Left, right and interval bivariate censored data: Evaluating screening mammography in the presence of lead -time bias, length bias and over-detection

Of the large clinical trials evaluating screening mammography efficacy, none included women ages 75 and older. Recommendations on an upper age limit at which to discontinue screening are based on indirect evidence and are not consistent. Screening mammography is evaluated using observational data from the SEER-Medicare linked database. Measuring the benefit of screening mammography is difficult due to the impact of lead-time bias, length bias and over-detection. The underlying conceptual model divides the disease into two stages: pre-clinical (T0) and symptomatic (T1) breast cancer. Treating the time in these phases as a pair of dependent bivariate observations, (t0,t1), estimates are derived to describe the distribution of this random vector. To quantify the effect of screening mammography, statistical inference is made about the mammography parameters that correspond to the marginal distribution of the symptomatic phase duration (T1). This shows the hazard ratio of death from breast cancer comparing women with screen-detected tumors to those detected at their symptom onset is 0.36 (0.30, 0.42), indicating a benefit among the screen-detected cases. ^

(Table 1) Deuterium excess record during different time periods in Lomonosovfonna ice core

In this paper we present a deuterium excess (d) record from an ice core drilled on a small ice cap in Svalbard in 1997. The core site is located at Lomonosovfonna at 1255 m asl, and the analyzed time series spans the period 1400-1990 A.D. The record shows pronounced multidecadal to centennial-scale variations coherent with sea surface temperature changes registered in the subtropical to southern middle-latitude North Atlantic during the instrumental period. We interpret the negative trend in the deuterium excess during the 1400s and 1500s as an indication of cooling in the North Atlantic associated with the onset of the Little Ice Age. Consistently positive anomalies of d after 1900, peaking at about 1950, correspond with well-documented contemporary warming. Yet the maximum values of deuterium excess during 1900-1990 are not as high as in the early part of the record (pre-1550). This suggests that the sea surface temperatures during this earlier period of time in the North Atlantic to the south of approximately 45°N were at least comparable with those registered in the 20th century before the end of the 1980s. We examine the potential for a cold bias to exist in the deuterium excess record due to increased evaporation from the local colder sources of moisture having isotopically cold signature. It is argued that despite a recent oceanic warming, the contribution from this local moisture to the Lomonosovfonna precipitation budget is still insufficient to interfere with the isotopic signal from the primary moisture region in the midlatitude North Atlantic.

(Table 1.4) Ratios of petrogenic components in glassy and crystalline basalts from the north part of the Bougault anomaly, Mid-Atlantic Ridge 15°N

Structure and composition of sub-surface bottom sediments from the southwest Barents Sea have been under study. The study has revealed heterogeneity of sediment structure resulted from temporal irregularity and variability of sedimentation processes. The study of the heavy minerals from 0.1-0.01 mm grain size fraction has shown prevalence of green hornblende, epidote, garnet, and ilmenite in all types of sediments; these minerals are the basis of terrigenous-mineralogical province. At the same time in different areas local terrigenous-mineralogical associations have been identified. Clay mineral composition of in the sediments was quite uniform: biotite, chlorite, hydromica, smectite. Despite this, a number of features indicating initial stages of clay mineral transformation has been identified. Differences in material composition and structure of the studied sediments are associated with rapid change in paleogeographic situation on the land - ice cover melting on the Kola Peninsula and subsequent Holocene climatic situation.

(Table 1.5) Contents of some volatile components in glassy MORB from the north part of the Bougault anomaly, Mid-Atlantic Ridge 15°N

Structure and composition of sub-surface bottom sediments from the southwest Barents Sea have been under study. The study has revealed heterogeneity of sediment structure resulted from temporal irregularity and variability of sedimentation processes. The study of the heavy minerals from 0.1-0.01 mm grain size fraction has shown prevalence of green hornblende, epidote, garnet, and ilmenite in all types of sediments; these minerals are the basis of terrigenous-mineralogical province. At the same time in different areas local terrigenous-mineralogical associations have been identified. Clay mineral composition of in the sediments was quite uniform: biotite, chlorite, hydromica, smectite. Despite this, a number of features indicating initial stages of clay mineral transformation has been identified. Differences in material composition and structure of the studied sediments are associated with rapid change in paleogeographic situation on the land - ice cover melting on the Kola Peninsula and subsequent Holocene climatic situation.

