties of providing this help. These findings suggest that health care professionals need to be sensitive to the dynamics of the couple relationship and carefully explore the couple's preferences for how formal support can best be provided in ways that honor and sustain the integrity of the couple relationship.

The locking-decoding frontier for generic dynamics.

PubMed

Dupuis, Frédéric; Florjanczyk, Jan; Hayden, Patrick; Leung, Debbie

2013-11-08

It is known that the maximum classical mutual information, which can be achieved between measurements on pairs of quantum systems, can drastically underestimate the quantum mutual information between them. In this article, we quantify this distinction between classical and quantum information by demonstrating that after removing a logarithmic-sized quantum system from one half of a pair of perfectly correlated bitstrings, even the most sensitive pair of measurements might yield only outcomes essentially independent of each other. This effect is a form of information locking but the definition we use is strictly stronger than those used previously. Moreover, we find that this property is generic, in the sense that it occurs when removing a random subsystem. As such, the effect might be relevant to statistical mechanics or black hole physics. While previous works had always assumed a uniform message, we assume only a min-entropy bound and also explore the effect of entanglement. We find that classical information is strongly locked almost until it can be completely decoded. Finally, we exhibit a quantum key distribution protocol that is 'secure' in the sense of accessible information but in which leakage of even a logarithmic number of bits compromises the secrecy of all others.

The locking-decoding frontier for generic dynamics

PubMed Central

Dupuis, Frédéric; Florjanczyk, Jan; Hayden, Patrick; Leung, Debbie

2013-01-01

It is known that the maximum classical mutual information, which can be achieved between measurements on pairs of quantum systems, can drastically underestimate the quantum mutual information between them. In this article, we quantify this distinction between classical and quantum information by demonstrating that after removing a logarithmic-sized quantum system from one half of a pair of perfectly correlated bitstrings, even the most sensitive pair of measurements might yield only outcomes essentially independent of each other. This effect is a form of information locking but the definition we use is strictly stronger than those used previously. Moreover, we find that this property is generic, in the sense that it occurs when removing a random subsystem. As such, the effect might be relevant to statistical mechanics or black hole physics. While previous works had always assumed a uniform message, we assume only a min-entropy bound and also explore the effect of entanglement. We find that classical information is strongly locked almost until it can be completely decoded. Finally, we exhibit a quantum key distribution protocol that is ‘secure’ in the sense of accessible information but in which leakage of even a logarithmic number of bits compromises the secrecy of all others. PMID:24204183

Pseudo-random dynamic address configuration (PRDAC) algorithm for mobile ad hoc networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Shaochuan; Tan, Xuezhi

2007-11-01

By analyzing all kinds of address configuration algorithms, this paper provides a new pseudo-random dynamic address configuration (PRDAC) algorithm for mobile ad hoc networks. Based on PRDAC, the first node that initials this network randomly chooses a nonlinear shift register that can generates an m-sequence. When another node joins this network, the initial node will act as an IP address configuration sever to compute an IP address according to this nonlinear shift register, and then allocates this address and tell the generator polynomial of this shift register to this new node. By this means, when other node joins this network, any node that has obtained an IP address can act as a server to allocate address to this new node. PRDAC can also efficiently avoid IP conflicts and deal with network partition and merge as same as prophet address (PA) allocation and dynamic configuration and distribution protocol (DCDP). Furthermore, PRDAC has less algorithm complexity, less computational complexity and more sufficient assumption than PA. In addition, PRDAC radically avoids address conflicts and maximizes the utilization rate of IP addresses. Analysis and simulation results show that PRDAC has rapid convergence, low overhead and immune from topological structures.

Colorimetric Detection with Aptamer-Gold Nanoparticle Conjugates: Effect of Aptamer Length on Response

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-11-01

random bases to its 5’ end and the response of these Apt-AuNPs was evaluated. These extra bases were designed to avoid interactions with the RBA...its 5’ end and the response of these Apt-AuNPs was evaluated. These extra bases were designed to avoid interactions with the RBA binding site. We...produces a purple-blue color.4.5 AuNP-based sensing strategies are designed by promoting a change in the AuNPs stability and aggregation state as a result

Quantitative metrics for evaluating parallel acquisition techniques in diffusion tensor imaging at 3 Tesla.

PubMed

Ardekani, Siamak; Selva, Luis; Sayre, James; Sinha, Usha

2006-11-01

Single-shot echo-planar based diffusion tensor imaging is prone to geometric and intensity distortions. Parallel imaging is a means of reducing these distortions while preserving spatial resolution. A quantitative comparison at 3 T of parallel imaging for diffusion tensor images (DTI) using k-space (generalized auto-calibrating partially parallel acquisitions; GRAPPA) and image domain (sensitivity encoding; SENSE) reconstructions at different acceleration factors, R, is reported here. Images were evaluated using 8 human subjects with repeated scans for 2 subjects to estimate reproducibility. Mutual information (MI) was used to assess the global changes in geometric distortions. The effects of parallel imaging techniques on random noise and reconstruction artifacts were evaluated by placing 26 regions of interest and computing the standard deviation of apparent diffusion coefficient and fractional anisotropy along with the error of fitting the data to the diffusion model (residual error). The larger positive values in mutual information index with increasing R values confirmed the anticipated decrease in distortions. Further, the MI index of GRAPPA sequences for a given R factor was larger than the corresponding mSENSE images. The residual error was lowest in the images acquired without parallel imaging and among the parallel reconstruction methods, the R = 2 acquisitions had the least error. The standard deviation, accuracy, and reproducibility of the apparent diffusion coefficient and fractional anisotropy in homogenous tissue regions showed that GRAPPA acquired with R = 2 had the least amount of systematic and random noise and of these, significant differences with mSENSE, R = 2 were found only for the fractional anisotropy index. Evaluation of the current implementation of parallel reconstruction algorithms identified GRAPPA acquired with R = 2 as optimal for diffusion tensor imaging.

A randomized trial of peer review: the UK National Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Resources and Outcomes Project: three-year evaluation.

PubMed

Roberts, Christopher M; Stone, Robert A; Buckingham, Rhona J; Pursey, Nancy A; Lowe, Derek; Potter, Jonathan M

2012-06-01

Peer review has been widely used within the National Health Service to facilitate health quality improvement but evaluation has been limited particularly over the longer-term. Change within the National Health Service (NHS) can take a prolonged period--1-2 years--to occur. We report here a 3-year evaluation of the largest randomized trial of peer review ever conducted in the UK. To evaluate whether targeted mutual peer review of respiratory units brings about improvements in services for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) over 3 years. The peer review intervention was a reciprocal supportive exercise that included clinicians, hospital management, commissioners and patients, which focused on the quality of the provision of four specific evidence-based aspects of COPD care. Follow-up at 36 months demonstrated limited significant quantitative differences in the quality of services offered in the two groups but a strong trend in favour of intervention sites. Qualitative data suggested many benefits of peer review in most but not all intervention units and some control teams. The data identify factors that promote and obstruct change. The findings demonstrate significant change in service provision over 3 years in both control and intervention sites with great variability in both groups. The combined quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that targeted mutual peer review is associated with improved quality of care, improvements in service delivery and with changes within departments that promote and are precursors to quality improvement. The generic findings of this study have potential implications for the application of peer review throughout the NHS. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Pulsation, binarity and close frequency spacing in $delta Scuti ta$ Scuti stars: BQ and BW Cancri. Results of the STEPHI VI campaign in Praesepe Cluster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez, M.; Hernandez, M. M.; Michel, E.; Jiang, S. Y.; Belmonte, J. A.; Chevreton, M.; Massacrier, G.; Liu, Y. Y.; Li, Z. P.; Goupil, M. J.; Cortes, T. Roca; Mangeney, A.; Dolez, N.; Valtier, J. C.; Vidal, I.; Sperl, M.; Talon, S.

1998-12-01

New pulsation modes in two delta Scuti stars of Praesepe cluster, BQ and BW Cnc, have been detected during the STEPHI VI campaign in 1995. In particular, 3 frequencies for BQ Cnc and 9 frequencies for BW Cnc have been found above a 99% confidence level. The possibility of the presence of a g-mode present in BQ Cnc is discussed, considering its binarity. The effect of mutual interference between very close detected frequencies in BW Cnc during the observations, is also considered. This last effect reveals the necessity of long-period observing runs, in order to avoid its influence in the final number of detected modes. In such situation, studies of secular amplitude changes can be strongly affected.

Solar energy plant as a complement to a conventional heating system: Measurement of the storage and consumption of solar energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doering, E.; Lippe, W.

1982-08-01

The technical and economic performances of a complementary solar heating installation for a new swimming pool added to a two-floor dwelling were examined after measurements were taken over a period of 12 months and analyzed. In particular, the heat absorption and utilization were measured and modifications were carried out to improve pipe insulation and regulation of mixer valve motor running and volume flow. The collector system efficiency was evaluated at 15.4%, the proportion of solar energy of the total consumption being 6.1%. The solar plant and the measuring instruments are described and recommendations are made for improved design and performance, including enlargement of the collector surface area, further modification of the regulation system, utilization of temperature stratification in the storage tanks and avoiding mutual overshadowing of the collectors.

Coexistence of WiFi and WiMAX systems based on PS-request protocols.

PubMed

Kim, Jongwoo; Park, Suwon; Rhee, Seung Hyong; Choi, Yong-Hoon; Chung, Young-uk; Hwang, Ho Young

2011-01-01

We introduce both the coexistence zone within the WiMAX frame structure and a PS-Request protocol for the coexistence of WiFi and WiMAX systems sharing a frequency band. Because we know that the PS-Request protocol has drawbacks, we propose a revised PS-Request protocol to improve the performance. Two PS-Request protocols are based on the time division operation (TDO) of WiFi system and WiMAX system to avoid the mutual interference, and use the vestigial power management (PwrMgt) bit within the Frame Control field of the frames transmitted by a WiFi AP. The performance of the revised PS-Request protocol is evaluated by computer simulation, and compared to those of the cases without a coexistence protocol and to the original PS-Request protocol.

Coexistence of WiFi and WiMAX Systems Based on PS-Request Protocols†

PubMed Central

Kim, Jongwoo; Park, Suwon; Rhee, Seung Hyong; Choi, Yong-Hoon; Chung, Young-uk; Hwang, Ho Young

2011-01-01

We introduce both the coexistence zone within the WiMAX frame structure and a PS-Request protocol for the coexistence of WiFi and WiMAX systems sharing a frequency band. Because we know that the PS-Request protocol has drawbacks, we propose a revised PS-Request protocol to improve the performance. Two PS-Request protocols are based on the time division operation (TDO) of WiFi system and WiMAX system to avoid the mutual interference, and use the vestigial power management (PwrMgt) bit within the Frame Control field of the frames transmitted by a WiFi AP. The performance of the revised PS-Request protocol is evaluated by computer simulation, and compared to those of the cases without a coexistence protocol and to the original PS-Request protocol. PMID:22163721

Assessing Mongolian gerbil emotional behavior: effects of two shock intensities and response-independent shocks during an extended inhibitory-avoidance task.

PubMed

Hurtado-Parrado, Camilo; González-León, Camilo; Arias-Higuera, Mónica A; Cardona, Angelo; Medina, Lucia G; García-Muñoz, Laura; Sánchez, Christian; Cifuentes, Julián; Forigua, Juan Carlos; Ortiz, Andrea; Acevedo-Triana, Cesar A; Rico, Javier L

2017-01-01

Despite step-down inhibitory avoidance procedures that have been widely implemented in rats and mice to study learning and emotion phenomena, performance of other species in these tasks has received less attention. The case of the Mongolian gerbil is of relevance considering the discrepancies in the parameters of the step-down protocols implemented, especially the wide range of foot-shock intensities (i.e., 0.4-4.0 mA), and the lack of information on long-term performance, extinction effects, and behavioral patterning during these tasks. Experiment 1 aimed to (a) characterize gerbils' acquisition, extinction, and steady-state performance during a multisession (i.e., extended) step-down protocol adapted for implementation in a commercially-available behavioral package (Video Fear Conditioning System-MED Associates Fairfax, VT, USA), and (b) compare gerbils' performance in this task with two shock intensities - 0.5 vs. 1.0 mA-considered in the low-to-mid range. Results indicated that the 1.0 mA protocol produced more reliable and clear evidence of avoidance learning, extinction, and reacquisition in terms of increments in freezing and on-platform time as well as suppression of platform descent. Experiment 2 aimed to (a) assess whether an alternate protocol consisting of a random delivery of foot shocks could replicate the effects of Experiment 1 and (b) characterize gerbils' exploratory behavior during the step-down task (jumping, digging, rearing, and probing). Random shocks did not reproduce the effects observed with the first protocol. The data also indicated that a change from random to response-dependent shocks affects (a) the length of each visit to the platform, but not the frequency of platform descends or freezing time, and (b) the patterns of exploratory behavior, namely, suppression of digging and rearing, as well as increments in probing and jumping. Overall, the study demonstrated the feasibility of the extended step-down protocol for studying steady performance, extinction, and reacquisition of avoidance behavior in gerbils, which could be easily implemented in a commercially available system. The observation that 1.0 mA shocks produced a clear and consistent avoidance behavior suggests that implementation of higher intensities is unnecessary for reproducing aversive-conditioning effects in this species. The observed patterning of freezing, platform descents, and exploratory responses produced by the change from random to periodic shocks may relate to the active defensive system of the gerbil. Of special interest is the probing behavior, which could be interpreted as risk assessment and has not been reported in other rodent species exposed to step-down and similar tasks.

Assessing Mongolian gerbil emotional behavior: effects of two shock intensities and response-independent shocks during an extended inhibitory-avoidance task

PubMed Central

González-León, Camilo; Arias-Higuera, Mónica A.; Cardona, Angelo; Medina, Lucia G.; García-Muñoz, Laura; Sánchez, Christian; Cifuentes, Julián; Forigua, Juan Carlos; Ortiz, Andrea; Acevedo-Triana, Cesar A.; Rico, Javier L.

2017-01-01

Despite step-down inhibitory avoidance procedures that have been widely implemented in rats and mice to study learning and emotion phenomena, performance of other species in these tasks has received less attention. The case of the Mongolian gerbil is of relevance considering the discrepancies in the parameters of the step-down protocols implemented, especially the wide range of foot-shock intensities (i.e., 0.4–4.0 mA), and the lack of information on long-term performance, extinction effects, and behavioral patterning during these tasks. Experiment 1 aimed to (a) characterize gerbils’ acquisition, extinction, and steady-state performance during a multisession (i.e., extended) step-down protocol adapted for implementation in a commercially-available behavioral package (Video Fear Conditioning System—MED Associates Fairfax, VT, USA), and (b) compare gerbils’ performance in this task with two shock intensities – 0.5 vs. 1.0 mA—considered in the low-to-mid range. Results indicated that the 1.0 mA protocol produced more reliable and clear evidence of avoidance learning, extinction, and reacquisition in terms of increments in freezing and on-platform time as well as suppression of platform descent. Experiment 2 aimed to (a) assess whether an alternate protocol consisting of a random delivery of foot shocks could replicate the effects of Experiment 1 and (b) characterize gerbils’ exploratory behavior during the step-down task (jumping, digging, rearing, and probing). Random shocks did not reproduce the effects observed with the first protocol. The data also indicated that a change from random to response-dependent shocks affects (a) the length of each visit to the platform, but not the frequency of platform descends or freezing time, and (b) the patterns of exploratory behavior, namely, suppression of digging and rearing, as well as increments in probing and jumping. Overall, the study demonstrated the feasibility of the extended step-down protocol for studying steady performance, extinction, and reacquisition of avoidance behavior in gerbils, which could be easily implemented in a commercially available system. The observation that 1.0 mA shocks produced a clear and consistent avoidance behavior suggests that implementation of higher intensities is unnecessary for reproducing aversive-conditioning effects in this species. The observed patterning of freezing, platform descents, and exploratory responses produced by the change from random to periodic shocks may relate to the active defensive system of the gerbil. Of special interest is the probing behavior, which could be interpreted as risk assessment and has not been reported in other rodent species exposed to step-down and similar tasks. PMID:29152417

Age and Pubertal Status-Related Changes in Reports of Perception of Personal Odors.

PubMed

Martinec Nováková, Lenka; Plotěná, Dagmar; Havlíček, Jan

2017-01-01

As previously suggested, preferences for kin body odor might undergo an adaptive change over the course of puberty in order to avoid potential inbreeding, resulting in aversion to body odor of the opposite-gender kin as individuals mature sexually. However, studies based on mutual body odor aversion are rather inconclusive. We therefore investigated whether children's reports of individuals smelling good or bad differed as a function of age and pubertal status. We asked 219 children (94 male) aged 10 to 15 years to assess their pubertal development using a standardized measure and to name individuals they thought smelled good or bad. Results of the present study show that the older the girls were, the more likely they were to name males than females among nice-smelling people. Further, in both girls and boys alike, children with higher puberty scores were more likely to name children than adults. Neither in girls nor in boys did we observe any concurrent effect of age or pubertal status on children's reports of persons thought to smell bad. Irrespective of whether these changes are driven by age itself or age-related phenomena, these results suggest a shift toward a more general positive attitude to peers rather than active kin avoidance.

A systematic coarse-graining strategy for semi-dilute copolymer solutions: from monomers to micelles.

PubMed

Capone, Barbara; Coluzza, Ivan; Hansen, Jean-Pierre

2011-05-18

A systematic coarse-graining procedure is proposed for the description and simulation of AB diblock copolymers in selective solvents. Each block is represented by a small number, n(A) or n(B), of effective segments or blobs, containing a large number of microscopic monomers. n(A) and n(B) are unequivocally determined by imposing that blobs do not, on average, overlap, even if complete copolymer coils interpenetrate (semi-dilute regime). Ultra-soft effective interactions between blobs are determined by a rigorous inversion procedure in the low concentration limit. The methodology is applied to an athermal copolymer model where A blocks are ideal (theta solvent), B blocks self-avoiding (good solvent), while A and B blocks are mutually avoiding. The model leads to aggregation into polydisperse spherical micelles beyond a critical micellar concentration determined by Monte Carlo simulations for several size ratios f of the two blocks. The simulations also provide accurate estimates of the osmotic pressure and of the free energy of the copolymer solutions over a wide range of concentrations. The mean micellar aggregation numbers are found to be significantly lower than those predicted by an earlier, minimal two-blob representation (Capone et al 2009 J. Phys. Chem. B 113 3629).

