Dynamic Modelling of Infectious Diseases

Heuristic resolution for multiple inheritance in object-oriented expert system building tools

Evaluation of annual forest disturbance monitoring using a static decision tree approach and 250 m MODIS data

The thermal profile of data centers plays a significant role in affecting the cooling cost and power budget of the system. While several dynamic and static approaches have been proposed so far, these have failed on considering the whole picture. This paper proposes a combined static and dynamic approach that shows the benefits of the efficient scheduling strategies on leading to thermal-efficient floorplans. The devised methodology comes out with a placement of processors and task scheduling for a heterogeneous system, where the main thermal metrics (maximum temperature and thermal gradient) have been optimized.

Impacto económico y en calidad de vida de la epilepsia resistente en España: estudio ESPERA

Vibrational spectroscopy is an omnipresent spectroscopic technique to characterize functional nanostructured materials such as zeolites, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and metal-halide perovskites (MHPs). The resulting experimental spectra are usually complex, with both low-frequency framework modes and high-frequency functional group vibrations. Therefore, theoretically calculated spectra are often an essential element to elucidate the vibrational fingerprint. In principle, there are two possible approaches to calculate vibrational spectra: (i) a static approach that approximates the potential energy surface (PES) as a set of independent harmonic oscillators and (ii) a dynamic approach that explicitly samples the PES around equilibrium by integrating Newton's equations of motions. The dynamic approach considers anharmonic and temperature effects and provides a more genuine representation of materials at true operating conditions; however, such simulations come at a substantially increased computational cost. This is certainly true when forces and energy evaluations are performed at the quantum mechanical level. Molecular dynamics (MD) techniques have become more established within the field of computational chemistry. Yet, for the prediction of infrared (IR) and Raman spectra of nanostructured materials, their usage has been less explored and remain restricted to some isolated successes. Therefore, it is currently not a priori clear which methodology should be used to accurately predict vibrational spectra for a given system. A comprehensive comparative study between various theoretical methods and experimental spectra for a broad set of nanostructured materials is so far lacking. To fill this gap, we herein present a concise overview on which methodology is suited to accurately predict vibrational spectra for a broad range of nanostructured materials and formulate a series of theoretical guidelines to this purpose. To this end, four different case studies are considered, each treating a particular material aspect, namely breathing in flexible MOFs, characterization of defects in the rigid MOF UiO-66, anharmonic vibrations in the metal-halide perovskite CsPbBr3, and guest adsorption on the pores of the zeolite H-SSZ-13. For all four materials, in their guest- and defect-free state and at sufficiently low temperatures, both the static and dynamic approach yield qualitatively similar spectra in agreement with experimental results. When the temperature is increased, the harmonic approximation starts to fail for CsPbBr3 due to the presence of anharmonic phonon modes. Also, the spectroscopic fingerprints of defects and guest species are insufficiently well predicted by a simple harmonic model. Both phenomena flatten the potential energy surface (PES), which facilitates the transitions between metastable states, necessitating dynamic sampling. On the basis of the four case studies treated in this Review, we can propose the following theoretical guidelines to simulate accurate vibrational spectra of functional solid-state materials: (i) For nanostructured crystalline framework materials at low temperature, insights into the lattice dynamics can be obtained using a static approach relying on a few points on the PES and an independent set of harmonic oscillators. (ii) When the material is evaluated at higher temperatures or when additional complexity enters the system, e.g., strong anharmonicity, defects, or guest species, the harmonic regime breaks down and dynamic sampling is required for a correct prediction of the phonon spectrum. These guidelines and their illustrations for prototype material classes can help experimental and theoretical researchers to enhance the knowledge obtained from a lattice dynamics study.

In this paper, we introduce a dynamic variant of the Location-Allocation problem: Dynamic Location-Allocation Problem (DULAP). DULAP involves the location of facilities to service a set of customer demands over a defined horizon. To evaluate a solution to DULAP, we propose two holistic metric approaches: Static and Dynamic Approach. In the static approach, a solution is evaluated with the assumption that customer locations and demand remain constant over a defined horizon. In the dynamic approach, the assumption is made that customer demand, and demographic pattern may change over the defined horizon. We introduce a stochastic model to simulate customer population and distribution over time. We use a Genetic Algorithm and Population-Based Incremental Learning algorithm used in previous work to find robust and satisfactory solutions to DULAP. Results show the dynamic approach of evaluating a solution finds good and robust solutions.

