Calibration of a stochastic health evolution model using NHIS data

This paper presents and calibrates an individual’s stochastic health evolution model. In this health evolution model, the uncertainty of health incidents is described by a stochastic process with a finite number of possible outcomes. We construct a comprehensive health status index (HSI) to describe an individual’s health status, as well as a health risk factor system (RFS) to classify individuals into different risk groups. Based on the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method and the method of nonlinear least squares fitting, model calibration is formulated in terms of two mixed-integer nonlinear optimization problems. Using the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data, the model is calibrated for specific risk groups. Longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is used to validate the calibrated model, which displays good validation properties. The end goal of this paper is to provide a model and methodology, whose output can serve as a crucial component of decision support for strategic planning of health related financing and risk management.     

An axisymmetric problem of an embedded mixed-mode crack in a functionally graded magnetoelectroelastic infinite medium

This paper investigates the problem of an axisymmetric penny shaped crack embedded in an infinite functionally graded magneto electro elastic medium. The loading consists of magnetoelectromechanical loads applied on the crack surfaces assumed to be magneto electrically impermeable. The material’s gradient is parallel to the axisymmetric direction and is perpendicular to the crack plane. An anisotropic constitutive law is adopted to model the material behavior. The governing equations are converted analytically using Hankel transform into coupled singular integral equations, which are solved numerically to yield the crack tip stress, electric displacement and magnetic induction intensity factors. A similar problem but with a different crack morphology, that is a plane crack embedded in an infinite functionally graded magneto electro elastic medium, was considered by the authors in a previous work (Rekik et al., 2012) [25]. While the overall solution schemes look similar, the axisymmetric problem resulted in more mathematical complexities and let to different conclusions with respect to the influence of coupling between elastic, electric and magnetic effects. The main focus of this paper is to study the effect of material non-homogeneity on the fields’ intensity factors to understand further the behavior of graded magnetoelectroelastic materials containing penny shaped cracks and to inspect the effect of varying the crack geometry.     

黑龙江省农村劳动力就业的宏观影响因素分析——以状态空间模型为工具

以状态空间模型为工具,研究农村劳动力就业的影响因素,从深层次分析农村劳动力就业发展的长期性、动态性、阶段性和互动性.研究得到,在所有因素之中乡村劳动力人数是长期内影响劳动力就业的主要因素,且始终为正向影响,地区生产总值、农村居民消费水平、农村固定资产投资和农村居民人均纯收入等四个因素均经历了正相关、负相关的波动过程.由此将为人口与经济的健康发展提供理论依据,为政府部门的科学规划和政策调整提供可行性建议,同时对于人口城镇化的有效推进具有重要的现实意义.     

可口革囊星虫三种同工酶表达初步分析

应用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳法，对可口革囊星虫的收吻肌、吻、肠、肾管和体壁5种组织或器官进行了同工酶分析．共分析了酯酶、过氧化物酶和超氧化物歧化酶等三种同工酶．结果表明：酯酶具有显著的组织特异性，其余两种酶相对不明显；可口革囊星虫的肠除了行使消化功能外，还和吻、肾管一起在清除自由基方面起着重要作用；提出将EST分析作为星虫动物门的一个分类学依据。     

Chip-Firing and the Critical Group of a Graph

A variant of the chip-firing game on a graph is defined. It is shown that the set of configurations that are stable and recurrent for this game can be given the structure of an abelian group, and that the order of the group is equal to the tree number of the graph. In certain cases the game can be used to illuminate the structure of the group.     

Safety neighbournoods for the invariants of the matrix similarity

We give safety neighbourhoods for the necessary conditions in the change of the Jordan canonical form of a matrix under small perturbations. We also obtain the minimum distance from an n × n complex matrix which has less than k nonconstant invariant factors (2≤ k≤ n) to the set of matrices which have more or equal to k. When k= 2, we get in particular the distance from a nonderogatory matrix to the set of derogatory matrices.     

Simultaneous determination of seven lignans in Justicia procumbens by high performance liquid chromatography–photodiode array detection using relative response factors

A simple and sensitive HPLC coupled with photodiode array (HPLC–PDA) method was developed for simultaneous determination of seven lignans in Justicia procumbens using relative response factors (RRFs). The chromatographic separation was performed on a Shiseido Capcell Pak C₁₈ column (250 × 4.6 mm id, 5 μm), a gradient elution of acetonitrile/water, and a photodiode array detector. The column temperature was maintained at 35°C and the detection wavelength was set at 256 nm. Chinensinaphthol methyl ether was selected as the reference compound for calculating the relative response factors of the lignans. It has shown that the RRFs for lignans are quite similar at 256 nm of detection under different analytical conditions (different columns and HPLC instruments). Using RRFs, not every lignan is needed as a reference standard, making the method ideal for rapid, routine analysis, especially for those laboratories where lignans standards are not readily available. An economic and practicable HPLC method using RRFs was established for the determination of seven lignans in J. procumbens. This method not only can determine multiple indexes in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) simultaneously, but also resolve the problem of lacking of chemical standards. It will be a good quality evaluation method and pattern for TCMs.