Search results for "Stubb"
showing 10 items of 15 documents
Opinion Dynamics and Stubbornness via Multi-Population Mean-Field Games
2016
This paper studies opinion dynamics for a set of heterogeneous populations of individuals pursuing two conflicting goals: to seek consensus and to be coherent with their initial opinions. The multi-population game under investigation is characterized by (i) rational agents who behave strategically, (ii) heterogeneous populations, and (iii) opinions evolving in response to local interactions. The main contribution of this paper is to encompass all of these aspects under the unified framework of mean-field game theory. We show that, assuming initial Gaussian density functions and affine control policies, the Fokker---Planck---Kolmogorov equation preserves Gaussianity over time. This fact is t…
Effect of nutritional supplementations on physical performance and muscle strength parameters in older people: A systematic review and meta-analysis
2019
Malnutrition plays a role in the development of poor physical performance, frailty and sarcopenia. The use of nutritional supplementations for improving physical performance and muscle strength parameters in older people is unclear. We therefore aimed to summarize the effect of nutritional supplementations compared to placebo on physical performance (i.e. tests more investigating physical function, utilising aerobic capacity & muscle power) and muscle strength (i.e. tests depending on muscle power) outcomes in older people in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A literature search in major databases was undertaken until the 01st September 2018. Eligible studies were RCTs investigating …
Is there a relationship between chocolate consumption and symptoms of depression? A cross-sectional survey of 13,626 US adults
2019
Objective: To examine associations between chocolate consumption and depressive symptoms in a large, representative sample of US adults. Methods: The data were from 13,626 adults (≥20 years) participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2007–08 and 2013–14. Daily chocolate consumption was derived from two 24-hr dietary recalls. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), with scores ≥10 indicating the presence of clinically relevant symptoms. We used multivariable logistic regression to test associations of chocolate consumption (no chocolate, non-dark chocolate, dark chocolate) and amount of chocolate consumption (grams/…
Stubborn sets, frozen actions, and fair testing
2021
Many partial order methods use some special condition for ensuring that the analysis is not terminated prematurely. In the case of stubborn set methods for safety properties, implementation of the condition is usually based on recognizing the terminal strong components of the reduced state space and, if necessary, expanding the stubborn sets used in their roots. In an earlier study it was pointed out that if the system may execute a cycle consisting of only invisible actions and that cycle is concurrent with the rest of the system in a non-obvious way, then the method may be fooled to construct all states of the full parallel composition. This problem is solved in this study by a method tha…
Effects of cropping systems and irrigation on the bio-agronomic and quality response of industrial tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum mill.).
2012
This paper shows the results obtained in 2009 of a study carried out by the Dipartimento di Agronomia Ambientale e Territoriale (D.A.A.T.) aimed at identifying and evaluating various low input cropping systems for industrial tomato varieties, a traditional farming crop in Sicily. The tests were carried out on the Sparacia experimental farm (Cammarata AG, 37°37’N, 13°42’E). The farm is located in a sub-arid area with average rainfall levels of approx. 500 mm and average min/max temperatures of 9 and 21°C. The soils, typical of soil types in the area, are Eutric Vertisols. A split-split plot design with three repetitions was adopted and the following variables were studied: 1) management of c…
The Inconsistent Labelling Problem of Stutter-Preserving Partial-Order Reduction
2020
AbstractIn model checking, partial-order reduction (POR) is an effective technique to reduce the size of the state space. Stubborn sets are an established variant of POR and have seen many applications over the past 31 years. One of the early works on stubborn sets shows that a combination of several conditions on the reduction is sufficient to preserve stutter-trace equivalence, making stubborn sets suitable for model checking of linear-time properties. In this paper, we identify a flaw in the reasoning and show with a counter-example that stutter-trace equivalence is not necessarily preserved. We propose a solution together with an updated correctness proof. Furthermore, we analyse in whi…
Association between urinary incontinence and frailty: a systematic review and meta-analysis
2018
Purpose: Urinary incontinence (UI) and frailty are common geriatric syndromes. Although literature increasingly supports a relationship between these two conditions, no systematic review and meta-analysis has been performed on this topic. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the potential association between UI and frailty, through a meta-analytic approach. Methods: A systematic search in major databases was undertaken until 15th March 2018 for studies reporting the association between UI and frailty. The prevalence of UI in people with frailty (vs. those without) was pooled through an odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), with a random-effects model. The other outcomes were sum…
Sleep Quality, Duration, and Associated Sexual Function at Older Age: Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
2019
Abstract Introduction One factor that may plausibly be associated with sexual dysfunction is sleep disturbance. Like sexual problems, complaints of sleep disturbance increase with age and are commonly reported by older adults. Aims To examine associations between sleep quality, duration, and a range of sexual problems in a large, representative sample of older adults. Methods Data were from 2,568 men and 1,376 women (age ≥50 years) participating in Wave 6 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (2012–2013). Sleep quality, duration, and problems with erectile function, sexual arousal, and orgasmic experience were self-reported; associations were examined using logistic regression models.…
Dietary Protein Intake and Falls in Older People: Longitudinal Analyses From the Osteoarthritis Initiative.
2019
Objectives: Literature regarding dietary protein intake and risk of falls is limited to a few studies with relatively small sample sizes and short follow-ups, which have reported contrasting findings. Thus, we investigated whether dietary protein intake is associated with risk of falls in a large cohort of North American adults. Design: Data were drawn from the Osteoarthritis Initiative, a cohort study, with 8 years of follow-up. Setting and participants: Community-dwelling adults with knee osteoarthritis or at high risk for this condition. Methods: Dietary protein intake was recorded using the Block Brief 2000 food frequency questionnaire and categorized using gender-specific quartiles (Q)…
The association of grip strength with depressive symptoms and cortisol in hair: A cross-sectional study of older adults
2019
Background: Low handgrip strength has been shown to be associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. One area of mental health that is understudied in relation to grip strength is chronic stress, which can exist independently to depression, or as a comorbidity or precursor to this condition. The present study examined cross-sectional associations between grip strength, an established marker of physical function, and (a) depressive symptoms and (b) chronic stress utilizing hair cortisol concentrations, while accounting for multiple pertinent confounding variables. Method: Data were used from wave 6 (2012/13) of the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, a panel study of older (≥50 year…