Evolution of plant–pollinator mutualisms in response to climate change

PubMed Central

Gilman, R Tucker; Fabina, Nicholas S; Abbott, Karen C; Rafferty, Nicole E

2012-01-01

Climate change has the potential to desynchronize the phenologies of interdependent species, with potentially catastrophic effects on mutualist populations. Phenologies can evolve, but the role of evolution in the response of mutualisms to climate change is poorly understood. We developed a model that explicitly considers both the evolution and the population dynamics of a plant–pollinator mutualism under climate change. How the populations evolve, and thus whether the populations and the mutualism persist, depends not only on the rate of climate change but also on the densities and phenologies of other species in the community. Abundant alternative mutualist partners with broad temporal distributions can make a mutualism more robust to climate change, while abundant alternative partners with narrow temporal distributions can make a mutualism less robust. How community composition and the rate of climate change affect the persistence of mutualisms is mediated by two-species Allee thresholds. Understanding these thresholds will help researchers to identify those mutualisms at highest risk owing to climate change. PMID:25568025

Febuxostat in the management of gout: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

PubMed

Smolen, Lee J; Gahn, James C; Mitri, Ghaith; Shiozawa, Aki

2016-01-01

To determine the cost-effectiveness of febuxostat vs allopurinol for the management of gout. A stochastic microsimulation cost-effectiveness model with a US private-payer perspective and 5-year time horizon was developed. Model flow based on guideline and real-world treatment paradigms incorporated gout flare, serum uric acid (sUA) testing, treatment titration, discontinuation, and adverse events, chronic kidney disease (CKD) incidence and progression, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) incidence. Outcomes were estimated for the general gout population and for gout patients with CKD stages 3/4. Modeled treatment interventions were daily oral febuxostat 40-80 mg and allopurinol 100-300 mg. Baseline patient characteristics were taken from epidemiologic studies, efficacy data from randomized controlled trials, adverse event rates from package inserts, and costs from the literature, government sources, and expert opinion. Eight clinically-relevant incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were estimated: per patient reaching target sUA, per flare avoided, per CKD incidence, progression, stages 3/4 progression, and stage 5 progression avoided, per incident T2DM avoided, and per death avoided. Five-year incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for the general gout population were $5377 per patient reaching target sUA, $1773 per flare avoided, $221,795 per incident CKD avoided, $29,063 per CKD progression avoided, $36,018 per progression to CKD 3/4 avoided, $71,426 per progression to CKD 5 avoided, $214,277 per incident T2DM avoided, and $217,971 per death avoided. In patients with CKD 3/4, febuxostat dominated allopurinol for all cost-effectiveness outcome measures. Febuxostat may be a cost-effective alternative to allopurinol, especially for patients with CKD stages 3 or 4.

Adaptive color halftoning for minimum perceived error using the blue noise mask

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Qing; Parker, Kevin J.

1997-04-01

Color halftoning using a conventional screen requires careful selection of screen angles to avoid Moire patterns. An obvious advantage of halftoning using a blue noise mask (BNM) is that there are no conventional screen angle or Moire patterns produced. However, a simple strategy of employing the same BNM on all color planes is unacceptable in case where a small registration error can cause objectionable color shifts. In a previous paper by Yao and Parker, strategies were presented for shifting or inverting the BNM as well as using mutually exclusive BNMs for different color planes. In this paper, the above schemes will be studied in CIE-LAB color space in terms of root mean square error and variance for luminance channel and chrominance channel respectively. We will demonstrate that the dot-on-dot scheme results in minimum chrominance error, but maximum luminance error and the 4-mask scheme results in minimum luminance error but maximum chrominance error, while the shift scheme falls in between. Based on this study, we proposed a new adaptive color halftoning algorithm that takes colorimetric color reproduction into account by applying 2-mutually exclusive BNMs on two different color planes and applying an adaptive scheme on other planes to reduce color error. We will show that by having one adaptive color channel, we obtain increased flexibility to manipulate the output so as to reduce colorimetric error while permitting customization to specific printing hardware.

Sexual behaviour of lesbians and bisexual women.

PubMed

Bailey, J V; Farquhar, C; Owen, C; Whittaker, D

2003-04-01

To provide data about the sexual histories of a large sample of lesbians and bisexual women, to inform those who provide health care or carry out research with women who may be sexually active with other women. Cross sectional survey. 803 lesbians and bisexual women attending, as new patients, lesbian sexual health clinics, and 415 lesbians and bisexual women from a community sample. Self reported sexual history and sexual practice with both male and female partners. 98% of the whole sample gave a history of sexual activity with women, 83% within the past year, with a median of one female partner in that year. 85% of the sample reported sexual activity with men; for most (70%) this was 4 or more years ago. First sexual experience tended to be with a man (median 18 years old), with first sexual experience with a woman a few years later (median 21 years). Oral sex, vaginal penetration with fingers, and mutual masturbation were the most commonly reported sexual practices between women. Vaginal penetration with penis or fingers and mutual masturbation were the most commonly reported sexual activities with men. These data from the largest UK survey of sexual behaviour between women to date demonstrate that lesbians and bisexual women may have varied sexual histories with both male and female partners. A non-judgmental manner and careful sexual history taking without making assumptions should help clinicians to avoid misunderstandings, and to offer appropriate sexual health advice to lesbians and bisexual women.

Dissociative recombination and mutual neutralization of heavier molecular ions: C{sub 10}H{sub 8}{sup +}, WF{sub 5}{sup +}, and C{sub n}F{sub m}{sup +}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wiens, Justin P.; Shuman, Nicholas S.; Viggiano, Albert A., E-mail: afrl.rvborgmailbox@kirtland.af.mil

Dissociative recombination (DR) rate coefficients for the naphthalene cation, C{sub 10}H{sub 8}{sup +}, and WF{sub 5}{sup +}, and mutual neutralization (MN) rate coefficients for these species and five C{sub n}F{sub m}{sup +} ions, were determined at 300 K using variable electron and neutral density attachment mass spectrometry (VENDAMS). DR proceeds at 9 ± 3 × 10{sup −7} cm{sup 3} s{sup −1} for C{sub 10}H{sub 8}{sup +} and at 6.1 ± 1.4 × 10{sup −7} cm{sup 3} s{sup −1} for WF{sub 5}{sup +}. Consistent with previous results, MN for the polyatomic cations with the halide anions Cl{sup −}, Br{sup −}, andmore » I{sup −} exhibits an approximate μ{sup −1/2} reduced mass dependence of the reactant partners, demonstrating that ion collision velocities influence the rate coefficients. This work is an extension of VENDAMS to systems, where low reactant concentrations are necessary to avoid significant reaction of product ions with the neutral precursor, i.e., conditions not suitable for traditional flowing afterglow measurements, as well as to ions of masses > ∼ 100 Da, which are not amenable to the study of DR in magnetic storage rings. Our results expand the sparse literature on DR and MN of heavier ions.« less

Staff working in hospital units with greater social capital experience less work-home conflict: Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Nitzsche, Anika; Kuntz, Ludwig; Miedaner, Felix

2017-10-01

When the interplay between work and private life does not function correctly (work-home conflict), this constitutes a well-known risk factor for poorer health, increased absenteeism and lower work performance. Information about influencing factors of work-home conflict is therefore indispensable in order to avoid it. In this study, we analyse whether a good working atmosphere that fosters mutual trust, support and a 'sense of unity' (organizational social capital) can reduce an employee's conflict between work and private life. This study investigates the link between organizational social capital and work-home conflict in health professionals. This issue was investigated using a cross-sectional study conducted in 2013. Data from questionnaires completed by physicians and nurses (n=1733) were linked with structural data from 66 neonatal intensive care units in Germany. Using multi-level analyses, we investigated associations between organizational social capital at the ward level and work-home conflict at the level of individual employees, taking into account additional structural and individual characteristics. Employees on wards with greater social capital reported significantly less work-home conflict. Our results support the hypothesis that organizational social capital is an important collective resource. As such, more attention should be given to establishing a good working atmosphere that fosters mutual trust, support and a 'sense of unity', and this should be encouraged in a targeted fashion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leadership challenges in multinational medical peacekeeping operations: Lessons from UNIFIL Hospital.

PubMed

Datta, Rakesh; Khanna, Sangeeta

2017-10-01

Commanding a military multinational and multilingual healthcare facility can be a formidable task with very little margin for error. The authors were in leadership positions of UNIFIL Hospital, unique in its diversity of both staff and clientele. Experience about the challenges faced and methods adopted to overcome them will be shared. Troops from diverse backgrounds differ in their competency, and also in their attitudinal approach to situations. It is imperative for the medical commanders to identify these differences, and work towards harnessing individual strengths to form a cohesive unit. Frequent rotation of team members and thereby difficulty in adapting to new environment makes the tasks more challenging. Challenges can be broadly categorized in those dealing with functional roles (providing medical support) and command and control issues. Linguistic challenges especially in situations where professionals have to work as a coordinated unit remains a major challenge. The threat of medical errors arising out of misunderstandings is very real. Gender sensitization is essential to avoid potential unpleasant situations. Interpersonal conflict can easily go out of hand. The leadership has to be more direct and deliberate relying less on hierarchy and more on direct communication. A strict enforcement of UN standards for equipment and competence, frequent joint medical drills help to overcome interoperability issues and develop mutual confidence. Leadership in multinational UN hospitals is a demanding task with its peculiar set of challenges. A systematic and deliberate approach focused on mutual respect, flexibility and direct leadership can help medical commanders in such situations.

Practical quantum random number generator based on measuring the shot noise of vacuum states

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shen Yong; Zou Hongxin; Tian Liang

2010-06-15

The shot noise of vacuum states is a kind of quantum noise and is totally random. In this paper a nondeterministic random number generation scheme based on measuring the shot noise of vacuum states is presented and experimentally demonstrated. We use a homodyne detector to measure the shot noise of vacuum states. Considering that the frequency bandwidth of our detector is limited, we derive the optimal sampling rate so that sampling points have the least correlation with each other. We also choose a method to extract random numbers from sampling values, and prove that the influence of classical noise canmore » be avoided with this method so that the detector does not have to be shot-noise limited. The random numbers generated with this scheme have passed ent and diehard tests.« less

Foliar nectar enhances plant–mite mutualisms: the effect of leaf sugar on the control of powdery mildew by domatia-inhabiting mites

PubMed Central

Weber, Marjorie G.; Porturas, Laura D.; Taylor, Scott A.

2016-01-01

Background and Aims Mite domatia are small structures on the underside of plant leaves that provide homes for predacious or fungivorous mites. In turn, mites inhabiting domatia defend the plant by consuming leaf herbivores and pathogens, which can result in a domatia-mediated, plant–mite defence mutualism. Several recent studies have suggested that plants receive enhanced benefits when they provide a foliar food source, such as sugars secreted from extrafloral nectaries, to mite mutualists alongside mite domatia. However, the effect of foliar sugar on reducing leaf pathogen load via domatia-inhabiting mites has not been directly investigated. Methods To fill this gap, the links between foliar sugar addition, domatia-inhabiting mite abundance, and pathogen load were experimentally evaluated in wild grape. Furthermore, because the proposed combined benefits of providing food and housing have been hypothesized to select for the evolutionary correlation of extrafloral nectaries and domatia across plant lineages, a literature survey aimed at determining the overlap of mite domatia and extrafloral nectaries across plant groups was also conducted. Key Results It was found that leaves with artificial addition of foliar sugar had 58–80 % more mites than leaves without foliar sugar addition, and that higher mite abundances translated to reduced powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator) loads on leaves. It was found that mite domatia and extrafloral nectaries occur non-randomly in the same clades across Eudicots. Genera with both traits are reported to highlight candidate lineages for future studies. Conclusions Together, the results demonstrate that foliar sugar can indeed enhance the efficacy of domatia-mediated plant–mite mutualisms, and suggest that this synergism has the potential to influence the co-distribution of foliar nectar and mite domatia across plants. PMID:27343230

The California-Kepler Survey. V. Peas in a Pod: Planets in a Kepler Multi-planet System Are Similar in Size and Regularly Spaced

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, Lauren M.; Marcy, Geoffrey W.; Petigura, Erik A.; Fulton, Benjamin J.; Howard, Andrew W.; Winn, Joshua N.; Isaacson, Howard T.; Morton, Timothy D.; Hirsch, Lea A.; Sinukoff, Evan J.; Cumming, Andrew; Hebb, Leslie; Cargile, Phillip A.

2018-01-01

We have established precise planet radii, semimajor axes, incident stellar fluxes, and stellar masses for 909 planets in 355 multi-planet systems discovered by Kepler. In this sample, we find that planets within a single multi-planet system have correlated sizes: each planet is more likely to be the size of its neighbor than a size drawn at random from the distribution of observed planet sizes. In systems with three or more planets, the planets tend to have a regular spacing: the orbital period ratios of adjacent pairs of planets are correlated. Furthermore, the orbital period ratios are smaller in systems with smaller planets, suggesting that the patterns in planet sizes and spacing are linked through formation and/or subsequent orbital dynamics. Yet, we find that essentially no planets have orbital period ratios smaller than 1.2, regardless of planet size. Using empirical mass–radius relationships, we estimate the mutual Hill separations of planet pairs. We find that 93% of the planet pairs are at least 10 mutual Hill radii apart, and that a spacing of ∼20 mutual Hill radii is most common. We also find that when comparing planet sizes, the outer planet is larger in 65% ± 0.4% of cases, and the typical ratio of the outer to inner planet size is positively correlated with the temperature difference between the planets. This could be the result of photo-evaporation. Based on observations obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated jointly by the University of California and the California Institute of Technology. Keck time has been granted by the University of California, and California Institute of Technology, and the University of Hawaii.

Economic contract theory tests models of mutualism.

PubMed

Weyl, E Glen; Frederickson, Megan E; Yu, Douglas W; Pierce, Naomi E

2010-09-07

Although mutualisms are common in all ecological communities and have played key roles in the diversification of life, our current understanding of the evolution of cooperation applies mostly to social behavior within a species. A central question is whether mutualisms persist because hosts have evolved costly punishment of cheaters. Here, we use the economic theory of employment contracts to formulate and distinguish between two mechanisms that have been proposed to prevent cheating in host-symbiont mutualisms, partner fidelity feedback (PFF) and host sanctions (HS). Under PFF, positive feedback between host fitness and symbiont fitness is sufficient to prevent cheating; in contrast, HS posits the necessity of costly punishment to maintain mutualism. A coevolutionary model of mutualism finds that HS are unlikely to evolve de novo, and published data on legume-rhizobia and yucca-moth mutualisms are consistent with PFF and not with HS. Thus, in systems considered to be textbook cases of HS, we find poor support for the theory that hosts have evolved to punish cheating symbionts; instead, we show that even horizontally transmitted mutualisms can be stabilized via PFF. PFF theory may place previously underappreciated constraints on the evolution of mutualism and explain why punishment is far from ubiquitous in nature.

Economic contract theory tests models of mutualism

PubMed Central

Weyl, E. Glen; Frederickson, Megan E.; Yu, Douglas W.; Pierce, Naomi E.

2010-01-01

Although mutualisms are common in all ecological communities and have played key roles in the diversification of life, our current understanding of the evolution of cooperation applies mostly to social behavior within a species. A central question is whether mutualisms persist because hosts have evolved costly punishment of cheaters. Here, we use the economic theory of employment contracts to formulate and distinguish between two mechanisms that have been proposed to prevent cheating in host–symbiont mutualisms, partner fidelity feedback (PFF) and host sanctions (HS). Under PFF, positive feedback between host fitness and symbiont fitness is sufficient to prevent cheating; in contrast, HS posits the necessity of costly punishment to maintain mutualism. A coevolutionary model of mutualism finds that HS are unlikely to evolve de novo, and published data on legume–rhizobia and yucca–moth mutualisms are consistent with PFF and not with HS. Thus, in systems considered to be textbook cases of HS, we find poor support for the theory that hosts have evolved to punish cheating symbionts; instead, we show that even horizontally transmitted mutualisms can be stabilized via PFF. PFF theory may place previously underappreciated constraints on the evolution of mutualism and explain why punishment is far from ubiquitous in nature. PMID:20733067

31 CFR 1024.600 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... ENFORCEMENT NETWORK, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY RULES FOR MUTUAL FUNDS Special Standards of Diligence; Prohibitions; and Special Measures for Mutual Funds § 1024.600 General. Mutual funds are subject to the special... this subpart. Mutual funds should also refer to subpart F of part 1010 of this chapter for special...

31 CFR 1024.220 - Customer identification programs for mutual funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... mutual funds. 1024.220 Section 1024.220 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and... FUNDS Programs § 1024.220 Customer identification programs for mutual funds. (a) Customer identification program: minimum requirements—(1) In general. A mutual fund must implement a written Customer...

12 CFR 220.12 - Supplement: margin requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... security, except for an exempted security, money market mutual fund or exempted securities mutual fund... occurs, whichever is greater. (b) Exempted security, non-equity security, money market mutual fund or exempted securities mutual fund: The margin required by the creditor in good faith or the percentage set by...

A Method on Dynamic Path Planning for Robotic Manipulator Autonomous Obstacle Avoidance Based on an Improved RRT Algorithm.

PubMed

Wei, Kun; Ren, Bingyin

2018-02-13

In a future intelligent factory, a robotic manipulator must work efficiently and safely in a Human-Robot collaborative and dynamic unstructured environment. Autonomous path planning is the most important issue which must be resolved first in the process of improving robotic manipulator intelligence. Among the path-planning methods, the Rapidly Exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithm based on random sampling has been widely applied in dynamic path planning for a high-dimensional robotic manipulator, especially in a complex environment because of its probability completeness, perfect expansion, and fast exploring speed over other planning methods. However, the existing RRT algorithm has a limitation in path planning for a robotic manipulator in a dynamic unstructured environment. Therefore, an autonomous obstacle avoidance dynamic path-planning method for a robotic manipulator based on an improved RRT algorithm, called Smoothly RRT (S-RRT), is proposed. This method that targets a directional node extends and can increase the sampling speed and efficiency of RRT dramatically. A path optimization strategy based on the maximum curvature constraint is presented to generate a smooth and curved continuous executable path for a robotic manipulator. Finally, the correctness, effectiveness, and practicability of the proposed method are demonstrated and validated via a MATLAB static simulation and a Robot Operating System (ROS) dynamic simulation environment as well as a real autonomous obstacle avoidance experiment in a dynamic unstructured environment for a robotic manipulator. The proposed method not only provides great practical engineering significance for a robotic manipulator's obstacle avoidance in an intelligent factory, but also theoretical reference value for other type of robots' path planning.