(Table 1) Activity of alkali phosphatase in suspended matter at 20°C and environmental temperatures, and recycling time of organic phosphorus in the Barents and Norwegian seas

Alkali phosphatase activity and hydrochemical structure of waters in the Barents and Norwegian seas were investigated. In a sea with the seasonal bioproduction cycle alkali phosphatase activity is also seasonal, rising with trophic level of waters. At the end of hydrological and biological winter activity is practically zero. Alkali phosphatase activity is especially important in summer, when plankton has consumed winter supply of phosphate in the euphotic layer and nutrient limitation of primary production begins. In summer production and destruction cycle, apparent time for recycling of phosphorus by phosphatase in suspended matter in the euphotic layer of the Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea averages from 7 to 30 hours.

Travel time and speed of gray whales and amphipod abundance along Chukotka Peninsula in 2006

The purpose of this study was to evaluate summer and fall residency and habitat selection by gray whales, Eschrichtius robustus, together with the biomass of benthic amphipod prey on the coastal feeding grounds along the Chukotka Peninsula. Thirteen gray whales were instrumented with satellite transmitters in September 2006 near the Chukotka Peninsula, Russia. Nine transmitters provided positions from whales for up to 81 days. The whales travelled within 5 km of the Chukotka coast for most of the period they were tracked with only occasional movements offshore. The average daily travel speeds were 23 km/day (range 9-53 km/day). Four of the whales had daily average travel speeds <1 km/day suggesting strong fidelity to the study area. The area containing 95% of the locations for individual whales during biweekly periods was on average 13,027 km**2 (range 7,097-15,896 km**2). More than 65% of all locations were in water <30 m, and between 45 and 70% of biweekly kernel home ranges were located in depths between 31 and 50 m. Benthic density of amphipods within the Bering Strait at depths <50 m was on average ~54 g wet wt/m**2 in 2006. It is likely that the abundant benthic biomass is more than sufficient forage to support the current gray whale population. The use of satellite telemetry in this study quantifies space use and movement patterns of gray whales along the Chukotka coast and identifies key feeding areas.

Organic geochemical comparison of Cretaceous green and black claystones at DSDP Hole 75-530A

Three pairs of Upper Cretaceous black shales and adjacent green claystones from Hole 530A were analyzed to compare types and amounts of organic matter and lipids and to seek information about their environments of deposition. The organic-carbon-rich black shales have C/N ratios nearly seven times those of the organic-carbon-lean green claystones. The lipid content of organic matter in the black shales is about ten times less than in adjacent green layers. Organic matter in both types of rocks is thermally immature, and distributions of alkanoic acids, alkanols, sterols, and alkanes contain large amounts of terrigenous components. Pristane/phytane ratios of less than one suggest that younger Turonian sediments were laid down under anoxic conditions, but ratios greater than one suggest that older Turonian Cenomanian deposits accumulated in a more oxic environment. Closely bedded green and black layers have very similar types of lipid distributions and differ primarily in concentrations, although black shales contain somewhat larger amounts of terrigenous lipid components. Geochemical and stratigraphic evidence suggests much of the organic matter in these samples originated on the African continental margin and was transported to the Angola Basin by turbidity flow. Rapid reburial of organic-carbon-rich sediments led to formation of the black shales.

Relative contents of heavy minerals in 0.100-0.010 mm grain size fraction from bottom sediments of the southwest Barents Sea

Structure and composition of sub-surface bottom sediments from the southwest Barents Sea have been under study. The study has revealed heterogeneity of sediment structure resulted from temporal irregularity and variability of sedimentation processes. The study of the heavy minerals from 0.1-0.01 mm grain size fraction has shown prevalence of green hornblende, epidote, garnet, and ilmenite in all types of sediments; these minerals are the basis of terrigenous-mineralogical province. At the same time in different areas local terrigenous-mineralogical associations have been identified. Clay mineral composition of in the sediments was quite uniform: biotite, chlorite, hydromica, smectite. Despite this, a number of features indicating initial stages of clay mineral transformation has been identified. Differences in material composition and structure of the studied sediments are associated with rapid change in paleogeographic situation on the land - ice cover melting on the Kola Peninsula and subsequent Holocene climatic situation.

