Processes with block-associated increments

This paper is motivated by relations between association and independence of random variables. It is well-known that for real random variables independence implies association in the sense of Esary, Proschan and Walkup, while for random vectors this simple relationship breaks. We modify the notion of association in such a way that any vector-valued process with independent increments has also associated increments in the new sense --- association between blocks. The new notion is quite natural and admits nice characterization for some classes of processes. In particular, using the covariance interpolation formula due to Houdr\'{e}, P\'{e}rez-Abreu and Surgailis, we show that within the class of multidimensional Gaussian processes block-association of increments is equivalent to supermodularity (in time) of the covariance functions. We define also corresponding versions of weak association, positive association and negative association. It turns out that the Central Limit Theorem for weakly associated random vectors due to Burton, Dabrowski and Dehling remains valid, if the weak association is relaxed to the weak association between blocks

Polyelectrolyte Adsorption on Charged Substrate

The behavior of a polyelectrolyte adsorbed on a charged substrate of high-dielectric constant is studied by both Monte-Carlo simulation and analytical methods. It is found that in a low enough ionic strength medium, the adsorption transition is first-order where the substrate surface charge still keeps repulsive. The monomer density at the adsorbed surface is identified as the order parameter. It follows a linear relation with substrate surface charge density because of the electrostatic boundary condition at the charged surface. During the transition, the adsorption layer thickness remains finite. A new scaling law for the layer thickness is derived and verified by simulation.Comment: Proceedings of the 3rd Symposium on Slow Dynamics in Complex Systems, 3-8 November 2003, Sendai, Japa

Authenticating Turkey Red Textiles through Material Investigations by FTIR and UHPLC

Nineteenth-century Turkey red, a cotton textile dyed by a peculiar and unique process, is found in many collections around the world. It was known for its bright colour and remarkable fastness to light exposure and washing. Light fading is a significant concern in the display of historical textiles, and understanding more about the properties of these objects may increase the accessibility of collections. This research explored the identification of historical Turkey red through non-invasive Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to detect the presence of oil – a necessary step in the process – on the fibres. Around 1869, Turkey red dyers began to transition from using madder and garancine to synthetic alizarin, which was investigated through ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The chemical profiles of 19th-century samples and references of known dye source were used to predict whether Turkey red of unknown date was dyed with natural or synthetic dye

Nutritional and Lifestyle Risk Factors for Breast Cancer Among Malaysian Women: A Case-Control Study

Breast cancer is the most common incident cancer in women worldwide, accounting for 9% of all new cancers. While the exact causes of breast cancer are unknown, the risks are higher among older women (50 years and above) than those less than 35 years. Dietary factors that have been linked to breast cancer include saturated fat, meat, vegetables and fruits. Other factors that have been linked to breast cancer include age at menarche, age at first and last birth, smoking, use of oral contraceptives and body mass index. This case-control study was carried out to determine the nutritional and lifestyle risk factors of breast cancer among Malaysian women. A total of 162 pre- and post-menopausal women (81 cases and 81 controls) was included in the study, which was carried out between 1 January to 31 December, 2000. Cases were selected frorrf the Breast Cancer Clinics in Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) and Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). All cases were newly diagnosed and have not undergone any treatment or surgery. Controls were women staff and wives of staff of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). They were matched by age (+ 5 years) and ethnicity with the cases. Additional Chinese controls (17 women) were selected from the Malaysian-Chinese Association (MCA) from Ampang Jaya by invitation to the group's leader. Data collection was carried out in four main parts: the interview (to obtain socio-demographic and lifestyle data); anthropometric measurements; dietary information, using semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire; and biochemical data (to obtain serum lipid profile). Majority of the respondents were pre-menopausal women with the mean age of 46.63 in cases and 47.58 in controls. Half of the breast cancer patients were seen at UMMC while the other half in HKL, and most of them (43.1%) presented with a second stage of cancer. Smoking, exercise, breast-self examination and breastfeeding practices were not significantly different between the two study groups. However, there was a significant difference in the duration of exercise between cases and controls. Reproductive history like age at menarche, age at first marriage, age at first birth and parity. were also not significantly different between cases and controls. Anthropometric indicators like height, weight, waist and hip measurements, a s well a s body m ass i ndex a nd w aist-hip ratio d id n ot show any association with breast cancer, and neither were they significantly different between case and control subjects. Intakes of micronutrient were not significantly different between the two study groups with the exception of sodium. Blood lipid profiles also did not show any difference between groups. Preliminary data showed that women who 3 have four to five children were 1.32 times more at risk for breast cancer as compared to those who never had any children (95% CI=1.32-1.47). Multiple logistic regression model showed that menarche at higher age and increased BMI decreased breast cancer risk while higher age at last birth increased breast cancer risk. The relatively small sample size of this study could have resulted in this results. Furthermore, there could have been recall bias and under-reporting of energy intake among case subjects due to the occurrence of the disease. Larger cohort and interventional studies should be carried out to further explore this factors with relation to breast cancer

Stretching a double-stranded DNA: Nature of the B-form to the S-form transition

[[abstract]]The abrupt extension of the contour length and the self-unwinding of the double helix in the transition from the B-form to S-form of a double-stranded DNA under a stretching force is investigated in the framework of the model with basepair interactions and bending @Phys. Rev. Lett. 22, 4560 ~1999!#. In the region where thermal fluctuations can be neglected the classical mechanical approach is employed and equations governing the detail structure of the DNA are derived with some analytical results obtained. The transition from the B-form to S-form can be understood in terms of an effective potential with a barrier separating these two states and resulting in a first-order transition. The double helix of the DNA is almost fully unwound across the transition. Detail structural configurations, such as the loci of the two strands, relative extension, linear extension coefficient, and the threshold stretching force are calculated. The mean torque release as the dsDNA untwist across the transition is also estimated. These results are in agreement with various experimental data.[[notice]]補正完畢[[booktype]]紙

The studies of Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) : an overview of a burgeoning field of its establishment in the current years

published_or_final_versionMedia, Culture and Creative CitiesMasterMaster of Social Sciences in Media, Culture and Creative Citie

Вплив факторів зовнішнього середовища на активізацію діяльності підприємств

Наведено підходи до управління розвитком підприємств, що базуються на статистичних методах та забезпечують обґрунтований аналіз, прогноз та оцінку факторних ознак і перспектив розвитку підприємствGoing is resulted near a management development of enterprises, which are based on statistical methods and provide the grounded analysis, prognosis and estimation of factor signs and prospects of development of enterprise