Analyzing degradation data with a random effects spline regression model

DOE PAGES

Fugate, Michael Lynn; Hamada, Michael Scott; Weaver, Brian Phillip

2017-03-17

This study proposes using a random effects spline regression model to analyze degradation data. Spline regression avoids having to specify a parametric function for the true degradation of an item. A distribution for the spline regression coefficients captures the variation of the true degradation curves from item to item. We illustrate the proposed methodology with a real example using a Bayesian approach. The Bayesian approach allows prediction of degradation of a population over time and estimation of reliability is easy to perform.

Analyzing degradation data with a random effects spline regression model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fugate, Michael Lynn; Hamada, Michael Scott; Weaver, Brian Phillip

This study proposes using a random effects spline regression model to analyze degradation data. Spline regression avoids having to specify a parametric function for the true degradation of an item. A distribution for the spline regression coefficients captures the variation of the true degradation curves from item to item. We illustrate the proposed methodology with a real example using a Bayesian approach. The Bayesian approach allows prediction of degradation of a population over time and estimation of reliability is easy to perform.

77 FR 5089 - Surety Companies Acceptable on Federal Bonds-Name Change: American Hardware Mutual Insurance Company

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-01

... Change: American Hardware Mutual Insurance Company AGENCY: Financial Management Service, Fiscal Service... American Hardware Mutual Insurance Company (NAIC 13331) has changed its name to Motorists Commercial Mutual Insurance Company, effective April 25, 2011. Federal bond-approving officials should annotate their...

77 FR 42553 - Surety Companies Acceptable on Federal Bonds-Termination and Merger: Harleysville Mutual...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-19

...--Termination and Merger: Harleysville Mutual Insurance Company (NAIC 14168) AGENCY: Financial Management... company merged with and into Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company (NAIC 23787) effective May 1, 2012. The surviving corporation of the merger activity is Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company (NAIC 23787), an Ohio...

78 FR 53175 - The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, et al.;

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-28

...] The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, et al.; Notice of Application Agency: Securities and... the Act from Section 17(a) of the Act. Applicants: The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (the... Account B, the ``Annuity Accounts'') and Northwestern Mutual Variable Life Account (``VL Account'') and...

77 FR 73700 - Mutual of America Life Insurance Company, et al;

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-11

... Life Insurance Company, et al; Notice of Application December 5, 2012. AGENCY: Securities and Exchange... Section 17(a) of the Act. APPLICANTS: Mutual of America Life Insurance Company (``Mutual of America''), Wilton Reassurance Life Company of New York (``Wilton,'' and, together with Mutual of America Life...

12 CFR 543.9 - Application for conversion to Federal mutual charter.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Application for conversion to Federal mutual... FEDERAL MUTUAL SAVINGS ASSOCIATIONS-INCORPORATION, ORGANIZATION, AND CONVERSION Conversion § 543.9 Application for conversion to Federal mutual charter. (a)(1) Filing. Any depository institution that proposes...

12 CFR 543.9 - Application for conversion to Federal mutual charter.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Application for conversion to Federal mutual... FEDERAL MUTUAL SAVINGS ASSOCIATIONS-INCORPORATION, ORGANIZATION, AND CONVERSION Conversion § 543.9 Application for conversion to Federal mutual charter. (a)(1) Filing. Any depository institution that proposes...

Antagonisms, mutualisms and commensalisms affect outbreak dynamics of the southern pine beetle

Treesearch

Richard W. Hofstetter; James T. Cronin; Kier D. Klepzig; John C. Moser; Matthew P. Ayres

2005-01-01

Feedback from community interactions involving mutualisms are a rarely explored mechanism for generating complex population dynamics. We examined the effects of two linked mutualisms on the population dynamics of a beetle that exhibits outbreak dynamics. One mutualism involves an obligate association between the bark beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis...

77 FR 48566 - The Hartford Mutual Funds, Inc., et al.;

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-14

...] The Hartford Mutual Funds, Inc., et al.; Notice of Application August 8, 2012. AGENCY: Securities and... to invest in certain financial instruments. Applicants: The Hartford Mutual Funds, Inc., The Hartford Mutual Funds II, Inc., Hartford Series Fund, Inc., Hartford HLS Series Fund II, Inc., Hartford Variable...

31 CFR 1024.400 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... ENFORCEMENT NETWORK, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY RULES FOR MUTUAL FUNDS Records Required To Be Maintained By Mutual Funds § 1024.400 General. Mutual funds are subject to the recordkeeping requirements set forth and cross referenced in this subpart. Mutual funds should also refer to subpart D of part 1010 of this...

31 CFR 1024.300 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... ENFORCEMENT NETWORK, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY RULES FOR MUTUAL FUNDS Reports Required To Be Made By Mutual Funds § 1024.300 General. Mutual funds are subject to the reporting requirements set forth and cross referenced in this subpart. Mutual funds should also refer to subpart C of part 1010 of this chapter for...

31 CFR 1024.210 - Anti-money laundering programs for mutual funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... mutual funds. 1024.210 Section 1024.210 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and... FUNDS Programs § 1024.210 Anti-money laundering programs for mutual funds. (a) Effective July 24, 2002, each mutual fund shall develop and implement a written anti-money laundering program reasonably...

77 FR 25212 - Praxis Mutual Funds and Everence Community Investments, Inc.; Notice of Application

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-27

... Mutual Funds and Everence Community Investments, Inc.; Notice of Application April 23, 2012. AGENCY... Act to permit certain transactions. Applicants: Praxis Mutual Funds (``Trust'') and Everence Community... development investment program. \\1\\ MMA Praxis Mutual Funds, et al., Investment Company Act Release Nos. 25263...

77 FR 51588 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-24

... are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (``mutual funds'') must explain to investors... are mutual funds, providing to each investor who consents to householding an annual explanation of the... limited to mutual funds, the Commission believes that it is used mainly by mutual funds and by broker...

24 CFR 203.420 - Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. 203.420 Section 203.420 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban... and Distributive Shares § 203.420 Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. The Mutual Mortgage...

24 CFR 203.420 - Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. 203.420 Section 203.420 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban... and Distributive Shares § 203.420 Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. The Mutual Mortgage...

24 CFR 203.420 - Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. 203.420 Section 203.420 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban... and Distributive Shares § 203.420 Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. The Mutual Mortgage...

24 CFR 203.420 - Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. 203.420 Section 203.420 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban... and Distributive Shares § 203.420 Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. The Mutual Mortgage...

24 CFR 203.420 - Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. 203.420 Section 203.420 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban... and Distributive Shares § 203.420 Nature of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. The Mutual Mortgage...

12 CFR 239.9 - Conversion or liquidation of mutual holding companies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Conversion or liquidation of mutual holding companies. 239.9 Section 239.9 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) MUTUAL HOLDING COMPANIES (REGULATION MM) Mutual Holding...

12 CFR 239.3 - Mutual holding company reorganizations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Mutual holding company reorganizations. 239.3 Section 239.3 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) MUTUAL HOLDING COMPANIES (REGULATION MM) Mutual Holding Companies § 239.3...

12 CFR 239.9 - Conversion or liquidation of mutual holding companies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Conversion or liquidation of mutual holding companies. 239.9 Section 239.9 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) MUTUAL HOLDING COMPANIES (REGULATION MM) Mutual Holding...

12 CFR 239.9 - Conversion or liquidation of mutual holding companies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Conversion or liquidation of mutual holding companies. 239.9 Section 239.9 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) MUTUAL HOLDING COMPANIES (REGULATION MM) Mutual Holding...

12 CFR 239.3 - Mutual holding company reorganizations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Mutual holding company reorganizations. 239.3 Section 239.3 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) MUTUAL HOLDING COMPANIES (REGULATION MM) Mutual Holding Companies § 239.3...

12 CFR 239.3 - Mutual holding company reorganizations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Mutual holding company reorganizations. 239.3 Section 239.3 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) MUTUAL HOLDING COMPANIES (REGULATION MM) Mutual Holding Companies § 239.3...

Stirring of a planetesimal swarm - The role of distant encounters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weidenschilling, Stuart J.

1989-01-01

The viscous stirring algorithm developed by Stewart and Wetherill (1988) to treat the random velocities induced in planetesimals by their mutual gravitational perturbations encompasses only the scattering of bodies in crossing orbits by close encounters. Expressions are presently derived for the stirring rate due to distant encounters on the basis of three-body formalism, using a stirring rate that has the same mass-dependence as that for close encounters. The relative importance of both the close encounter and distant encounter mechanisms depends on the Safronov number. Perturbations by a planetary embryo in scenarios that involve explosive growth are found capable of affecting planetesimal evolution in noncrossing orbits.

Linking topology of tethered polymer rings with applications to chromosome segregation and estimation of the knotting length.

PubMed

Marko, John F

2009-05-01

The Gauss linking number (Ca) of two flexible polymer rings which are tethered to one another is investigated. For ideal random walks, mean linking-squared varies with the square root of polymer length while for self-avoiding walks, linking-squared increases logarithmically with polymer length. The free-energy cost of linking of polymer rings is therefore strongly dependent on degree of self-avoidance, i.e., on intersegment excluded volume. Scaling arguments and numerical data are used to determine the free-energy cost of fixed linking number in both the fluctuation and large-Ca regimes; for ideal random walks, for |Ca|>N;{1/4} , the free energy of catenation is found to grow proportional, variant|Ca/N;{1/4}|;{4/3} . When excluded volume interactions between segments are present, the free energy rapidly approaches a linear dependence on Gauss linking (dF/dCa approximately 3.7k_{B}T) , suggestive of a novel "catenation condensation" effect. These results are used to show that condensation of long entangled polymers along their length, so as to increase excluded volume while decreasing number of statistical segments, can drive disentanglement if a mechanism is present to permit topology change. For chromosomal DNA molecules, lengthwise condensation is therefore an effective means to bias topoisomerases to eliminate catenations between replicated chromatids. The results for mean-square catenation are also used to provide a simple approximate estimate for the "knotting length," or number of segments required to have a knot along a single circular polymer, explaining why the knotting length ranges from approximately 300 for an ideal random walk to 10;{6} for a self-avoiding walk.

Statistical and hydrodynamic properties of double-ring polymers with a fixed linking number between twin rings.

PubMed

Uehara, Erica; Deguchi, Tetsuo

2014-01-28

For a double-ring polymer in solution we evaluate the mean-square radius of gyration and the diffusion coefficient through simulation of off-lattice self-avoiding double polygons consisting of cylindrical segments with radius rex of unit length. Here, a self-avoiding double polygon consists of twin self-avoiding polygons which are connected by a cylindrical segment. We show numerically that several statistical and dynamical properties of double-ring polymers in solution depend on the linking number of the constituent twin ring polymers. The ratio of the mean-square radius of gyration of self-avoiding double polygons with zero linking number to that of no topological constraint is larger than 1, in particular, when the radius of cylindrical segments rex is small. However, the ratio is almost constant with respect to the number of vertices, N, and does not depend on N. The large-N behavior of topological swelling is thus quite different from the case of knotted random polygons.

Mother- and father-child mutuality in Anglo and Indian British families: a link with lower externalizing problems.

PubMed

Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Atzaba-Poria, Naama; Pike, Alison

2004-12-01

We observed mother- and father-child dyadic mutuality (responsiveness, interaction reciprocity, and cooperation), and its association with child behavior problems, in a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse sample of 125 male (51%) and female 7-to-9-year-old children. Dyadic mutuality and positivity were coded from in-home videotaped structured tasks, and parents completed ratings of child externalizing problems. Mothers showed more mutuality than fathers. The same child showed moderately similar mutuality with both of her or his parents (r = .47). Mutuality was higher among Anglo parents compared to Indian parents, an effect that was due in part to acculturation (i.e., years since immigration, native language use, traditional native culture attitudes). Greater mutuality, when coupled with dyadic positive affect, was associated with fewer externalizing problems (R2 = .24). This pattern held across gender, ethnic, and sociocconomic groups.

Mutually unbiased coarse-grained measurements of two or more phase-space variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, E. C.; Walborn, S. P.; Tasca, D. S.; Rudnicki, Łukasz

2018-05-01

Mutual unbiasedness of the eigenstates of phase-space operators—such as position and momentum, or their standard coarse-grained versions—exists only in the limiting case of infinite squeezing. In Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 040403 (2018), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.040403, it was shown that mutual unbiasedness can be recovered for periodic coarse graining of these two operators. Here we investigate mutual unbiasedness of coarse-grained measurements for more than two phase-space variables. We show that mutual unbiasedness can be recovered between periodic coarse graining of any two nonparallel phase-space operators. We illustrate these results through optics experiments, using the fractional Fourier transform to prepare and measure mutually unbiased phase-space variables. The differences between two and three mutually unbiased measurements is discussed. Our results contribute to bridging the gap between continuous and discrete quantum mechanics, and they could be useful in quantum-information protocols.

26 CFR 1.1502-42 - Mutual savings banks, etc.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 12 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Mutual savings banks, etc. 1.1502-42 Section 1... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Special Taxes and Taxpayers § 1.1502-42 Mutual savings banks, etc. (a) In general. This section applies to mutual s avings banks and other institutions described in section...

12 CFR 12.101 - National bank disclosure of remuneration for mutual fund transactions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... mutual fund transactions. 12.101 Section 12.101 Banks and Banking COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY, DEPARTMENT... Interpretations § 12.101 National bank disclosure of remuneration for mutual fund transactions. A national bank... by § 12.4, for mutual fund transactions by providing this information to the customer in a current...

12 CFR 12.101 - National bank disclosure of remuneration for mutual fund transactions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... mutual fund transactions. 12.101 Section 12.101 Banks and Banking COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY, DEPARTMENT... Interpretations § 12.101 National bank disclosure of remuneration for mutual fund transactions. A national bank... by § 12.4, for mutual fund transactions by providing this information to the customer in a current...

12 CFR 204.124 - Repurchase agreement involving shares of a money market mutual fund whose portfolio consists...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... money market mutual fund whose portfolio consists wholly of United States Treasury and Federal agency... § 204.124 Repurchase agreement involving shares of a money market mutual fund whose portfolio consists... (i.e., money market mutual funds) provided the portfolios of such companies consist solely of...

24 CFR 203.421 - Allocation of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund income or loss.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Mortgage Insurance Fund and Distributive Shares § 203.421 Allocation of Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund... of the entire Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, such net income or such loss to the General Surplus... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Allocation of Mutual Mortgage...

12 CFR 204.124 - Repurchase agreement involving shares of a money market mutual fund whose portfolio consists...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... money market mutual fund whose portfolio consists wholly of United States Treasury and Federal agency... § 204.124 Repurchase agreement involving shares of a money market mutual fund whose portfolio consists... (i.e., money market mutual funds) provided the portfolios of such companies consist solely of...

12 CFR 575.7 - Issuances of stock by savings association subsidiaries of mutual holding companies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2014-01-01 2012-01-01 true Issuances of stock by savings association..., DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY MUTUAL HOLDING COMPANIES § 575.7 Issuances of stock by savings association subsidiaries of mutual holding companies. (a) Requirements. No savings association subsidiary of a mutual...

12 CFR 575.7 - Issuances of stock by savings association subsidiaries of mutual holding companies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2013-01-01 2012-01-01 true Issuances of stock by savings association..., DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY MUTUAL HOLDING COMPANIES § 575.7 Issuances of stock by savings association subsidiaries of mutual holding companies. (a) Requirements. No savings association subsidiary of a mutual...

12 CFR 575.7 - Issuances of stock by savings association subsidiaries of mutual holding companies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Issuances of stock by savings association..., DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY MUTUAL HOLDING COMPANIES § 575.7 Issuances of stock by savings association subsidiaries of mutual holding companies. (a) Requirements. No savings association subsidiary of a mutual...

12 CFR 239.12 - Communication between members of a mutual holding company.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Communication between members of a mutual holding company. 239.12 Section 239.12 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) MUTUAL HOLDING COMPANIES (REGULATION MM) Mutual Holding...

12 CFR 239.12 - Communication between members of a mutual holding company.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Communication between members of a mutual holding company. 239.12 Section 239.12 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) MUTUAL HOLDING COMPANIES (REGULATION MM) Mutual Holding...

12 CFR 239.12 - Communication between members of a mutual holding company.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Communication between members of a mutual holding company. 239.12 Section 239.12 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) MUTUAL HOLDING COMPANIES (REGULATION MM) Mutual Holding...

The evolution of plant-insect mutualisms.

PubMed

Bronstein, Judith L; Alarcón, Ruben; Geber, Monica

2006-01-01

Mutualisms (cooperative interactions between species) have had a central role in the generation and maintenance of life on earth. Insects and plants are involved in diverse forms of mutualism. Here we review evolutionary features of three prominent insect-plant mutualisms: pollination, protection and seed dispersal. We focus on addressing five central phenomena: evolutionary origins and maintenance of mutualism; the evolution of mutualistic traits; the evolution of specialization and generalization; coevolutionary processes; and the existence of cheating. Several features uniting very diverse insect-plant mutualisms are identified and their evolutionary implications are discussed: the involvement of one mobile and one sedentary partner; natural selection on plant rewards; the existence of a continuum from specialization to generalization; and the ubiquity of cheating, particularly on the part of insects. Plant-insect mutualisms have apparently both arisen and been lost repeatedly. Many adaptive hypotheses have been proposed to explain these transitions, and it is unlikely that any one of them dominates across interactions differing so widely in natural history. Evolutionary theory has a potentially important, but as yet largely unfilled, role to play in explaining the origins, maintenance, breakdown and evolution of insect-plant mutualisms.

Mutual information in the evolution of trajectories in discrete aiming movements.

PubMed

Lai, Shih-Chiung; Mayer-Kress, Gottfried; Newell, Karl M

2008-07-01

This study investigated the mutual information in the trajectories of discrete aiming movements on a computer controlled graphics tablet where movement time ( 300 - 2050 ms) was manipulated in a given distance (100 mm) and movement distance (15-240 mm) in 2 given movement times (300 ms and 800 ms ). For the distance-fixed conditions, there was higher mutual information in the slower movements in the 0 vs. 80-100% trajectory point comparisons, whereas the mutual information was higher for the faster movements when comparing within the 80 and 100% points of the movement trajectory. For the time-fixed conditions, the spatial constraints led to a decreasing pattern of the mutual information throughout the points of the trajectory, with the highest mutual information found in the 80 vs. 100% comparison. Overall, the pattern of mutual information reveals systematic modulation of the trajectories between the attractive fixed point of the target as a function of movement condition. These mutual information patterns are postulated to be the consequence of the different relative contributions of feedforward and feedback control processes in trajectory formation as a function of task constraints.