Communication Middleware for Distributed Hard Real-Time Systems in Java

Distributed real-time embedded systems are becoming increasingly important to society. More demands will be made on them and greater reliance will be placed on the delivery of their services. A relevant subset of them is high-integrity or hard real-time systems, where failure can cause loss of life, environmental harm, or significant financial loss. Additionally, the evolution of communication networks and paradigms as well as the necessity of demanding processing power and fault tolerance, motivated the interconnection between electronic devices; many of the communications have the possibility of transferring data at a high speed. The concept of distributed systems emerged as systems where different parts are executed on several nodes that interact with each other via a communication network. Java’s popularity, facilities and platform independence have made it an interesting language for the real-time and embedded community. This was the motivation for the development of RTSJ (Real-Time Specification for Java), which is a language extension intended to allow the development of real-time systems. The use of Java in the development of high-integrity systems requires strict development and testing techniques. However, RTJS includes a number of language features that are forbidden in such systems. In the context of the HIJA project, the HRTJ (Hard Real-Time Java) profile was developed to define a robust subset of the language that is amenable to static analysis for high-integrity system certification. Currently, a specification under the Java community process (JSR- 302) is being developed. Its purpose is to define those capabilities needed to create safety critical applications with Java technology called Safety Critical Java (SCJ). However, neither RTSJ nor its profiles provide facilities to develop distributed realtime applications. This is an important issue, as most of the current and future systems will be distributed. The Distributed RTSJ (DRTSJ) Expert Group was created under the Java community process (JSR-50) in order to define appropriate abstractions to overcome this problem. Currently there is no formal specification. The aim of this thesis is to develop a communication middleware that is suitable for the development of distributed hard real-time systems in Java, based on the integration between the RMI (Remote Method Invocation) model and the HRTJ profile. It has been designed and implemented keeping in mind the main requirements such as the predictability and reliability in the timing behavior and the resource usage. iThe design starts with the definition of a computational model which identifies among other things: the communication model, most appropriate underlying network protocols, the analysis model, and a subset of Java for hard real-time systems. In the design, the remote references are the basic means for building distributed applications which are associated with all non-functional parameters and resources needed to implement synchronous or asynchronous remote invocations with real-time attributes. The proposed middleware separates the resource allocation from the execution itself by defining two phases and a specific threading mechanism that guarantees a suitable timing behavior. It also includes mechanisms to monitor the functional and the timing behavior. It provides independence from network protocol defining a network interface and modules. The JRMP protocol was modified to include two phases, non-functional parameters, and message size optimizations. Although serialization is one of the fundamental operations to ensure proper data transmission, current implementations are not suitable for hard real-time systems and there are no alternatives. This thesis proposes a predictable serialization that introduces a new compiler to generate optimized code according to the computational model. The proposed solution has the advantage of allowing us to schedule the communications and to adjust the memory usage at compilation time. In order to validate the design and the implementation a demanding validation process was carried out with emphasis in the functional behavior, the memory usage, the processor usage (the end-to-end response time and the response time in each functional block) and the network usage (real consumption according to the calculated consumption). The results obtained in an industrial application developed by Thales Avionics (a Flight Management System) and in exhaustive tests show that the design and the prototype are reliable for industrial applications with strict timing requirements. Los sistemas empotrados y distribuidos de tiempo real son cada vez más importantes para la sociedad. Su demanda aumenta y cada vez más dependemos de los