Evaluación económica de la utilización de hierro carboximaltosa en pacientes con deficiencia de hierro e insuficiencia cardiaca crónica en España

The distinction between and temporality may, however, extend to certain particular concepts and also to certain more general temporal notions as well. This chapter examines the suggestion that we ask, not ?what could our temporal concepts, or predicates, in reality denote?', but ?what renders our universe a temporal universe (rather than an atemporal one)?' It examines contemporary scientific Eleaticism's pretense to account for the reality of time, especially as it attempts to designate a physical counterpart or manifestation of the so-called arrow of time - roughly, the notion that is uni-directional and irreversible. This notion will itself be clarified by examining also the distinction between linear and cyclical time. Finally, this chapter explains further the contrast just alleged between (contemporary) scientific Eleaticism and traditional (philosophical) Eleaticism, and in so doing also the crucial distinction between static and dynamic approaches to time.Keywords: dynamic approaches; Eleaticism; static approaches; temporality;

In this paper, we present a new test data compression method for intellectual property (IP) cores testing, based on the reuse of parts of dictionary entries. Two approaches are investigated: the static and the dynamic. In the static approach, the content of the dictionary is constant during the testing of a core, while in the dynamic approach the testing of a core consists of several test sessions and the content of the dictionary is different during each test session. The efficiency of the proposed method is supported with extensive simulation results and comparisons to already known test data compression methods suitable for IP cores testing.

Dynamic multi-objective optimization applied to a solar-geothermal multi-generation system for hydrogen production, desalination, and energy storage

In this paper the type of instability of a T form frame with joint massM subjected to a compressive follower forceP applied at the joint is investigated on the basis of both the dynamic (variational) and static approach. It is shown that the frame loses its stability through divergence and its critical load is independent of the joint stiffness when the support of the compressed bar is hinged; in contrast, if this support is fully fixed the frame, depending on the joint stiffness, may lose its stability either through divergence or through flutter. However, the region of flutter type instability is very limited which shows that the divergence instability is the rule and not the exception and accordingly the simple static(stability) approach is applicable. Moreover, it is found that the change of the buckling mechanism from flutter to divergence and vice versa is associated with a jump in the critical load.

The efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines against the Delta variant has been observed to be high, both against severe disease and infection. The full population level vaccine effectiveness, however, also contains the indirect effects of vaccination, which require analysis of transmission dynamics to uncover. Finland was close to naïve to SARS-CoV-2 infections before the Delta dominant era, and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were at an internationally low level. We utilize Finnish register data and a mathematical model for transmission and COVID-19 disease burden to construct a completely unvaccinated control population and estimate the different components of the vaccine effectiveness. The estimated direct effectiveness was 72% against COVID-19 cases and 87–96% against severe disease outcomes, but the estimated indirect effectiveness was even better, 93% against cases and 94–97% against severe disease. The total and overall effectiveness, including both direct and indirect effects of vaccination, were thus excellent. Our results show how well the population was protected by vaccination during the Delta era, especially by the indirect effectiveness, providing protection also to the unvaccinated part of the population. The estimated averted numbers of hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and deaths in Finland during the Delta era under the implemented NPIs were about 100 times the observed numbers.