The pulling power of chocolate: Effects of approach-avoidance training on approach bias and consumption.

PubMed

Dickson, Hugh; Kavanagh, David J; MacLeod, Colin

2016-04-01

Previous research has shown that action tendencies to approach alcohol may be modified using computerized Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT), and that this impacted on subsequent consumption. A recent paper in this journal (Becker, Jostman, Wiers, & Holland, 2015) failed to show significant training effects for food in three studies: Nor did it find effects on subsequent consumption. However, avoidance training to high calorie foods was tested against a control rather than Approach training. The present study used a more comparable paradigm to the alcohol studies. It randomly assigned 90 participants to 'approach' or 'avoid' chocolate images on the AAT, and then asked them to taste and rate chocolates. A significant interaction of condition and time showed that training to avoid chocolate resulted in faster avoidance responses to chocolate images, compared with training to approach it. Consistent with Becker et al.'s Study 3, no effect was found on amounts of chocolate consumed, although a newly published study in this journal (Schumacher, Kemps, & Tiggemann, 2016) did do so. The collective evidence does not as yet provide solid basis for the application of AAT training to reduction of problematic food consumption, although clinical trials have yet to be conducted. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phenotypic switching of populations of cells in a stochastic environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hufton, Peter G.; Lin, Yen Ting; Galla, Tobias

2018-02-01

In biology phenotypic switching is a common bet-hedging strategy in the face of uncertain environmental conditions. Existing mathematical models often focus on periodically changing environments to determine the optimal phenotypic response. We focus on the case in which the environment switches randomly between discrete states. Starting from an individual-based model we derive stochastic differential equations to describe the dynamics, and obtain analytical expressions for the mean instantaneous growth rates based on the theory of piecewise-deterministic Markov processes. We show that optimal phenotypic responses are non-trivial for slow and intermediate environmental processes, and systematically compare the cases of periodic and random environments. The best response to random switching is more likely to be heterogeneity than in the case of deterministic periodic environments, net growth rates tend to be higher under stochastic environmental dynamics. The combined system of environment and population of cells can be interpreted as host-pathogen interaction, in which the host tries to choose environmental switching so as to minimise growth of the pathogen, and in which the pathogen employs a phenotypic switching optimised to increase its growth rate. We discuss the existence of Nash-like mutual best-response scenarios for such host-pathogen games.

Method and apparatus for routing data in an inter-nodal communications lattice of a massively parallel computer system by semi-randomly varying routing policies for different packets

DOEpatents

Archer, Charles Jens; Musselman, Roy Glenn; Peters, Amanda; Pinnow, Kurt Walter; Swartz, Brent Allen; Wallenfelt, Brian Paul

2010-11-23

A massively parallel computer system contains an inter-nodal communications network of node-to-node links. Nodes vary a choice of routing policy for routing data in the network in a semi-random manner, so that similarly situated packets are not always routed along the same path. Semi-random variation of the routing policy tends to avoid certain local hot spots of network activity, which might otherwise arise using more consistent routing determinations. Preferably, the originating node chooses a routing policy for a packet, and all intermediate nodes in the path route the packet according to that policy. Policies may be rotated on a round-robin basis, selected by generating a random number, or otherwise varied.

The random walk of a drilling laser beam

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anthony, T. R.

1980-01-01

The disregistry of holes drilled with a pulse laser beam in 330-micron-thick single-crystal silicon-on-sapphire wafers is examined. The exit positions of the holes were displaced from the hole entrance positions on the opposing face of the wafer, and this random displacement increased with the number of laser pulses required. A model in which the bottom of the drill hole experiences small random displacements during each laser pulse is used to describe the experimental observations. It is shown that the average random displacement caused by each pulse is only a few percent of the hole diameter and can be reduced by using as few laser pulses as necessary while avoiding the cracking and spalling of the wafer that occur with a hole drilled with a single pulse.

Psychological treatment for panic disorder with agoraphobia: a randomized controlled trial to examine the role of therapist-guided exposure in situ in CBT.

PubMed

Gloster, Andrew T; Wittchen, Hans-Ulrich; Einsle, Franziska; Lang, Thomas; Helbig-Lang, Sylvia; Fydrich, Thomas; Fehm, Lydia; Hamm, Alfons O; Richter, Jan; Alpers, Georg W; Alpers, George W; Gerlach, Alexander L; Ströhle, Andreas; Kircher, Tilo; Deckert, Jürgen; Zwanzger, Peter; Höfler, Michael; Arolt, Volker

2011-06-01

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a first-line treatment for panic disorder with agoraphobia (PD/AG). Nevertheless, an understanding of its mechanisms and particularly the role of therapist-guided exposure is lacking. This study was aimed to evaluate whether therapist-guided exposure in situ is associated with more pervasive and long-lasting effects than therapist-prescribed exposure in situ. A multicenter randomized controlled trial, in which 369 PD/AG patients were treated and followed up for 6 months. Patients were randomized to 2 manual-based variants of CBT (T+/T-) or a wait-list control group (WL; n = 68) and were treated twice weekly for 12 sessions. CBT variants were identical in content, structure, and length, except for implementation of exposure in situ: In the T+ variant (n = 163), therapists planned and supervised exposure in situ exercises outside the therapy room; in the T- group (n = 138), therapists planned and discussed patients' in situ exposure exercises but did not accompany them. Primary outcome measures were (a) Hamilton Anxiety Scale, (b) Clinical Global Impression, (c) number of panic attacks, and (d) agoraphobic avoidance (Mobility Inventory). For T+ and T- compared with WL, all outcome measures improved significantly with large effect sizes from baseline to post (range = -0.5 to -2.5) and from post to follow-up (range = -0.02 to -1.0). T+ improved more than T- on the Clinical Global Impression and Mobility Inventory at post and follow-up and had greater reduction in panic attacks during the follow-up period. Reduction in agoraphobic avoidance accelerated after exposure was introduced. A dose-response relation was found for Time × Frequency of Exposure and reduction in agoraphobic avoidance. Therapist-guided exposure is more effective for agoraphobic avoidance, overall functioning, and panic attacks in the follow-up period than is CBT without therapist-guided exposure. Therapist-guided exposure promotes additional therapeutic improvement--possibly mediated by increased physical engagement in feared situations--beyond the effects of a CBT treatment in which exposure is simply instructed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).

A randomized, controlled clinical trial comparing the effects of aromatase inhibitor (letrozole) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (triptorelin) on uterine leiomyoma volume and hormonal status.

PubMed

Parsanezhad, Mohammad Ebrahim; Azmoon, Mina; Alborzi, Saeed; Rajaeefard, Abdoreza; Zarei, Afsun; Kazerooni, Talieh; Frank, Vivian; Schmidt, Ernst Hienrich

2010-01-01

To examine and compare the efficacy and safety of GnRH agonist (GnRHa) vs. aromatase inhibitor in premenopausal women with leiomyomas. Multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial. University hospitals. A total of 70 subjects with a single uterine myoma measuring >or=5 cm. Subjects were randomized into two groups with use of a random table. They were treated with aromatase inhibitor (group A) or GnRHa (group B). Group A received letrozole (2.5 mg/d) for 12 weeks. Group B received triptorelin (3.75 mg/mo) for 12 weeks. Measurement of myoma volume and E(2), FSH, LH, and T levels. Total myoma volume decreased by 45.6% in group A and 33.2% in group B. Reductions in myoma volume in the two groups were statistically significant. There was no significant change in hormonal milieu in group A. The serum level of hormones significantly decreased in group B by the 12th week of treatment. Uterine myoma volume was successfully reduced by use of an aromatase inhibitor. Rapid onset of action and avoidance of initial gonadotropin flare with an aromatase inhibitor may be advantageous for short-term management of women with myomas of any size who are to be managed transiently and who wish to avoid surgical intervention, specifically women with unexplained infertility having uterine myoma. Copyright 2010 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hierarchical random walks in trace fossils and the origin of optimal search behavior

PubMed Central

Sims, David W.; Reynolds, Andrew M.; Humphries, Nicolas E.; Southall, Emily J.; Wearmouth, Victoria J.; Metcalfe, Brett; Twitchett, Richard J.

2014-01-01

Efficient searching is crucial for timely location of food and other resources. Recent studies show that diverse living animals use a theoretically optimal scale-free random search for sparse resources known as a Lévy walk, but little is known of the origins and evolution of foraging behavior and the search strategies of extinct organisms. Here, using simulations of self-avoiding trace fossil trails, we show that randomly introduced strophotaxis (U-turns)—initiated by obstructions such as self-trail avoidance or innate cueing—leads to random looping patterns with clustering across increasing scales that is consistent with the presence of Lévy walks. This predicts that optimal Lévy searches may emerge from simple behaviors observed in fossil trails. We then analyzed fossilized trails of benthic marine organisms by using a novel path analysis technique and find the first evidence, to our knowledge, of Lévy-like search strategies in extinct animals. Our results show that simple search behaviors of extinct animals in heterogeneous environments give rise to hierarchically nested Brownian walk clusters that converge to optimal Lévy patterns. Primary productivity collapse and large-scale food scarcity characterizing mass extinctions evident in the fossil record may have triggered adaptation of optimal Lévy-like searches. The findings suggest that Lévy-like behavior has been used by foragers since at least the Eocene but may have a more ancient origin, which might explain recent widespread observations of such patterns among modern taxa. PMID:25024221

Random matrix approach to cross correlations in financial data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plerou, Vasiliki; Gopikrishnan, Parameswaran; Rosenow, Bernd; Amaral, Luís A.; Guhr, Thomas; Stanley, H. Eugene

2002-06-01

We analyze cross correlations between price fluctuations of different stocks using methods of random matrix theory (RMT). Using two large databases, we calculate cross-correlation matrices C of returns constructed from (i) 30-min returns of 1000 US stocks for the 2-yr period 1994-1995, (ii) 30-min returns of 881 US stocks for the 2-yr period 1996-1997, and (iii) 1-day returns of 422 US stocks for the 35-yr period 1962-1996. We test the statistics of the eigenvalues λi of C against a ``null hypothesis'' - a random correlation matrix constructed from mutually uncorrelated time series. We find that a majority of the eigenvalues of C fall within the RMT bounds [λ-,λ+] for the eigenvalues of random correlation matrices. We test the eigenvalues of C within the RMT bound for universal properties of random matrices and find good agreement with the results for the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble of random matrices-implying a large degree of randomness in the measured cross-correlation coefficients. Further, we find that the distribution of eigenvector components for the eigenvectors corresponding to the eigenvalues outside the RMT bound display systematic deviations from the RMT prediction. In addition, we find that these ``deviating eigenvectors'' are stable in time. We analyze the components of the deviating eigenvectors and find that the largest eigenvalue corresponds to an influence common to all stocks. Our analysis of the remaining deviating eigenvectors shows distinct groups, whose identities correspond to conventionally identified business sectors. Finally, we discuss applications to the construction of portfolios of stocks that have a stable ratio of risk to return.

26 CFR 1.1502-42 - Mutual savings banks, etc.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 12 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Mutual savings banks, etc. 1.1502-42 Section 1... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Special Taxes and Taxpayers § 1.1502-42 Mutual savings banks, etc. (a) In general. This section applies to mutual s avings banks and other institutions described in section 593(a). (b...

5 CFR 2640.201 - Exemptions for interests in mutual funds, unit investment trusts, and employee benefit plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... in several mutual funds whose portfolios contain stock in a small computer company. Each mutual fund... computer company. Example 2 to paragraph (a): A nonsupervisory employee of the Department of Energy owns... shares in the XYZ Health Sciences Fund, a sector mutual fund invested primarily in health-related...

5 CFR 2640.201 - Exemptions for interests in mutual funds, unit investment trusts, and employee benefit plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... in several mutual funds whose portfolios contain stock in a small computer company. Each mutual fund... computer company. Example 2 to paragraph (a): A nonsupervisory employee of the Department of Energy owns... shares in the XYZ Health Sciences Fund, a sector mutual fund invested primarily in health-related...

5 CFR 2640.201 - Exemptions for interests in mutual funds, unit investment trusts, and employee benefit plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... in several mutual funds whose portfolios contain stock in a small computer company. Each mutual fund... computer company. Example 2 to paragraph (a): A nonsupervisory employee of the Department of Energy owns... shares in the XYZ Health Sciences Fund, a sector mutual fund invested primarily in health-related...

5 CFR 2640.201 - Exemptions for interests in mutual funds, unit investment trusts, and employee benefit plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... in several mutual funds whose portfolios contain stock in a small computer company. Each mutual fund... computer company. Example 2 to paragraph (a): A nonsupervisory employee of the Department of Energy owns... shares in the XYZ Health Sciences Fund, a sector mutual fund invested primarily in health-related...

5 CFR 2640.201 - Exemptions for interests in mutual funds, unit investment trusts, and employee benefit plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... in several mutual funds whose portfolios contain stock in a small computer company. Each mutual fund... computer company. Example 2 to paragraph (a): A nonsupervisory employee of the Department of Energy owns... shares in the XYZ Health Sciences Fund, a sector mutual fund invested primarily in health-related...

12 CFR 333.4 - Conversions from mutual to stock form.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Conversions from mutual to stock form. 333.4... GENERAL POLICY EXTENSION OF CORPORATE POWERS Regulations § 333.4 Conversions from mutual to stock form. (a) Scope. This section applies to the conversion of insured mutual state savings banks to the stock form of...

78 FR 35325 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Prohibited...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-12

...-end investment company (mutual fund) when a fiduciary with respect to the plan is also the investment advisor for the mutual fund. There are three basic disclosure requirements incorporated within PTE 77-4... mutual fund. The second requirement is that, at the time of the purchase or sale of such mutual fund...

12 CFR 221.116 - Bank loans to replenish working capital used to purchase mutual fund shares.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... purchase mutual fund shares. 221.116 Section 221.116 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED... Bank loans to replenish working capital used to purchase mutual fund shares. (a) In a situation considered by the Board of Governors, a business concern (X) proposed to purchase mutual fund shares, from...

12 CFR 221.116 - Bank loans to replenish working capital used to purchase mutual fund shares.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... purchase mutual fund shares. 221.116 Section 221.116 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED... Bank loans to replenish working capital used to purchase mutual fund shares. (a) In a situation considered by the Board of Governors, a business concern (X) proposed to purchase mutual fund shares, from...

26 CFR 1.501(c)(14)-1 - Credit unions and mutual insurance funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 7 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Credit unions and mutual insurance funds. 1.501(c... unions and mutual insurance funds. Credit unions (other than Federal credit unions described in section 501(c)(1)) without capital stock, organized and operated for mutual purposes and without profit, are...

26 CFR 1.501(c)(14)-1 - Credit unions and mutual insurance funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 7 2011-04-01 2009-04-01 true Credit unions and mutual insurance funds. 1.501(c... unions and mutual insurance funds. Credit unions (other than Federal credit unions described in section 501(c)(1)) without capital stock, organized and operated for mutual purposes and without profit, are...

12 CFR 250.406 - Serving member bank and investment advisor with mutual fund affiliation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... mutual fund affiliation. 250.406 Section 250.406 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED... Section 32 of the Glass-Steagall Act § 250.406 Serving member bank and investment advisor with mutual fund... management services to mutual funds and others (“Manager”) and as director of a member bank. (b) Section 32...

26 CFR 1.831-3 - Tax on insurance companies (other than life or mutual), mutual marine insurance companies, mutual...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... premium deposits not required for losses, expenses or reserves is returned or credited to the policyholder..., and mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating on the basis of premium deposits; taxable years... operating on the basis of premium deposits; taxable years beginning after December 31, 1962. (a) All...

The Potential Impact of a “No-Buy” List on Youth Exposure to Alcohol Advertising on Cable Television

PubMed Central

Ross, Craig S.; Brewer, Robert D.; Jernigan, David H.

2016-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this study was to outline a method to improve alcohol industry compliance with its self-regulatory advertising placement guidelines on television with the goal of reducing youth exposure to noncompliant advertisements. Method: Data were sourced from Nielsen (The Nielsen Company, New York, NY) for all alcohol advertisements on television in the United States for 2005–2012. A “no-buy” list, that is a list of cable television programs and networks to be avoided when purchasing alcohol advertising, was devised using three criteria: avoid placements on programs that were noncompliant in the past (serially noncompliant), avoid placements on networks at times of day when youth make up a high proportion of the audience (high-risk network dayparts), and use a “guardbanded” (or more restrictive) composition guideline when placing ads on low-rated programs (low rated). Results: Youth were exposed to 15.1 billion noncompliant advertising impressions from 2005 to 2012, mostly on cable television. Together, the three no-buy list criteria accounted for 99% of 12.9 billion noncompliant advertising exposures on cable television for youth ages 2–20 years. When we evaluated the no-buy list criteria sequentially and mutually exclusively, serially noncompliant ads accounted for 67% of noncompliant exposure, high-risk network-daypart ads accounted for 26%, and low rated ads accounted for 7%. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the prospective use of the no-buy list criteria when purchasing alcohol advertising could eliminate most noncompliant advertising exposures and could be incorporated into standard post-audit procedures that are widely used by the alcohol industry in assessing exposure to television advertising. PMID:26751350

Effectiveness and benefit-cost of peer-based workplace substance abuse prevention coupled with random testing.

PubMed

Miller, Ted R; Zaloshnja, Eduard; Spicer, Rebecca S

2007-05-01

Few studies have evaluated the impact of workplace substance abuse prevention programs on occupational injury, despite this being a justification for these programs. This paper estimates the effectiveness and benefit-cost ratio of a peer-based substance abuse prevention program at a U.S. transportation company, implemented in phases from 1988 to 1990. The program focuses on changing workplace attitudes toward on-the-job substance use in addition to training workers to recognize and intervene with coworkers who have a problem. The program was strengthened by federally mandated random drug and alcohol testing (implemented, respectively, in 1990 and 1994). With time-series analysis, we analyzed the association of monthly injury rates and costs with phased program implementation, controlling for industry injury trend. The combination of the peer-based program and testing was associated with an approximate one-third reduction in injury rate, avoiding an estimated $48 million in employer costs in 1999. That year, the peer-based program cost the company $35 and testing cost another $35 per employee. The program avoided an estimated $1850 in employer injury costs per employee in 1999, corresponding to a benefit-cost ratio of 26:1. The findings suggest that peer-based programs buttressed by random testing can be cost-effective in the workplace.