servicios que proporcionan. Los sistemas de alta integridad constituyen un subconjunto de gran importancia. Se caracterizan por que un fallo en su funcionamiento puede causar pérdida de vidas humanas, daños en el medio ambiente o cuantiosas pérdidas económicas. La necesidad de satisfacer requisitos temporales estrictos, hace más complejo su desarrollo. Mientras que los sistemas empotrados se sigan expandiendo en nuestra sociedad, es necesario garantizar un coste de desarrollo ajustado mediante el uso técnicas adecuadas en su diseño, mantenimiento y certificación. En concreto, se requiere una tecnología flexible e independiente del hardware. La evolución de las redes y paradigmas de comunicación, así como la necesidad de mayor potencia de cómputo y de tolerancia a fallos, ha motivado la interconexión de dispositivos electrónicos. Los mecanismos de comunicación permiten la transferencia de datos con alta velocidad de transmisión. En este contexto, el concepto de sistema distribuido ha emergido como sistemas donde sus componentes se ejecutan en varios nodos en paralelo y que interactúan entre ellos mediante redes de comunicaciones. Un concepto interesante son los sistemas de tiempo real neutrales respecto a la plataforma de ejecución. Se caracterizan por la falta de conocimiento de esta plataforma durante su diseño. Esta propiedad es relevante, por que conviene que se ejecuten en la mayor variedad de arquitecturas, tienen una vida media mayor de diez anos y el lugar ˜ donde se ejecutan puede variar. El lenguaje de programación Java es una buena base para el desarrollo de este tipo de sistemas. Por este motivo se ha creado RTSJ (Real-Time Specification for Java), que es una extensión del lenguaje para permitir el desarrollo de sistemas de tiempo real. Sin embargo, RTSJ no proporciona facilidades para el desarrollo de aplicaciones distribuidas de tiempo real. Es una limitación importante dado que la mayoría de los actuales y futuros sistemas serán distribuidos. El grupo DRTSJ (DistributedRTSJ) fue creado bajo el proceso de la comunidad de Java (JSR-50) con el fin de definir las abstracciones que aborden dicha limitación, pero en la actualidad aun no existe una especificacion formal. El objetivo de esta tesis es desarrollar un middleware de comunicaciones para el desarrollo de sistemas distribuidos de tiempo real en Java, basado en la integración entre el modelo de RMI (Remote Method Invocation) y el perfil HRTJ. Ha sido diseñado e implementado teniendo en cuenta los requisitos principales, como la predecibilidad y la confiabilidad del comportamiento temporal y el uso de recursos. El diseño parte de la definición de un modelo computacional el cual identifica entre otras cosas: el modelo de comunicaciones, los protocolos de red subyacentes más adecuados, el modelo de análisis, y un subconjunto de Java para sistemas de tiempo real crítico. En el diseño, las referencias remotas son el medio básico para construcción de aplicaciones distribuidas las cuales son asociadas a todos los parámetros no funcionales y los recursos necesarios para la ejecución de invocaciones remotas síncronas o asíncronas con atributos de tiempo real. El middleware propuesto separa la asignación de recursos de la propia ejecución definiendo dos fases y un mecanismo de hebras especifico que garantiza un comportamiento temporal adecuado. Además se ha incluido mecanismos para supervisar el comportamiento funcional y temporal. Se ha buscado independencia del protocolo de red definiendo una interfaz de red y módulos específicos. También se ha modificado el protocolo JRMP para incluir diferentes fases, parámetros no funcionales y optimizaciones de los tamaños de los mensajes. Aunque la serialización es una de las operaciones fundamentales para asegurar la adecuada transmisión de datos, las actuales implementaciones no son adecuadas para sistemas críticos y no hay alternativas. Este trabajo propone una serialización predecible que ha implicado el desarrollo de un nuevo compilador para la generación de código optimizado acorde al modelo computacional. La solución propuesta tiene la ventaja que en tiempo de compilación nos permite planificar las comunicaciones y ajustar el uso de memoria. Con el objetivo de validar el diseño e implementación se ha llevado a cabo un exigente proceso de validación con énfasis en: el comportamiento funcional, el uso de memoria, el uso del procesador (tiempo de respuesta de extremo a extremo y en cada uno de los bloques funcionales) y el uso de la red (consumo real conforme al estimado). Los buenos resultados obtenidos en una aplicación industrial desarrollada por Thales Avionics (un sistema de gestión de vuelo) y en las pruebas exhaustivas han demostrado que el diseño y el prototipo son fiables para aplicaciones industriales con estrictos requisitos temporales.