e24009 Background: Early utilization of specialist palliative care (SPC) in cancer patients may reduce healthcare resource use, aggressive interventions, and costs at end-of-life. We evaluated the impact of SPC on healthcare resource utilization and aggressive interventions at end-of-life in patients who have died from lung cancer. Methods: Descriptive and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted on lung cancer decedents in the Calgary Zone, Alberta Health Services from 2008 to 2015. The primary exposure was timing of SPC (Early: receipt of SPC > = 90 days before death; Late: < 90 days before death; No SPC). The primary outcome was end-of-life healthcare resource use (defined as any of: hospital death, > 1 emergency department visit, > 1 hospital admission, > 14 days of hospitalization, ≥1 intensive care unit admission, ≥1 new chemotherapy program (or any chemotherapy in the last 14 days of life) in the 30 days prior to death. Results: There were 3300 patients of which the majority (51.6%) of decedents were male. More female versus male lung cancer decedents (36.4% vs 28.7%) received early SPC. After adjusting for confounders, a strong association was found between early, late or no SPC and end-of-life healthcare resource use (ORno exposure 3.25 (95% CI 2.41-4.40) vs ORlate exposure 2.44 (95% CI 2.03-2.92) compared to those with early SPC; p < 0.001). Males had 1.53 the odds of aggressive care at end-of-life compared to females (p < 0.001). Stratified analysis by sex revealed a strong association between the absence of SPC utilization and end-of-life healthcare resource use. Young age ( < 50 at death) was a strong driver of aggressive care at end-of-life in females versus males [OR 5.44 vs 2.53]. Conclusions: Early specialist palliative care was significantly associated with less end-of-life healthcare resource use in both male and female lung cancer decedents, with less early specialist palliative care use in males. Keywords: palliative care, early palliative care, cancer, end-of-life, healthcare resource use, lung cancer.

To examine the effects of a telephone-delivered intervention, Family Intervention: Telephone Tracking-Caregiver (FITT-C), on community support and healthcare use by dementia caregivers. Randomized, controlled trial. Academic medical center. Dyads (n=250) of distressed informal dementia caregivers and care recipients. Caregivers were randomly assigned to receive the FITT-C (n=133) or telephone support (TS; n=117). Both groups received 16 telephone contacts from a master's-level therapist over 6months. The FITT-C intervention provided psychoeducation, problem solving, and other directive approaches based on assessment of critical areas (e.g., mood, behavior, family functioning, social support). TS provided supportive therapeutic strategies. Outcome variables were caregiver report of community support service use, number of visits to the emergency department (ED) for caregivers and care recipients, and hospital stays for caregivers during the interventions. Intervention groups did not differ in demographic characteristics, use of support services, or use of healthcare resources at baseline. Caregivers who received the FITT-C used community support services at end of treatment significantly more than those receiving TS (P=.02). FITT-C caregivers had a significantly lower rate of ED visits (rate difference 9.5%, P=.048) and hospital stays (rate difference 11.4%, P=.01) over the 6-month course of the intervention than TS caregivers. Care recipient use of community or medical resources did not differ according to group. An entirely telephone-delivered intervention was effective in increasing caregiver engagement in community resources and reducing caregiver use of hospital-based healthcare resources. Results highlight the potential effect of FITT-C on healthcare use.

Parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) has been widely criticized in the recent literature based on methodology rather than on theory. Here I argue that most of the criticisms of PAE result from confusion between thedynamicandstaticapproaches of PAE, by both users and critics of the method. Originally, PAE (the dynamic approach) was proposed primarily for historical comparisons of biotic distributions based on geological and stratigraphical information; that is, the stratigraphical record of the biota within two or more horizons was used to evaluate changes (layer by layer) in their distributional patterns. This led to an analysis of the biota throughout space and through time. On the other hand, the static approach excluded the temporal component and based the analysis on a single geological horizon. Most problems exemplified and discussed in the literature refer to the static approach. In addition to this defence of the original PAE, I present some new criticisms regarding the application of PAE using artificially delimited areas (for example areas defined by geopolitical boundaries), which may lead to incorrect interpretations. Recently, several variations of static PAE have appeared: some designed to accommodate ecological data (e.g. parsimony analysis of distributions – PAD); others that incorporate phylogenetic content (e.g. cladistic analysis of distributions and endemism – CADE); and some that have been integrated with other historical methods (e.g. panbiogeography) in order to detect and evaluate hypotheses of biogeographical homologies. Biogeographers, both ecological and historical, should be aware of the problems and limitations of both dynamic and static PAE and evaluate new variations of PAE (PAD, CADE, etc.). Finally, I argue in favour of an independent and pluralist discipline of biogeography that treats biogeography as related to systematics but not dependent on it, as some scholars have assumed.