Microbially supported phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils: strategies and applications.

PubMed

Phieler, René; Voit, Annekatrin; Kothe, Erika

2014-01-01

Heavy metal contamination of soil as a result of, for example, mining operations, evokes worldwide concern. The use of selected metal-accumulating plants to clean up heavy metal contaminated sites represents a sustainable and inexpensive method for remediation approaches and, at the same time, avoids destruction of soil function. Within this scenario, phytoremediation is the use of plants (directly or indirectly) to reduce the risks of contaminants in soil to the environment and human health. Microbially assisted bioremediation strategies, such as phytoextraction or phytostabilization, may increase the beneficial aspects and can be viewed as potentially useful methods for application in remediation of low and heterogeneously contaminated soil. The plant-microbe interactions in phytoremediation strategies include mutually beneficial symbiotic associations such as mycorrhiza, plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB), or endophytic bacteria that are discussed with respect to their impact on phytoremediation approaches.

Limitations to the study of man in space in the U.S. space program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bishop, Phillip A.; Greenisen, Mike

1993-01-01

Research on humans conducted during spaceflight is fraught both with great opportunities and great obstacles. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the limitations to research in space in the United States with hope that an informed scientific community may lead to more rapid and efficient solution of these problems. Limitations arise because opportunities to study the same astronauts in well-controlled situations on repeated spaceflights are practically non-existent. Human research opportunities are further limited by the necessity of avoiding simultaneous mutually-interfering experiments. Environmental factors, including diet and other physiological perturbations concomitant with spaceflight, also complicate research design and interpretation. Technical limitations to research methods and opportunities further restrict the development of the knowledge base. Finally, Earth analogues of space travel all suffer from inadequacies. Though all of these obstacles will eventually be overcome, creativity, diligence, and persistence are required to further our knowledge of humans in space.

Limitations to the study of man in the United States space program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bishop, Phillip A.; Greenisen, Mike

1992-01-01

Research on humans conducted during space flight is fraught both with great opportunities and great obstacles. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the limitations to United States research in space in the hope that an informed scientific community may lead to more rapid and efficient solution of these problems. Limitations arise because opportunities to study the same astronauts in well-controlled situations on repeated space flights are practically non-existent. Human research opportunities are further limited by the necessity of avoiding simultaneous mutually-interfereing experiments. Environmental factors including diet and other physiological perturbations concomitant with space flight also complicates research design and interpretation. Technical limitations to research methods and opportunities further restrict the development of the knowledge base. Finally, earth analogues of space travel all suffer from inadequacies. Though all of these obstacles will eventually be overcome; creativity, diligence, and persistence are required to further our knowledge of humans in space.

Mentoring medical students in your general practice.

PubMed

Fraser, John

2016-05-01

Mentoring medical students in general practices is becoming more common in Australia due to formalised scholarship programs and informal approaches by students. This paper defines mentoring in Australian general practice. Practical suggestions are made on how to structure a mentorship program in your practice. Mentoring differs from leadership and teaching. It is a long-term relationship between a student and an experienced general practitioner. Avoiding summative assessment in mentorship is important to its success. Mentoring is about forming a safe place to confidentially discuss personal and professional issues between a mentor and student. This is based on defining roles and mutual trust. At the same time, students crave formative feedback. Unfortunately, present feedback models are based on teaching principles that can blur the differences between assessor, teacher and mentor. Mentorship can provide students with orientation and learning experiences so that they are prepared for practice as an intern.

An étude on global vacuum energy sequester

DOE PAGES

D’Amico, Guido; Kaloper, Nemanja; Padilla, Antonio; ...

2017-09-18

Recently two of the authors proposed a mechanism of vacuum energy sequester as a means of protecting the observable cosmological constant from quantum radiative corrections. The original proposal was based on using global Lagrange multipliers, but later a local formulation was provided. Subsequently other interesting claims of a different non-local approach to the cosmological constant problem were made, based again on global Lagrange multipliers. We examine some of these proposals and find their mutual relationship. We explain that the proposals which do not treat the cosmological constant counterterm as a dynamical variable require fine tunings to have acceptable solutions. Furthermore,more » the counterterm often needs to be retuned at every order in the loop expansion to cancel the radiative corrections to the cosmological constant, just like in standard GR. These observations are an important reminder of just how the proposal of vacuum energy sequester avoids such problems.« less

Solid state control system for oil well bailer pump

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Senghaas, K. A.; Senghaas, P.

1985-05-14

A solid state switching controller for use with various types of oil well bailer pumps. Individually programmable steps with lockouts provide multiple mutual exclusivity between various circuit operations. A trickle charge battery system powers the control circuits. A tank overflow float protects against oil spillage. An automatic production rate adjustment circuit is provided which increases cycle time in proportion to the rate of production. The circuit includes a low power voltage detector for disabling the control circuits until the line voltage is acceptable. A three-phase power and control system with an isolation transformer for the controls avoids unreliable ground connections.more » The timers include a dividing circuit with an RC circuit. All power actuated apparatus are actuated by triac switches which are controlled by an opto driver. The bailer brake is pulse actuated for allowing the bailer to sink into crude oil without excess cable looseness.« less

Do anorectic men share personality traits with opiate dependent men? A case-control study.

PubMed

Abbate-Daga, Giovanni; Amianto, Federico; Rogna, Lorenzo; Fassino, Secondo

2007-01-01

Eating disorders (ED) and substance use disorders (SUD) display clinical and psychodynamic analogies. The co-diagnosis of a substance use disorder in male ED patients is frequent. Nevertheless, knowledge about the mutual predisposing factors or personality analogies is currently scarce and hypotheses are controversial. The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was used to assess 21 anorectic men, 79 heroin-dependent men, and 75 control men matched for age and education. Anorectic and opiate-addicted patients displayed higher Harm Avoidance and lower Self-directedness and Cooperativeness. Anorectic men displayed lower Reward Dependence and higher Persistence. Opiate addicts had higher Novelty Seeking and Self-transcendence. Anorectic and heroine-dependent subjects share personality traits related to anxiety, fearfulness and antisocial features. Nevertheless, the personality profile does not completely overlap and this could influence the choice of the "substance" of abuse and the related clinical differences between anorexia and heroin dependence.

Definition of mutually optimum NDI and proof test criteria for 2219 aluminum pressure vessels. Volume 1: Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartzberg, F. R.; King, R. G.; Todd, P. H., Jr.

1979-01-01

The requirements for proof testing and nondestructive inspection of aluminum pressure vessels were discussed. The following conclusions are (1) lack-of-fusion weld defects are sufficiently tight in the as-welded condition to be considered undetectable; (2) proof-level loads are required to fully open lack-of-fusion weld defects; (3) significant crack opening occurs at subproof levels so that an inspection enhancement loading treatment designed to avoid catastrophic failure is feasible; (4) currently used proof levels for 2219 pressure vessels are adequate for postproof inspection; (5) quantification of defect size and location using collimated ultrasonic pitch-catch techniques appears sufficiently feasible for tankage to warrant developmental work; (6) for short-time single-cycle pressure-vessel applications, postproof inspection is desirable; and (7) for long-term multiple-cycle pressure-vessel applications, postproof inspection is essential for life assurance.

Free mate choice enhances conservation breeding in the endangered giant panda

PubMed Central

Martin-Wintle, Meghan S.; Shepherdson, David; Zhang, Guiquan; Zhang, Hemin; Li, Desheng; Zhou, Xiaoping; Li, Rengui; Swaisgood, Ronald R.

2015-01-01

Conservation breeding programmes have become an increasingly important tool to save endangered species, yet despite the allocation of significant resources, efforts to create self-sustaining populations have met with limited success. The iconic giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) embodies the struggles associated with ex situ species conservation. Here we show that behavioural mate preferences in giant pandas predict reproductive outcomes. Giant pandas paired with preferred partners have significantly higher copulation and birth rates. Reproductive rates increase further when both partners show mutual preference for one another. If managers were to incorporate mate preferences more fully into breeding management, the production of giant panda offspring for China's reintroduction programme might be greatly expedited. When extended to the increasing numbers of species dependent on ex situ conservation breeding to avoid extinction, our findings highlight that mate preference and other aspects of informed behavioural management could make the difference between success and failure of these programmes. PMID:26670381

Copula Entropy coupled with Wavelet Neural Network Model for Hydrological Prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yin; Yue, JiGuang; Liu, ShuGuang; Wang, Li

2018-02-01

Artificial Neural network(ANN) has been widely used in hydrological forecasting. in this paper an attempt has been made to find an alternative method for hydrological prediction by combining Copula Entropy(CE) with Wavelet Neural Network(WNN), CE theory permits to calculate mutual information(MI) to select Input variables which avoids the limitations of the traditional linear correlation(LCC) analysis. Wavelet analysis can provide the exact locality of any changes in the dynamical patterns of the sequence Coupled with ANN Strong non-linear fitting ability. WNN model was able to provide a good fit with the hydrological data. finally, the hybrid model(CE+WNN) have been applied to daily water level of Taihu Lake Basin, and compared with CE ANN, LCC WNN and LCC ANN. Results showed that the hybrid model produced better results in estimating the hydrograph properties than the latter models.

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL DYNAMICS OF ENHANCED HIV RISK REDUCTION AMONG PEER INTERVENTIONISTS

PubMed Central

Dickson-Gomez, Julia; Weeks, Margaret R.; Convey, Mark; Li, Jianghong

2014-01-01

The authors present a model of interactive social psychological and relational feedback processes leading to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk reduction behavior change among active drug users trained as Peer Health Advocates (PHAs). The model is supported by data from qualitative interviews with PHAs and members of their drug-using networks in the Risk Avoidance Partnership (RAP) project. Results suggest three mutually reinforcing social psychological processes that motivate PHAs to provide HIV prevention intervention to their peers and to reduce their own risk behaviors: development of a prosocial identity, positive social reinforcement from drug users and community members, and cognitive dissonance associated with continued risk behavior while engaging in health advocacy. These processes directly influence peer interventionists’ motivation and efficacy to continue giving intervention to their peers, and to reduce their HIV risk behaviors. The authors discuss implications of the model for continued research on effective HIV prevention in high-risk groups. PMID:25414528

Changes in women's sexual behavior following sexual assault.

PubMed

Deliramich, Aimee N; Gray, Matt J

2008-09-01

The present study examines changes in women's sexual activity and behavior following sexual assault and the relationship between alcohol abuse and postassault promiscuity. Although many researchers have focused on avoidance of sexual activity following an assault, some have suggested that women may exhibit an increase in sexual activity postassault. Such outcomes are not mutually exclusive possibilities but may instead reflect subtypes of sexual assault victims. A significant percentage of assault survivors did report increases in sexual activity following trauma. Assault survivors also reported increases in posttraumatic alcohol consumption relative to a comparison sample of motor vehicle accident survivors. In both groups, increases in posttraumatic alcohol usage predicted increases in posttraumatic sexual activity, suggesting that use of alcohol as a coping strategy may result in an increased likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behavior. If true, this maladaptive coping mechanism could help to account for some instances of revictimization.

Malnutrition and disability: unexplored opportunities for collaboration

PubMed Central

Groce, N; Challenger, E; Berman-Bieler, R; Farkas, A; Yilmaz, N; Schultink, W; Clark, D; Kaplan, C; Kerac, M

2014-01-01

There is increasing international interest in the links between malnutrition and disability: both are major global public health problems, both are key human rights concerns, and both are currently prominent within the global health agenda. In this review, interactions between the two fields are explored and it is argued that strengthening links would lead to important mutual benefits and synergies. At numerous points throughout the life-cycle, malnutrition can cause or contribute to an individual’s physical, sensory, intellectual or mental health disability. By working more closely together, these problems can be transformed into opportunities: nutrition services and programmes for children and adults can act as entry points to address and, in some cases, avoid or mitigate disability; disability programmes can improve nutrition for the children and adults they serve. For this to happen, however, political commitment and resources are needed, as are better data. PMID:25309998

Free mate choice enhances conservation breeding in the endangered giant panda.

PubMed

Martin-Wintle, Meghan S; Shepherdson, David; Zhang, Guiquan; Zhang, Hemin; Li, Desheng; Zhou, Xiaoping; Li, Rengui; Swaisgood, Ronald R

2015-12-15

Conservation breeding programmes have become an increasingly important tool to save endangered species, yet despite the allocation of significant resources, efforts to create self-sustaining populations have met with limited success. The iconic giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) embodies the struggles associated with ex situ species conservation. Here we show that behavioural mate preferences in giant pandas predict reproductive outcomes. Giant pandas paired with preferred partners have significantly higher copulation and birth rates. Reproductive rates increase further when both partners show mutual preference for one another. If managers were to incorporate mate preferences more fully into breeding management, the production of giant panda offspring for China's reintroduction programme might be greatly expedited. When extended to the increasing numbers of species dependent on ex situ conservation breeding to avoid extinction, our findings highlight that mate preference and other aspects of informed behavioural management could make the difference between success and failure of these programmes.

Limitations to the study of man in space in the U.S. space program.

PubMed

Bishop, P A; Greenisen, M

1993-03-01

Research on humans conducted during spaceflight is fraught both with great opportunities and great obstacles. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the limitations to research in space in the United States with hope that an informed scientific community may lead to more rapid and efficient solution of these problems. Limitations arise because opportunities to study the same astronauts in well-controlled situations on repeated spaceflights are practically non-existent. Human research opportunities are further limited by the necessity of avoiding simultaneous mutually-interfering experiments. Environmental factors, including diet and other physiological perturbations concomitant with spaceflight, also complicate research design and interpretation. Technical limitations to research methods and opportunities further restrict the development of the knowledge base. Finally, Earth analogues of space travel all suffer from inadequacies. Though all of these obstacles will eventually be overcome, creativity, diligence, and persistence are required to further our knowledge of humans in space.

Community care for people who are homeless and mentally ill.

PubMed

Drury, Lin J

2003-05-01

This qualitative longitudinal study documents the experiences of 60 people who are homeless and mentally ill from their state mental hospital discharge through their first two years in community housing. The study explores the personal, cultural, and environmental contexts of life for adults who are homeless and mentally ill and examines the interaction between an individual's needs and community resources. The research identifies forces that perpetuate homelessness and traces the struggles that people who are homeless and mentally ill encounter during the transition from the streets to stable housing. The findings describe a culturally based pattern of mutual avoidance between homeless mentally ill clients and caregivers, which limits delivery of services to the population. Recommendations include development of alternative systems of care delivery, expansion of educational experiences with underserved populations, and increased funding for service or research with people who are homeless and mentally ill.

Communication Patterns in Preschool Education Institutions – Practical Examples

PubMed Central

Radic-Hozo, Endica

2014-01-01

Introduction: Proper communication in pre-school institutions for education is undeniable importance to the development of the child, as evidenced by numerous studies. After the child's birth follows the most complex phase in its early phases - preschool education. Only high-quality, synergistic relationship triad: parent-child-educator and the modern postulates of preschool child education, warrants successful preschool child education. Methods and materials: Description, with examples from daily practice in a large institution for preschool education, marked were the critical points on the complex way in child education, many pitfalls encountered by both parents and educators. Considered are the errors in communication with the proposed solution to avoid the same in practice. Conclusion: Proper, daily communication in the preschool institution for education, within a relationship between parent-child-educator, mutual consultation, respect, acceptance, facilitation, resulting in successful common goal - the proper education and socialization of children in institutions for preschool education. PMID:25568636

Online Community Detection for Large Complex Networks

PubMed Central

Pan, Gang; Zhang, Wangsheng; Wu, Zhaohui; Li, Shijian

2014-01-01

Complex networks describe a wide range of systems in nature and society. To understand complex networks, it is crucial to investigate their community structure. In this paper, we develop an online community detection algorithm with linear time complexity for large complex networks. Our algorithm processes a network edge by edge in the order that the network is fed to the algorithm. If a new edge is added, it just updates the existing community structure in constant time, and does not need to re-compute the whole network. Therefore, it can efficiently process large networks in real time. Our algorithm optimizes expected modularity instead of modularity at each step to avoid poor performance. The experiments are carried out using 11 public data sets, and are measured by two criteria, modularity and NMI (Normalized Mutual Information). The results show that our algorithm's running time is less than the commonly used Louvain algorithm while it gives competitive performance. PMID:25061683

Two-target game model of an air combat with fire-and-forget all-aspect missiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davidovitz, A.; Shinar, J.

1989-01-01

An air combat duel between similar aggressive fighter aircraft, both equipped with the same type of guided missiles, is formulated as a two-target differential game using the dynamic model of the game of two identical cars. Each of the identical target sets represents the effective firing envelope of an all-aspect fire-and-forget air-to-air missile. The firing range limits depend on the target aspect angle and are approximated by analytical functions. The maximum range, computed by taking into account the optimal missile avoidance maneuver of the target, determines the no-escape firing envelope. The solution consists of the decomposition of the game space into four regions: the respective winning zones of the two opponents, the draw zone, and the region where the game terminates by a mutual kill. The solution provides a new insight for future air combat analysis.

Quantum Steering Inequality with Tolerance for Measurement-Setting Errors: Experimentally Feasible Signature of Unbounded Violation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rutkowski, Adam; Buraczewski, Adam; Horodecki, Paweł; Stobińska, Magdalena

2017-01-01

Quantum steering is a relatively simple test for proving that the values of quantum-mechanical measurement outcomes come into being only in the act of measurement. By exploiting quantum correlations, Alice can influence—steer—Bob's physical system in a way that is impossible in classical mechanics, as shown by the violation of steering inequalities. Demonstrating this and similar quantum effects for systems of increasing size, approaching even the classical limit, is a long-standing challenging problem. Here, we prove an experimentally feasible unbounded violation of a steering inequality. We derive its universal form where tolerance for measurement-setting errors is explicitly built in by means of the Deutsch-Maassen-Uffink entropic uncertainty relation. Then, generalizing the mutual unbiasedness, we apply the inequality to the multisinglet and multiparticle bipartite Bell state. However, the method is general and opens the possibility of employing multiparticle bipartite steering for randomness certification and development of quantum technologies, e.g., random access codes.

Optimized random phase only holograms.