Space-time analysis of the urban-rural grafient in the metropolitan area of Madrid and ist surroundings -Guadalajara and Toledo.

According to UN provisions in the period from 2007 to 2050 world population will grow up to 9200 million people. In fact, for the first time in history, in the year 2008 world urban population became higher than rural population. The increase of urban areas and their transport infrastructures has influenced agricultural land use due to their irreversible change, especially when they remain as periurban vacant land, losing their character and identity. In the Europe of the nineties, the traditional urban-rural gradient, characterized by a neat contact between both land types, has become so complex that it has change to a gradient in which it is difficult to separate urban and rural land uses. [Antrop 2004]. A literature review has been made on methodologies used for the urban-rural gradient analysis. One of these methodologies was selected that integrates ecological characterization based on the use of spatial metrics and geographical characterization based on spatial components. Cartographical sources used were Corine Land Cover at 1: 100000 scale and the Spanish Land Use Information System at 1:25000 scale. Urban-rural gradient paradigm is an analysis methodology, coming from landscape ecology, which enables to investigate how urbanization provokes changes in ecological patterns and processes into landscape. [Hahs and McDonnell 2006].The present research adapt this methodology to study the urban-rural gradient in the outskirts of Madrid, Toledo and Guadalajara. Both scales (1:25000 and 1:100000) were simultaneously used to reach the next objectives: 1) Analysis of landscape pattern dynamics in relation to distance to the town centre and major infrastructures. 2) Analysis of landscape pattern dynamics in the fringe of protected areas. The paper presents a new approach to the urban-rural relationship which allows better planning and management of urban áreas.

Association of breakfast consumption with objectively measured and self-reported physical activity, sedentary time and physical fitness in European adolescents: the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study

Objective: To examine the association of breakfast consumption with objectively measured and self-reported physical activity, sedentary time and physical fitness. Design: The HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Cross-Sectional Study. Breakfast consumption was assessed by two non-consecutive 24 h recalls and by a ‘Food Choices and Preferences’ questionnaire. Physical activity, sedentary time and physical fitness components (cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness and speed/agility) were measured and self-reported. Socio-economic status was assessed by questionnaire. Setting: Ten European cities. Subjects: Adolescents (n 2148; aged 12?5–17?5 years). Results: Breakfast consumption was not associated with measured or self-reported physical activity. However, 24 h recall breakfast consumption was related to measured sedentary time in males and females; although results were not confirmed when using other methods to assess breakfast patterns or sedentary time. Breakfast consumption was not related to muscular fitness and speed/agility in males and females. However, male breakfast consumers had higher cardiorespiratory fitness compared with occasional breakfast consumers and breakfast skippers, while no differences were observed in females. Overall, results were consistent using different methods to assess breakfast consumption or cardiorespiratory fitness (all P#0?005). In addition, both male and female breakfast skippers (assessed by 24 h recall) were less likely to have high measured cardiorespiratory fitness compared with breakfast consumers (OR50?33; 95% CI 0?18, 0?59 and OR50?56; 95 %CI 0?32, 0?98,respectively). Results persisted across methods. Conclusions: Skipping breakfast does not seem to be related to physical activity,sedentary time or muscular fitness and speed/agility as physical fitness components in European adolescents; yet it is associated with both measured and self-reported cardiorespiratory fitness, which extends previous findings.

Real time monitoring of click chemistry self-healing in polymer composites

A photo-healable rubber composite based on effective and fast thiol-alkyne click chemistry as a selfhealing agent prestored in glass capillaries is reported. The click reaction and its effect on the mechanical properties of the composite are monitored in real time by dynamic mechanical analysis, showing that the successful bleeding of healing agents to the crack areas and the effective photoinitiated click reaction result in a 30% storage modulus increase after only 5 min of UV light exposure. X-ray tomography confirms capillary-driven bleeding of reactants to the damaged areas. The effect of storing the click chemistry reactants in separate capillaries is also studied, and results show the importance of stoichiometry in achieving a significant level of repair of the composite. No reactant degradation or premature chemical reaction is observed over time in samples stored in the absence of UV radiation; they are able to undergo the self-healing reaction even one month after preparation.