PubMed

Zea, Alejandro Velez; Barrera Ramirez, John Fredy; Torroba, Roberto

2018-02-15

We propose a simple and efficient technique capable of generating Fourier phase only holograms with a reconstruction quality similar to the results obtained with the Gerchberg-Saxton (G-S) algorithm. Our proposal is to use the traditional G-S algorithm to optimize a random phase pattern for the resolution, pixel size, and target size of the general optical system without any specific amplitude data. This produces an optimized random phase (ORAP), which is used for fast generation of phase only holograms of arbitrary amplitude targets. This ORAP needs to be generated only once for a given optical system, avoiding the need for costly iterative algorithms for each new target. We show numerical and experimental results confirming the validity of the proposal.

26 CFR 1.832-6 - Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating on the basis of premium...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

...) Other Insurance Companies § 1.832-6 Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating..., a taxpayer insured by a mutual fire or flood insurance company under a policy for which the premium... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance...

26 CFR 1.832-6 - Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating on the basis of premium...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

...) Other Insurance Companies § 1.832-6 Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating..., a taxpayer insured by a mutual fire or flood insurance company under a policy for which the premium... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance...

26 CFR 1.832-6 - Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating on the basis of premium...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

...) Other Insurance Companies § 1.832-6 Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating..., a taxpayer insured by a mutual fire or flood insurance company under a policy for which the premium... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance...

26 CFR 1.832-6 - Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating on the basis of premium...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...) Other Insurance Companies § 1.832-6 Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating..., a taxpayer insured by a mutual fire or flood insurance company under a policy for which the premium... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance...

12 CFR 220.118 - Time of payment for mutual fund shares purchased in a special cash account.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Time of payment for mutual fund shares...) Interpretations § 220.118 Time of payment for mutual fund shares purchased in a special cash account. (a) The Board has recently considered the question whether, in connection with the purchase of mutual fund...

12 CFR 220.118 - Time of payment for mutual fund shares purchased in a special cash account.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Time of payment for mutual fund shares...) Interpretations § 220.118 Time of payment for mutual fund shares purchased in a special cash account. (a) The Board has recently considered the question whether, in connection with the purchase of mutual fund...

Empathy and avoidance in treating patients living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) among service providers in China

PubMed Central

Lin, Chunqing; Li, Li; Wan, Dai; Wu, Zunyou; Yan, Zhihua

2012-01-01

This study aims to investigate health care providers’ empathy levels and its association with avoidance in providing service to patients living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in China. A total of 1760 health service providers were randomly sampled from 40 county hospitals in two provinces of China. Using a self-administered questionnaire, participants’ demographic characteristics, work history, empathy level, and avoidance attitudes toward PLWHA were collected in a cross-sectional survey. Empathy was higher among participants aged 31–40 years, those who had an associated medical degree, and those who had served in the medical profession for less than 20 years. Nurses, younger providers, and providers with lower education tended to avoid contact with PLWHA. Multiple linear regression model showed that a higher level of empathic attitude toward patients was significantly negatively associated with avoidance attitude toward PLWHA. Service providers’ empathy level plays an important role in providing quality care to HIV-infected patients. Future stigma reduction interventions should cultivate empathy as a platform for understanding, effective communication, and trusting provider–patient relationships. PLWHA could potentially benefit from attitudinal change in medical settings. PMID:22292939

Visual feedback training improves postural adjustments associated with moving obstacle avoidance in elderly women.

PubMed

Hatzitaki, V; Voudouris, D; Nikodelis, T; Amiridis, I G

2009-02-01

The study examined the impact of visually guided weight shifting (WS) practice on the postural adjustments evoked by elderly women when avoiding collision with a moving obstacle while standing. Fifty-six healthy elderly women (70.9+/-5.7 years, 87.5+/-9.6 kg) were randomly assigned into one of three groups: a group that completed 12 sessions (25 min, 3s/week) of WS practice in the Anterior/Posterior direction (A/P group, n=20), a group that performed the same practice in the medio/lateral direction (M/L group, n=20) and a control group (n=16). Pre- and post-training, participants were tested in a moving obstacle avoidance task. As a result of practice, postural response onset shifted closer to the time of collision with the obstacle. Side-to-side WS resulted in a reduction of the M/L sway amplitude and an increase of the trunk's velocity during avoidance. It is concluded that visually guided WS practice enhances elderly's ability for on-line visuo-motor processing when avoiding collision eliminating reliance on anticipatory scaling. Specifying the direction of WS seems to be critical for optimizing the transfer of training adaptations.

Inhibition of memory consolidation after active avoidance conditioning by antisense intervention with ependymin gene expression.

PubMed

Schmidt, R; Brysch, W; Rother, S; Schlingensiepen, K H

1995-10-01

A rapid increase in ependymin mRNA expression demonstrated by semiquantitative in situ hybridization after avoidance conditioning on goldfish suggested a molecular demand for newly synthesized ependymin translation product. To inhibit de novo synthesis of ependymin molecules without interference with preexisting ones, 18 mer anti-ependymin mRNA-phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotides (S-ODNs) were injected into the perimeningeal brain fluid before active avoidance training. S-ODN-injected animals learned the avoidance response; however, they were amnesic in the test. When injected into overtrained animals, S-ODNs did not interfere with retrieval or performance of the avoidance response. Fish treated with randomized S-ODN sequences served as further controls. Incorporation of S-ODNs was analyzed by injection of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated oligodeoxynucleotide probes. Microscopic observation revealed strong FITC-S-ODN fluorescence in reticular-shaped fibroblasts, the only known site of ependymin synthesis. Results demonstrate that selective inhibition of ependymin gene expression in vivo can specifically prevent memory formation. We conclude that in particular the newly synthesized ependymin molecules are involved in memory consolidation, possibly because they have not yet undergone irreversible molecular changes, which have been reported of this glycoprotein in a low-calcium microenvironment.

Mutually unbiased projectors and duality between lines and bases in finite quantum systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shalaby, M.; Vourdas, A., E-mail: a.vourdas@bradford.ac.uk

2013-10-15

Quantum systems with variables in the ring Z(d) are considered, and the concepts of weak mutually unbiased bases and mutually unbiased projectors are discussed. The lines through the origin in the Z(d)×Z(d) phase space, are classified into maximal lines (sets of d points), and sublines (sets of d{sub i} points where d{sub i}|d). The sublines are intersections of maximal lines. It is shown that there exists a duality between the properties of lines (resp., sublines), and the properties of weak mutually unbiased bases (resp., mutually unbiased projectors). -- Highlights: •Lines in discrete phase space. •Bases in finite quantum systems. •Dualitymore » between bases and lines. •Weak mutually unbiased bases.« less

[Maintaining solidarity: is mutuality the solution?].

PubMed

Gevers, J K M; Ploem, M C

2013-01-01

Solidarity is essentially the willingness to contribute to the community and its demands, which may even involve contributing more than one is expecting to receive. Another principle is mutuality: this refers to a balance between rights and obligations or between mutual obligations. In its advisory document 'The importance of mutuality......solidarity takes work!', The Dutch Council for Public Health and Health Care underlines the importance of ensuring solidarity within the Dutch health care system, e.g. by encouraging patients to take responsibility for their own health, possibly by introducing elements of mutuality. In our contribution, we comment on the Council's advice. Although we fully agree with the overall conclusion that solidarity should be maintained within the system, we do not see how the introduction of increased mutuality will contribute to this goal.

Valuing Equal Protection in Aviation Security Screening.

PubMed

Nguyen, Kenneth D; Rosoff, Heather; John, Richard S

2017-12-01

The growing number of anti-terrorism policies has elevated public concerns about discrimination. Within the context of airport security screening, the current study examines how American travelers value the principle of equal protection by quantifying the "equity premium" that they are willing to sacrifice to avoid screening procedures that result in differential treatments. In addition, we applied the notion of procedural justice to explore the effect of alternative selective screening procedures on the value of equal protection. Two-hundred and twenty-two respondents were randomly assigned to one of three selective screening procedures: (1) randomly, (2) using behavioral indicators, or (3) based on demographic characteristics. They were asked to choose between airlines using either an equal or a discriminatory screening procedure. While the former requires all passengers to be screened in the same manner, the latter mandates all passengers undergo a quick primary screening and, in addition, some passengers are selected for a secondary screening based on a predetermined selection criterion. Equity premiums were quantified in terms of monetary cost, wait time, convenience, and safety compromise. Results show that equity premiums varied greatly across respondents, with many indicating little willingness to sacrifice to avoid inequitable screening, and a smaller minority willing to sacrifice anything to avoid the discriminatory screening. The selective screening manipulation was effective in that equity premiums were greater under selection by demographic characteristics compared to the other two procedures. © 2017 Society for Risk Analysis.

Random matrix theory for analyzing the brain functional network in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Rong; Wang, Li; Yang, Yong; Li, Jiajia; Wu, Ying; Lin, Pan

2016-11-01

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common childhood neuropsychiatric disorder and affects approximately 6 -7 % of children worldwide. Here, we investigate the statistical properties of undirected and directed brain functional networks in ADHD patients based on random matrix theory (RMT), in which the undirected functional connectivity is constructed based on correlation coefficient and the directed functional connectivity is measured based on cross-correlation coefficient and mutual information. We first analyze the functional connectivity and the eigenvalues of the brain functional network. We find that ADHD patients have increased undirected functional connectivity, reflecting a higher degree of linear dependence between regions, and increased directed functional connectivity, indicating stronger causality and more transmission of information among brain regions. More importantly, we explore the randomness of the undirected and directed functional networks using RMT. We find that for ADHD patients, the undirected functional network is more orderly than that for normal subjects, which indicates an abnormal increase in undirected functional connectivity. In addition, we find that the directed functional networks are more random, which reveals greater disorder in causality and more chaotic information flow among brain regions in ADHD patients. Our results not only further confirm the efficacy of RMT in characterizing the intrinsic properties of brain functional networks but also provide insights into the possibilities RMT offers for improving clinical diagnoses and treatment evaluations for ADHD patients.

[Managing concerns about falls in older people: evaluation of the implementation of an evidence-based program].

PubMed

Zijlstra, G A R; Du Moulin, M F M T; van Haastregt, J C M; de Jonge, M; Kempen, G I J M; van der Poel, A

2013-12-01

A cognitive behavioral program reduced concerns about falling and related avoidance behavior among older community-dwelling adults in a randomized controlled trial. In the current study we examined the effects and acceptability of the program after nation-wide implementation into home care organizations in The Netherlands. In a one-group pretest-posttest study with data collection before the start of the program and at 2 and 4 months, the effects and acceptability of the program were assessed in 125 community-dwelling older people. The outcomes of the effect evaluation included concerns about falls, related avoidance behavior, falls, fall-related medical attention, feelings of anxiety, symptoms of depression, and loneliness. Pretest-posttest analyses with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the paired t-test showed significant improvements at 4 months for concerns about falls, activity avoidance, number of falls in the past 2 months, feelings of anxiety, and symptoms of depression. No significant differences were shown for the other outcomes. After implementation in home care organizations, the outcomes indicate positive program effects on concerns about falls, avoidance behavior, and falls in community-dwelling older people. Given the similarity in results, i.e. between those of the previously performed randomized controlled trial and those of the current pretest-posttest study, we conclude that the program can be successfully implemented in practice. This article is an adjusted, Dutch version of Zijlstra GA, van Haastregt JC, Du Moulin MF, de Jonge MC, van der Poel A, Kempen GI. Effects of the implementation of an evidenc-based program to manage concerns about falls in older adults. The Gerontologist 2013;53(5):839-849; doi: 10.1093/geront/gns142.

Optimizing Immunosuppressive Regimens Among Living-Donor Renal Transplant Recipients.

PubMed

Bakr, Mohamed Adel; Nagib, Ayman Maher; Gheith, Osama Ashry; Hamdy, Ahmed Farouk; Refaie, Ayman Fathi; Donia, Ahmed Farouk; Neamatalla, Ahmed Hassan; Eldahshan, Khaled Farouk; Denewar, Ahmed Abdelfattah; Abbas, Mohamed Hamed; Mostafa, Amany Ismail; Ghoneim, Mohamed Ahmed

2017-02-01

We review different immunosuppressant protocols used for living-donor kidney transplant recipients at our center. Many prospective randomized studies from our center have been reported between March 1976 and 2016, with more than 2700 renal transplant procedures conducted. The first study was a prospective randomized trial of azathioprine versus cyclosporine. The second study compared triple therapy (prednisolone + azathioprine + cyclosporine) versus conventional therapy (prednisolone + azathioprine). The third study was a cost-saving study, in which 100 patients received ketoconazole along with the triple regimen. Another trial demonstrated the advantages of a microemulsion form of cyclosporine. A subsequent trial compared calcineurin inhibitor minimization versus avoidance protocols. Rescue therapies were carried out to intensify immunosuppressive regimens after repeated rejection. In addition, steroid-free regimens were evaluated during both short- and long-term treatment. A recent trial reported a step-forward avoidance protocol with a calcineurin inhibitor and a steroid-free regimen, whereas another current study is the TRANSFORM one. The rationale behind antibody therapy was tho roughly evaluated among living-donor renal trans plant recipients with different agents, including basiliximab, daclizumab, antithymocyte globulin, and alemtuzumab. Earlier studies have demonstrated the efficacy of conventional regimens without induction therapy, especially in longer follow-up. The standard triple therapy has emerged with intensified immunosuppressive and lowered dose of each drug, especially cyclosporine. In minimization studies, no significant differences were encountered regarding patient and graft survival, even in the long-term. Steroid avoidance was safe and effective. Calcineurin inhibitors and steroid-free regimens have shown comparable patient and graft survival. Induction therapy has lowered the incidence and severity of acute rejection. A better 5-year graft survival and less posttransplant complications have been achieved with steroid avoidance after induction with basiliximab. Induction therapy did not affect graft and patient survival rates despite lowered incidence and severity of acute rejections.

Interplay of bistable kinetics of gene expression during cellular growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhdanov, Vladimir P.

2009-02-01

In cells, the bistable kinetics of gene expression can be observed on the level of (i) one gene with positive feedback between protein and mRNA production, (ii) two genes with negative mutual feedback between protein and mRNA production, or (iii) in more complex cases. We analyse the interplay of two genes of type (ii) governed by a gene of type (i) during cellular growth. In particular, using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, we show that in the case where gene 1, operating in the bistable regime, regulates mutually inhibiting genes 2 and 3, also operating in the bistable regime, the latter genes may eventually be trapped either to the state with high transcriptional activity of gene 2 and low activity of gene 3 or to the state with high transcriptional activity of gene 3 and low activity of gene 2. The probability to get to one of these states depends on the values of the model parameters. If genes 2 and 3 are kinetically equivalent, the probability is equal to 0.5. Thus, our model illustrates how different intracellular states can be chosen at random with predetermined probabilities. This type of kinetics of gene expression may be behind complex processes occurring in cells, e.g., behind the choice of the fate by stem cells.

Spectral-spatial classification of hyperspectral data with mutual information based segmented stacked autoencoder approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Subir; Nagesh Kumar, D.

2018-04-01

Hyperspectral (HS) data comprises of continuous spectral responses of hundreds of narrow spectral bands with very fine spectral resolution or bandwidth, which offer feature identification and classification with high accuracy. In the present study, Mutual Information (MI) based Segmented Stacked Autoencoder (S-SAE) approach for spectral-spatial classification of the HS data is proposed to reduce the complexity and computational time compared to Stacked Autoencoder (SAE) based feature extraction. A non-parametric dependency measure (MI) based spectral segmentation is proposed instead of linear and parametric dependency measure to take care of both linear and nonlinear inter-band dependency for spectral segmentation of the HS bands. Then morphological profiles are created corresponding to segmented spectral features to assimilate the spatial information in the spectral-spatial classification approach. Two non-parametric classifiers, Support Vector Machine (SVM) with Gaussian kernel and Random Forest (RF) are used for classification of the three most popularly used HS datasets. Results of the numerical experiments carried out in this study have shown that SVM with a Gaussian kernel is providing better results for the Pavia University and Botswana datasets whereas RF is performing better for Indian Pines dataset. The experiments performed with the proposed methodology provide encouraging results compared to numerous existing approaches.

Spatial distribution of organic pollutants in industrial construction and demolition waste and their mutual interaction on an abandoned pesticide manufacturing plant.

PubMed

Huang, Sheng; Zhao, Xin; Sun, Yanqiu; Ma, Jianli; Gao, Xiaofeng; Xie, Tian; Xu, Dongsheng; Yu, Yi; Zhao, Youcai

2016-04-01

A comprehensive field investigation of organic pollutants was examined in industrial construction and demolition waste (ICDW) inside an abandoned pesticide manufacturing plant. Concentrations of eight types of pesticides, a metabolite and two intermediates were studied. The ICDW was under severe and long-term contamination by organophosphorus, intermediates and pyrethroid pesticide with mean concentrations of 23,429, 3538 and 179.4 mg kg(-1), respectively. FT-IR analysis suggested that physical absorption and chemical bonding were their mutual interaction forms. Patterns of total pesticide spatial distribution showed good correlations with manufacturing processes spreading all over the plant both in enclosed workshops and in residues randomly dumped outside, while bricks and coatings were the most vulnerable to pollutants. Ultimately the fate of the OPPs was diversified as the immersion of ICDW in water largely transferred the pollutants into aquatic systems while exposure outside did not largely lead to pesticide degradation. The adoption of centralized collections for the disposal of wastes could only eliminate part of the contaminated ICDW, probably due to lack of knowledge and criteria. Correlation matrix and cluster analysis indicated that regulated disposal and management of polluted ICDW was effective, thus presenting the requirement for its appropriate disposal.

Nonrandom Composition of Flower Colors in a Plant Community: Mutually Different Co-Flowering Natives and Disturbance by Aliens

PubMed Central

Makino, Takashi T.; Yokoyama, Jun

2015-01-01

When pollinators use flower color to locate food sources, a distinct color can serve as a reproductive barrier against co-flowering species. This anti-interference function of flower color may result in a community assembly of plant species displaying mutually different flower colors. However, such color dispersion is not ubiquitous, suggesting a variable selection across communities and existence of some opposing factors. We conducted a 30-week study in a plant community and measured the floral reflectances of 244 species. The reflectances were evaluated in insect color spaces (bees, swallowtails, and flies), and the dispersion was compared with random expectations. We found that co-existing colors were overdispersed for each analyzed pollinator type, and this overdispersion was statistically significant for bees. Furthermore, we showed that exclusion of 32 aliens from the analysis significantly increased the color dispersion of native flowers in every color space. This result indicated that aliens disturbed a native plant–pollinator network via similarly colored flowers. Our results demonstrate the masking effects of aliens in the detection of color dispersion of native flowers and that variations in pollinator vision yield different outcomes. Our results also support the hypothesis that co-flowering species are one of the drivers of color diversification and affect the community assembly. PMID:26650121

26 CFR 1.832-6 - Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating on the basis of premium...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Insurance Companies § 1.832-6 Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance companies operating on the... taxpayer insured by a mutual fire or flood insurance company under a policy for which the premium deposit... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Policyholders of mutual fire or flood insurance...

Hit or Run: Exploring Aggressive and Avoidant Reactions to Interpersonal Provocation Using a Novel Fight-or-Escape Paradigm (FOE).

PubMed

Beyer, Frederike; Buades-Rotger, Macià; Claes, Marie; Krämer, Ulrike M

2017-01-01

Interpersonal provocation presents an approach-avoidance conflict to the provoked person: responding aggressively might yield the joy of retribution, whereas withdrawal can provide safety. Experimental aggression studies typically measure only retaliation intensity, neglecting whether individuals want to confront the provocateur at all. To overcome this shortcoming of previous measures, we developed and validated the Fight-or-Escape paradigm (FOE). The FOE is a competitive reaction time (RT) task in which the winner can choose the volume of a sound blast to be directed at his/her opponent. Participants face two ostensible opponents who consistently select either high or low punishments. At the beginning of each trial, subjects are given the chance to avoid the encounter for a limited number of times. In a first experiment ( n = 27, all women), we found that fear potentiation (FP) of the startle response was related to lower scores in a composite measure of aggression and avoidance against the provoking opponent. In a second experiment ( n = 34, 13 men), we altered the paradigm such that participants faced the opponents in alternating rather than in random order. Participants completed the FOE as well as the Dot-Probe Task (DPT) and the Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT). Subjects with higher approach bias scores in the AAT avoided the provoking opponent less frequently. Hence, individuals with high threat reactivity and low approach motivation displayed more avoidant responses to provocation, whereas participants high in approach motivation were more likely to engage in aggressive interactions when provoked. The FOE is thus a promising laboratory measure of avoidance and aggression.

Hit or Run: Exploring Aggressive and Avoidant Reactions to Interpersonal Provocation Using a Novel Fight-or-Escape Paradigm (FOE)

PubMed Central

Beyer, Frederike; Buades-Rotger, Macià; Claes, Marie; Krämer, Ulrike M.

2017-01-01

Interpersonal provocation presents an approach-avoidance conflict to the provoked person: responding aggressively might yield the joy of retribution, whereas withdrawal can provide safety. Experimental aggression studies typically measure only retaliation intensity, neglecting whether individuals want to confront the provocateur at all. To overcome this shortcoming of previous measures, we developed and validated the Fight-or-Escape paradigm (FOE). The FOE is a competitive reaction time (RT) task in which the winner can choose the volume of a sound blast to be directed at his/her opponent. Participants face two ostensible opponents who consistently select either high or low punishments. At the beginning of each trial, subjects are given the chance to avoid the encounter for a limited number of times. In a first experiment (n = 27, all women), we found that fear potentiation (FP) of the startle response was related to lower scores in a composite measure of aggression and avoidance against the provoking opponent. In a second experiment (n = 34, 13 men), we altered the paradigm such that participants faced the opponents in alternating rather than in random order. Participants completed the FOE as well as the Dot-Probe Task (DPT) and the Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT). Subjects with higher approach bias scores in the AAT avoided the provoking opponent less frequently. Hence, individuals with high threat reactivity and low approach motivation displayed more avoidant responses to provocation, whereas participants high in approach motivation were more likely to engage in aggressive interactions when provoked. The FOE is thus a promising laboratory measure of avoidance and aggression. PMID:29089875

Evolutionary Trends and the Salience Bias (with Apologies to Oil Tankers, Karl Marx, and Others).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McShea, Daniel W.

1994-01-01

Examines evolutionary trends, specifically trends in size, complexity, and fitness. Notes that documentation of these trends consists of either long lists of cases, or descriptions of a small number of salient cases. Proposes the use of random samples to avoid this "saliency bias." (SR)

Routine Principal Transfers Invigorate School Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aquila, Frank D.

1989-01-01

A systematic rotation of principals can spark a willingness to tackle new challenges. Recommends the following strategies: (1) adopt a systematic rotation policy; (2) avoid random school assignments; (3) be prepared for a strong reaction from administrative staff; and (4) review personnel policies that might conflict with a rotation policy. (MLF)

"Concreteness Fading" Promotes Transfer of Mathematical Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNeil, Nicole M.; Fyfe, Emily R.

2012-01-01

Recent studies have suggested that educators should avoid concrete instantiations when the goal is to promote transfer. However, concrete instantiations may benefit transfer in the long run, particularly if they are "faded" into more abstract instantiations. Undergraduates were randomly assigned to learn a mathematical concept in one of three…

Design of the study: how can health care help female breast cancer patients reduce their stress symptoms? A randomized intervention study with stepped-care.

PubMed

Nordin, Karin; Rissanen, Ritva; Ahlgren, Johan; Burell, Gunilla; Fjällskog, Marie-Louise; Börjesson, Susanne; Arving, Cecilia

2012-05-04

A life threatening illness such as breast cancer can lead to a secondary diagnosis of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) with intrusive thoughts and avoidance as major symptoms. In a former study by the research group, 80% of the patients with breast cancer reported a high level of stress symptoms close to the diagnosis, such as intrusive thoughts and avoidance behavior. These symptoms remained high throughout the study. The present paper presents the design of a randomized study evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a stress management intervention using a stepped-care design. Female patients over the age of 18, with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer and scheduled for adjuvant treatment in the form of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and/or hormonal therapy are eligible and will consecutively be included in the study. The study is a prospective longitudinal intervention study with a stepped-care approach, where patients will be randomised to one of two interventions in the final stage of treatment. The first step is a low intensity stress-management intervention that is given to all patients. Patients who do not respond to this level are thereafter given more intensive treatment at later steps in the program and will be randomized to more intensive stress-management intervention in a group setting or individually. The primary out-come is subjective distress (intrusion and avoidance) assessed by the Impact of Event Scale (IES). According to the power-analyses, 300 patients are planned to be included in the study and will be followed for one year. Other outcomes are anxiety, depression, quality of life, fatigue, stress in daily living and utilization of hospital services. This will be assessed with well-known psychometric tested questionnaires. Also, the cost-effectiveness of the intervention given in group or individually will be evaluated. This randomized clinical trial will provide additional empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of a stress-management program given in group or individually during adjuvant therapy in terms of decreased stress, minimizing fatigue, and maintaining or enhancing patients' quality of life and psychological well-being. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01555645.

31 CFR 1024.210 - Anti-money laundering programs for mutual funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Finance (Continued) FINANCIAL CRIMES ENFORCEMENT NETWORK, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY RULES FOR MUTUAL... board of directors or trustees. A mutual fund shall make its anti-money laundering program available for...

31 CFR 1024.210 - Anti-money laundering programs for mutual funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Finance (Continued) FINANCIAL CRIMES ENFORCEMENT NETWORK, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY RULES FOR MUTUAL... board of directors or trustees. A mutual fund shall make its anti-money laundering program available for...

31 CFR 1024.210 - Anti-money laundering programs for mutual funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Finance (Continued) FINANCIAL CRIMES ENFORCEMENT NETWORK, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY RULES FOR MUTUAL... board of directors or trustees. A mutual fund shall make its anti-money laundering program available for...

Entropic uncertainty relations and locking: Tight bounds for mutually unbiased bases

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ballester, Manuel A.; Wehner, Stephanie

We prove tight entropic uncertainty relations for a large number of mutually unbiased measurements. In particular, we show that a bound derived from the result by Maassen and Uffink [Phys. Rev. Lett. 60, 1103 (1988)] for two such measurements can in fact be tight for up to {radical}(d) measurements in mutually unbiased bases. We then show that using more mutually unbiased bases does not always lead to a better locking effect. We prove that the optimal bound for the accessible information using up to {radical}(d) specific mutually unbiased bases is log d/2, which is the same as can be achievedmore » by using only two bases. Our result indicates that merely using mutually unbiased bases is not sufficient to achieve a strong locking effect and we need to look for additional properties.« less

A spatial error model with continuous random effects and an application to growth convergence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laurini, Márcio Poletti

2017-10-01

We propose a spatial error model with continuous random effects based on Matérn covariance functions and apply this model for the analysis of income convergence processes (β -convergence). The use of a model with continuous random effects permits a clearer visualization and interpretation of the spatial dependency patterns, avoids the problems of defining neighborhoods in spatial econometrics models, and allows projecting the spatial effects for every possible location in the continuous space, circumventing the existing aggregations in discrete lattice representations. We apply this model approach to analyze the economic growth of Brazilian municipalities between 1991 and 2010 using unconditional and conditional formulations and a spatiotemporal model of convergence. The results indicate that the estimated spatial random effects are consistent with the existence of income convergence clubs for Brazilian municipalities in this period.

17 CFR Appendix F to Part 30 - Acknowledgment Letter for CFTC Regulation 30.7 Customer Secured Money Market Mutual Fund Account

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... by you or by us to secure or guarantee any obligations that we might owe to you, and they may not be... Regulation 30.7 Customer Secured Money Market Mutual Fund Account F Appendix F to Part 30 Commodity and... Money Market Mutual Fund Account [Date] [Name and Address of Money Market Mutual Fund] We propose to...

Functional traits determine formation of mutualism and predation interactions in seed-rodent dispersal system of a subtropical forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Gang; Zhang, Zhibin

2014-02-01

Network structure in plant-animal systems has been widely investigated but the roles of functional traits of plants and animals in formation of mutualism and predation interactions and community structure are still not fully understood. In this study, we quantitatively assessed interaction strength of mutualism and predation between 5 tree species and 7 rodent species by using semi-natural enclosures in a subtropical forest in southwest China. Seeds with high handling-time and nutrition traits (for both rat and mouse species) or high tannin trait (for mouse species) show high mutualism but low predation with rodents; while seeds with low handling-time and low nutrition traits show high predation but low mutualism with rodents. Large-sized rat species are more linked to seeds with high handling-time and high nutrition traits, while small-sized mouse species are more connected with seeds with low handling-time, low nutrition value and high tannin traits. Anti-predation seed traits tend to increase chance of mutualism instead of reducing predation by rodents, suggesting formation of mutualism may be connected with that of predation. Our study demonstrates that seed and animal traits play significant roles in the formation of mutualism and predation and network structure of the seed-rodent dispersal system.

New perspectives on the functioning and evolution of photosymbiosis in plankton: Mutualism or parasitism?

PubMed

Decelle, Johan

2013-07-01

Photosymbiosis is common and widely distributed in plankton and is considered to be beneficial for both partners (mutualism). Such intimate associations involving heterotrophic hosts and microalgal symbionts have been extensively studied in coral reefs, but in the planktonic realm, the ecology and evolution of photosymbioses remain poorly understood. Acantharia (Radiolaria) are ubiquitous and abundant heterotrophic marine protists, many of which host endosymbiotic microalgae. Two types of photosymbiosis involving acantharians have recently been described using molecular techniques: one found in a single acantharian species involving multiple microalgal partners (dinoflagellates and haptophytes), and the other observed in more than 25 acantharian species exclusively living with the haptophyte Phaeocystis. Contrary to most benthic and terrestrial mutualistic symbioses, these symbiotic associations share the common feature of involving symbionts that are abundant in their free-living stage. We propose a hypothetical framework that may explain this original mode of symbiosis, and discuss the ecological and evolutionary implications. We suggest that photosymbiosis in Acantharia, and probably in other planktonic hosts, may not be a mutualistic relationship but rather an "inverted parasitism," from which only hosts seem to benefit by sequestrating and exploiting microalgal cells. The relatively small population size of microalgae in hospite would prevent reciprocal evolution that can select uncooperative symbionts, therefore making this horizontally-transmitted association stable over evolutionary time. The more we learn about the diversity of life and the structure of genomes, the more it appears that much of the evolution of biodiversity is about the manipulation of other species-to gain resources and, in turn, to avoid being manipulated (John Thompson, 1999).

Integration of multiple intraguild predator cues for oviposition decisions by a predatory mite

PubMed Central

Walzer, Andreas; Schausberger, Peter

2012-01-01

In mutual intraguild predation (IGP), the role of individual guild members is strongly context dependent and, during ontogeny, can shift from an intraguild (IG) prey to a food competitor or to an IG predator. Consequently, recognition of an offspring's predator is more complex for IG than classic prey females. Thus, IG prey females should be able to modulate their oviposition decisions by integrating multiple IG predator cues and by experience. Using a guild of plant-inhabiting predatory mites sharing the spider mite Tetranychus urticae as prey and passing through ontogenetic role shifts in mutual IGP, we assessed the effects of single and combined direct cues of the IG predator Amblyseius andersoni (eggs and traces left by a female on the substrate) on prey patch selection and oviposition behaviour of naïve and IG predator-experienced IG prey females of Phytoseiulus persimilis. The IG prey females preferentially resided in patches without predator cues when the alternative patch contained traces of predator females or the cue combination. Preferential egg placement in patches without predator cues was only apparent in the choice situation with the cue combination. Experience increased the responsiveness of females exposed to the IG predator cue combination, indicated by immediate selection of the prey patch without predator cues and almost perfect oviposition avoidance in patches with the cue combination. We argue that the evolution of the ability of IG prey females to evaluate offspring's IGP risk accurately is driven by the irreversibility of oviposition and the functionally complex relationships between predator guild members. PMID:23264692

An ethical justification for the Chronic Care Model (CCM)

PubMed Central

Oprea, Liviu; Braunack‐Mayer, Annette; Rogers, Wendy A.; Stocks, Nigel

2009-01-01

Abstract Background:  Chronic diseases are major causes of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Their effects can be mitigated by high quality evidence‐based care, but this is not the norm in most systems. The Chronic Care Model (CCM) is an evidence‐based policy response to this practice gap, which uses multiple strategies to promote the quality of chronic care. Objective:  To review CCM with an ethical lens. Methods:  We reviewed the published empirical and non‐empirical articles of CCM to analyse the ethical underpinnings of this model. Results and conclusions:  We argue that its principal ethical value lies in the institutional cooperation it builds between the stakeholders involved in health care services. First, we briefly describe CCM and argue that the pathways through which it aims to improve patients’ health outcomes are not made explicit. Second, we argue that the potential of CCM to be more beneficent, compared with traditional health care systems, depends on its capacity to promote mutual trust between health care providers and patients. There is no evidence to date that the implementation of CCM enhances mutual trust between health care professionals and patients. Third, we argue that CCM seeks to enhance human agency, allowing increased expression of individual autonomy and increased respect for individuals thereby expanding human freedom and avoiding social discrimination. However, we review the communication patterns that characterize the model of doctor–patient relationship promoted by this model and argue that these communication patterns raise ethical concerns that may prevent the model from reaching its expected outcomes. PMID:19906213

Examining brain structures associated with the motive to achieve success and the motive to avoid failure: A voxel-based morphometry study.

PubMed

Ming, Dan; Chen, Qunlin; Yang, Wenjing; Chen, Rui; Wei, Dongtao; Li, Wenfu; Qiu, Jiang; Xu, Zhan; Zhang, Qinglin

2016-01-01

The motive to achieve success (MAS) and motive to avoid failure (MAF) are two different but classical kinds of achievement motivation. Though many functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have explored functional activation in motivation-related conditions, research has been silent as to the brain structures associated with individual differences in achievement motivation, especially with respect to MAS and MAF. In this study, the voxel-based morphometry method was used to uncover focal differences in brain structures related to MAS and MAF measured by the Mehrabian Achieving Tendency Scale in 353 healthy young Chinese adults. The results showed that the brain structures associated with individual differences in MAS and MAF were distinct. MAS was negatively correlated with regional gray matter volume (rGMV) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)/orbitofrontal cortex while MAF was negatively correlated with rGMV in the mPFC/subgenual cingulate gyrus. After controlling for mutual influences of MAS and MAF scores, MAS scores were found to be related to rGMV in the mPFC/orbitofrontal cortex and another cluster containing the parahippocampal gyrus and precuneus. These results may predict that compared with MAF, the generation process of MAS may be more complex and rational, thus in the real world, perhaps MAS is more beneficial to personal growth and guaranteeing the quality of task performance.

PET guidance for liver radiofrequency ablation: an evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Peng; Dandekar, Omkar; Mahmoud, Faaiza; Widlus, David; Malloy, Patrick; Shekhar, Raj

2007-03-01

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is emerging as the primary mode of treatment of unresectable malignant liver tumors. With current intraoperative imaging modalities, quick, precise, and complete localization of lesions remains a challenge for liver RFA. Fusion of intraoperative CT and preoperative PET images, which relies on PET and CT registration, can produce a new image with complementary metabolic and anatomic data and thus greatly improve the targeting accuracy. Unlike neurological images, alignment of abdominal images by combined PET/CT scanner is prone to errors as a result of large nonrigid misalignment in abdominal images. Our use of a normalized mutual information-based 3D nonrigid registration technique has proven powerful for whole-body PET and CT registration. We demonstrate here that this technique is capable of acceptable abdominal PET and CT registration as well. In five clinical cases, both qualitative and quantitative validation showed that the registration is robust and accurate. Quantitative accuracy was evaluated by comparison between the result from the algorithm and clinical experts. The accuracy of registration is much less than the allowable margin in liver RFA. Study findings show the technique's potential to enable the augmentation of intraoperative CT with preoperative PET to reduce procedure time, avoid repeating procedures, provide clinicians with complementary functional/anatomic maps, avoid omitting dispersed small lesions, and improve the accuracy of tumor targeting in liver RFA.

Both Geography and Ecology Contribute to Mating Isolation in Guppies

PubMed Central

Schwartz, Amy K.; Weese, Dylan J.; Bentzen, Paul; Kinnison, Michael T.; Hendry, Andrew P.

2010-01-01

Local adaptation to different environments can promote mating isolation – either as an incidental by-product of trait divergence, or as a result of selection to avoid maladaptive mating. Numerous recent empirical examples point to the common influence of divergent natural selection on speciation based largely on evidence of strong pre-mating isolation between populations from different habitat types. Accumulating evidence for natural selection's influence on speciation is therefore no longer a challenge. The difficulty, rather, is in determining the mechanisms involved in the progress of adaptive divergence to speciation once barriers to gene flow are already present. Here, we present results of both laboratory and field experiments with Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) from different environments, who do not show complete reproductive isolation despite adaptive divergence. We investigate patterns of mating isolation between populations that do and do not exchange migrants and show evidence for both by-product and reinforcement mechanisms depending on female ecology. Specifically, low-predation females discriminate against all high-predation males thus implying a by-product mechanism, whereas high-predation females only discriminate against low-predation males from further upstream in the same river, implying selection to avoid maladaptive mating. Our study thus confirms that mechanisms of adaptive speciation are not necessarily mutually exclusive and uncovers the complex ecology-geography interactions that underlie the evolution of mating isolation in nature. PMID:21179541

Deciding to defect: the effects of video-game violence on cooperative behavior.

PubMed

Sheese, Brad E; Graziano, William G

2005-05-01

This experiment examined the effect of video-game violence on cooperative decision making. Participants (N= 48) were randomly assigned to play either a violent or a nonviolent version of the video game Doom in dyads. Following the video-game task, participants were separated and given an opportunity to choose to cooperate with their partner for mutual gain, withdraw from the interaction, or exploit their partner for their own benefit. Participants in the violent condition were significantly more likely to choose to exploit their partners than participants in the nonviolent condition. These findings suggest that playing violent video games may undermine prosocial motivation and promote exploitive behavior in social interactions.

Young Citizens as Health Agents: Use of Drama in Promoting Community Efficacy for HIV/AIDS

PubMed Central

Kamo, Norifumi; Carlson, Mary; Brennan, Robert T.; Earls, Felton

2008-01-01

A community-based cluster randomized control trial in a medium-sized municipality in Tanzania was designed to increase local competence to control HIV/AIDS through actions initiated by children and adolescents aged 10 to 14 years. Representative groups from the 15 treatment communities reached mutual understanding about their objectives as health agents, prioritized their actions, and skillfully applied community drama (“skits”) to impart knowledge about the social realities and the microbiology of HIV/AIDS. In independently conducted surveys of neighborhood residents, differences were found between adults who did and did not witness the skits in their beliefs about the efficacy of children as HIV/AIDS primary change agents. PMID:18172136

Young citizens as health agents: use of drama in promoting community efficacy for HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Kamo, Norifumi; Carlson, Mary; Brennan, Robert T; Earls, Felton

2008-02-01

A community-based cluster randomized control trial in a medium-sized municipality in Tanzania was designed to increase local competence to control HIV/AIDS through actions initiated by children and adolescents aged 10 to 14 years. Representative groups from the 15 treatment communities reached mutual understanding about their objectives as health agents, prioritized their actions, and skillfully applied community drama ("skits") to impart knowledge about the social realities and the microbiology of HIV/AIDS. In independently conducted surveys of neighborhood residents, differences were found between adults who did and did not witness the skits in their beliefs about the efficacy of children as HIV/AIDS primary change agents.

Mutuality and the social regulation of neural threat responding

PubMed Central

Coan, James A.; Kasle, Shelley; Jackson, Alice; Schaefer, Hillary S.; Davidson, Richard J.

2014-01-01

Recent studies have shown that the presence of a caring relational partner can attenuate neural responses to threat. Here we report reanalyzed data from Coan, Schaefer, and Davidson (2006), investigating the role of relational mutuality in the neural response to threat. Mutuality reflects the degree to which couple members show mutual interest in the sharing of internal feelings, thoughts, aspirations, and joys – a vital form of responsiveness in attachment relationships. We predicted that wives who were high (versus low) in perceived mutuality, and who attended the study session with their husbands, would show reduced neural threat reactivity in response to mild electric shocks. We also explored whether this effect would depend on physical contact (handholding). As predicted, we observed that higher mutuality scores corresponded with decreased neural threat responding in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and supplementary motor cortex. These effects were independent of hand-holding condition. These findings suggest that higher perceived mutuality corresponds with decreased self-regulatory effort and attenuated preparatory motor activity in response to threat cues, even in the absence of direct physical contact with social resources. PMID:23547803

Application of data envelopment analysis in measuring the efficiency of mutual fund

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nik, Marzieh Geramian; Mihanzadeh, Hooman; Izadifar, Mozhgan; Nik, Babak Geramian

2015-05-01

The growth of mutual fund industry during the past decades emphasizes the importance of this investment vehicle particularly in prosperity of financial markets and in turn, financial growth of each country. Therefore, evaluating the relative efficiency of mutual funds as investment tool is of importance. In this study, a combined model of DEA (data envelopment analysis), and goal programming (GoDEA) approaches contributes widely to analyze the return efficiency of Mutual Funds in an attempt to separate efficient and inefficient Funds as well as identifying the inefficiency resources. Mixed asset local funds, which are managed jointly by CIMB and Public Mutual Berhad, have been selected for the purpose of this paper. As a result, Public Small Cap Fund (P Small Cap) is regarded as the most efficient mutual fund during the period of study. The integrated model aims to first guide investors to choose the best performing fund among other mutual funds, secondly provides the realistic and appropriate benchmark in compare to other classic method, and finally confirms the utility of data envelopment analysis (DEA) as decision-making tool.

Group vs. single mindfulness meditation: exploring avoidance, impulsivity, and weight management in two separate mindfulness meditation settings.

PubMed

Mantzios, Michail; Giannou, Kyriaki

2014-07-01

Recent research has identified that mindfulness meditation in group settings supports people who are trying to lose weight. The present research investigated mindfulness meditation in group and individual settings, and explored the potential impact on weight loss and other factors (i.e. mindfulness, impulsivity, and avoidance) that may assist or hinder weight loss. Specifically, the hypotheses tested were that the group setting assisted dieters more than the individual setting by reducing weight, cognitive-behavioral avoidance, and impulsivity and by increasing mindfulness. Participants (n = 170) who were trying to lose weight were randomly assigned to practice meditation for 6 weeks within a group or independently. Measurements in mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral avoidance, impulsivity, and weight occurred twice (pre- and post-intervention). Results indicated that participants in the group setting lost weight and lowered their levels of cognitive-behavioral avoidance, while impulsivity and mindfulness remained stable. On the other hand, participants in the individual condition lost less weight, while there was an increase in cognitive-behavioral avoidance and mindfulness scores, but a decrease in impulsivity. Seeing that benefits and limitations observed in group settings are not replicated when people meditate alone, this study concluded that mindfulness meditation in individual settings needs to be used with caution, although there are some potential benefits that could aid future weight loss research. © 2014 The International Association of Applied Psychology.

Non elective re-admissions to an acute hospital in people with diabetes: Causes and the potential for avoidance. The WICKED project.

PubMed

Gillani, Syed M R; Aziz, Umaira; Blundell, David; Singh, Baldev M

2015-10-01

Managing people with diabetes is a health priority worldwide. Cost benefit attempts at avoiding non elective admissions (NEA) have had some success. To develop an NEA avoidance service, we audited multiple NEA in those with diabetes. All people with diabetes who had ≥3 NEA to our hospital over 12 months were identified (n=418); 104 (1 in 4) patients were randomly selected and retrospective data collected in 98 subjects on their index (latest, 3rd) admission. Of 98 subjects (50 males, 60 Caucasians, 86 type 2 diabetes, aged 69±16 years).Conditions contributing to admission included: Significant co-morbidities in 95 patients (≥2 in 57, ≥4 in 24). Only 14 admission were directly due to diabetes: hypoglycaemia (5); hyperglycaemia (6); DKA (2), Infected foot ulcer (1).97 admissions were justified at the time of presentation. However whilst 78 were unavoidable, 19 were deemed avoidable amongst whom 10 were diabetes related. The majority of re-admissions were due to multi-morbidity and were often non-diabetes related. The concept of avoidability must be distinguished from point justification at the time of acute need. This would allow the prospective identification of high risk patients and requires an integrated working process to avoid NEA. Copyright © 2015 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

For whom the bell tolls: experimentally-manipulated disgust and embarrassment may cause anticipated sexual healthcare avoidance among some people.

PubMed

McCambridge, Sarah A; Consedine, Nathan S

2014-04-01

This study was designed to experimentally determine whether disgust and embarrassment predict anticipated delay and avoidance in sexual healthcare decision-making and for whom. In the study, 90 participants, aged 18-30, completed web-based questionnaires assessing demographics, current health, and past health behaviors before being gender block randomized to conditions in which disgust, embarrassment, or control (no emotion) were induced. Participants completed health decision-making vignettes covering the disgusting and embarrassing aspects of sexual healthcare. Factorial ANOVAs showed that although there were some complexities in the manipulation, disgust and embarrassment predicted greater anticipated delay and avoidance of elicitors, but only among specific groups. Embarrassment predicted anticipated help-seeking delays for embarrassment elicitors (i.e. sexual history assessment and physical examination), while disgust predicted anticipated help-seeking delays involving disgust elicitors (i.e. collecting genital discharge). However, these effects were moderated, with embarrassment only predicting anticipated delays among individuals reporting multiple sexual partners and disgust predicting anticipated delays and avoidance among persons reporting poorer subjective health. In sum, the current report provides among the first empirical demonstrations that emotions such as embarrassment and disgust may be causally implicated in anticipated delays and avoidance in sexual healthcare. Emotion frameworks may be usefully incorporated into clinical and public health efforts to reduce sexual healthcare delays and avoidance.

Terror mismanagement: evidence that mortality salience exacerbates attentional bias in social anxiety.

PubMed

Finch, Emma C; Iverach, Lisa; Menzies, Ross G; Jones, Mark

2016-11-01

Death anxiety is a basic fear underlying a range of psychological conditions, and has been found to increase avoidance in social anxiety. Given that attentional bias is a core feature of social anxiety, the aim of the present study was to examine the impact of mortality salience (MS) on attentional bias in social anxiety. Participants were 36 socially anxious and 37 non-socially anxious individuals, randomly allocated to a MS or control condition. An eye-tracking procedure assessed initial bias towards, and late-stage avoidance of, socially threatening facial expressions. As predicted, socially anxious participants in the MS condition demonstrated significantly more initial bias to social threat than non-socially anxious participants in the MS condition and socially anxious participants in the control condition. However, this effect was not found for late-stage avoidance of social threat. These findings suggest that reminders of death may heighten initial vigilance towards social threat.

Terror mismanagement: evidence that mortality salience exacerbates attentional bias in social anxiety

PubMed Central

Finch, Emma C.; Iverach, Lisa; Menzies, Ross G.; Jones, Mark

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Death anxiety is a basic fear underlying a range of psychological conditions, and has been found to increase avoidance in social anxiety. Given that attentional bias is a core feature of social anxiety, the aim of the present study was to examine the impact of mortality salience (MS) on attentional bias in social anxiety. Participants were 36 socially anxious and 37 non-socially anxious individuals, randomly allocated to a MS or control condition. An eye-tracking procedure assessed initial bias towards, and late-stage avoidance of, socially threatening facial expressions. As predicted, socially anxious participants in the MS condition demonstrated significantly more initial bias to social threat than non-socially anxious participants in the MS condition and socially anxious participants in the control condition. However, this effect was not found for late-stage avoidance of social threat. These findings suggest that reminders of death may heighten initial vigilance towards social threat. PMID:26211552

Effects of various treatments on the chemokinetic behavior of third-stage larvae of Strongyloides ratti on a sodium chloride gradient.

PubMed

Tobata-Kudo, H; Higo, H; Koga, M; Tada, I

2000-11-01

In observations of the movements of the infective third-stage larvae of a rodent parasitic nematode, Strongyloides ratti, on a sodium chloride gradient set up on agarose plates, two types of chemokinetic behavior were seen: a unidirectional avoidance movement on initial placement of the larvae in unfavorable environmental conditions and a random dispersal movement on their placement within an area of favorable conditions. Track patterns were straight in the avoidance movement but included multiple changes of direction and loops in the dispersal movement. In the present study we examined the interventional activity of treatment with various enzymes, lectins, and chemicals by analyzing the unidirectional avoidance movements of the larvae. We observed that beta-glucosidase, hyaluronidase, beta-galactosidase, trypsin, protease, lipase, phospholipase C, soybean agglutinin, wheat germ agglutinin, and spermidine exerted inhibitory actions on those movements, which may be guided by the chemosensory function of this nematode.

Mutualisms and Population Regulation: Mechanism Matters

PubMed Central

Jha, Shalene; Allen, David; Liere, Heidi; Perfecto, Ivette; Vandermeer, John

2012-01-01

For both applied and theoretical ecological science, the mutualism between ants and their hemipteran partners is iconic. In this well-studied interaction, ants are assumed to provide hemipterans protection from natural enemies in exchange for nutritive honeydew. Despite decades of research and the potential importance in pest control, the precise mechanism producing this mutualism remains contested. By analyzing maximum likelihood parameter estimates of a hemipteran population model, we show that the mechanism of the mutualism is direct, via improved hemipteran growth rates, as opposed to the frequently assumed indirect mechanism, via harassment of the specialist parasites and predators of the hemipterans. Broadly, this study demonstrates that the management of mutualism-based ecosystem services requires a mechanistic understanding of mutualistic interactions. A consequence of this finding is the counter intuitive demonstration that preserving ant participation in the ant-hemipteran mutualism may be the best way of insuring pest control. PMID:22927978

Reducing Deviance Through Youths' Mutual Aid Group Dynamics.

PubMed

Cheung, Chau-kiu; Ngai, Steven Sek-yum

2016-01-01

The mutual aid group, as supported by the social worker, emerges to play a vital role in helping group members reduce their deviance or behavioral problem. However, how the collaboration of the group and social worker accomplishes the reduction has remained uncharted. Based on social capital theory, mutual aid and cohesion within the group and social workers' specific aid for the group are likely responsible for the reduction. The test of such hypotheses relies on a two-wave panel survey of the members of 60 mutual aid groups who had deviant behavioral problems, located in Hong Kong, China. These groups had 241 youths completing both initial and 1-year follow-up surveys. Results manifested the direct or unconditional contributions of mutual aid, group cohesion, and social workers' specific aid to reducing deviance. Hence, social workers can enhance the effectiveness of the mutual aid group in reducing youths' deviance. © The Author(s) 2014.

Analysis of high-frequency oscillations in mutually-coupled nano-lasers.

PubMed

Han, Hong; Shore, K Alan

2018-04-16

The dynamics of mutually coupled nano-lasers has been analyzed using rate equations which include the Purcell cavity-enhanced spontaneous emission factor F and the spontaneous emission coupling factor β. It is shown that in the mutually-coupled system, small-amplitude oscillations with frequencies of order 100 GHz are generated and are maintained with remarkable stability. The appearance of such high-frequency oscillations is associated with the effective reduction of the carrier lifetime for larger values of the Purcell factor, F, and spontaneous coupling factor, β. In mutually-coupled nano-lasers the oscillation frequency changes linearly with the frequency detuning between the lasers. For non-identical bias currents, the oscillation frequency of mutually-coupled nano-lasers also increases with bias current. The stability of the oscillations which appear in mutually coupled nano-lasers offers opportunities for their practical applications and notably in photonic integrated circuits.

Pre-treatment predictors and in-treatment factors associated with change in avoidant and dependent personality disorder traits among patients with social phobia.

PubMed

Borge, Finn-Magnus; Hoffart, Asle; Sexton, Harold; Martinsen, Egil; Gude, Tore; Hedley, Liv Margaret; Abrahamsen, Gun

2010-01-01

We examined changes in avoidant and dependent personality disorder dimensions, and pre-treatment and in-treatment factors associated with such changes in 77 patients, randomized to medication-free residential cognitive (CT) or residential interpersonal therapy for social phobia. Personality disorders and personality dimensions according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) were assessed at pre-treatment and at one-year post-treatment. Both treatments were associated with a decrease in avoidant and dependent personality dimensions; dependent dimension decreased more in CT. Changes in cognitive factors predicted changes in both personality dimensions, whereas changes in symptoms or interpersonal factors did not. Change in the cognitive factor estimated cost was the most powerful predictor in the avoidant dimension, as it was the only predictor that remained significant in the forward regression analyses. Change in the cognitive factor estimated cost, and treatment were the most powerful predictors of change in the dependent dimension. Pre-treatment use of anxiolytics predicted larger changes in both PD dimensions.

Attachment Avoidance Is Significantly Related to Attentional Preference for Infant Faces: Evidence from Eye Movement Data

PubMed Central

Jia, Yuncheng; Cheng, Gang; Zhang, Dajun; Ta, Na; Xia, Mu; Ding, Fangyuan

2017-01-01

Objective: To determine the influence of adult attachment orientations on infant preference. Methods: We adopted eye-tracking technology to monitor childless college women’s eye movements when looking at pairs of faces, including one adult face (man or woman) and one infant face, with three different expressions (happy, sadness, and neutral). The participants (N = 150; 84% Han ethnicity) were aged 18–29 years (M = 19.22, SD = 1.72). A random intercepts multilevel linear regression analysis was used to assess the unique contribution of attachment avoidance, determined using the Experiences in Close Relationships scale, to preference for infant faces. Results: Women with higher attachment avoidance showed less infant preference, as shown by less sustained overt attentional bias to the infant face than the adult face based on fixation time and count. Conclusion: Adult attachment might be related to infant preference according to eye movement indices. Women with higher attachment avoidance may lack attentional preference for infant faces. The findings may aid the treatment and remediation of the interactions between children and mothers with insecure attachment. PMID:28184210

Attachment Avoidance Is Significantly Related to Attentional Preference for Infant Faces: Evidence from Eye Movement Data.

PubMed

Jia, Yuncheng; Cheng, Gang; Zhang, Dajun; Ta, Na; Xia, Mu; Ding, Fangyuan

2017-01-01

Objective: To determine the influence of adult attachment orientations on infant preference. Methods: We adopted eye-tracking technology to monitor childless college women's eye movements when looking at pairs of faces, including one adult face (man or woman) and one infant face, with three different expressions (happy, sadness, and neutral). The participants ( N = 150; 84% Han ethnicity) were aged 18-29 years ( M = 19.22, SD = 1.72). A random intercepts multilevel linear regression analysis was used to assess the unique contribution of attachment avoidance, determined using the Experiences in Close Relationships scale, to preference for infant faces. Results: Women with higher attachment avoidance showed less infant preference, as shown by less sustained overt attentional bias to the infant face than the adult face based on fixation time and count. Conclusion: Adult attachment might be related to infant preference according to eye movement indices. Women with higher attachment avoidance may lack attentional preference for infant faces. The findings may aid the treatment and remediation of the interactions between children and mothers with insecure attachment.