This paper investigates a new regularization of the group-sparsity estimation problem based on a quadratic envelope operator. The resulting estimator is shown to have a reduced bias when compared to the classical LASSO estimator and is characterized by a simple hyperparameter selection. Numerical results show that the quadratic envelope regularization yields estimates equal to an oracle solution w

Supermassive black holes are found in most galactic nuclei. A large fraction of these nuclei also contain a nuclear stellar cluster surrounding the black hole. Here we consider the idea that the nuclear stellar cluster formed first and that the supermassive black hole grew later. In particular we consider the merger of three stellar clusters to form a nuclear stellar cluster, where some of these c

Dense stellar systems in general and star clusters in particular have recently regained the interest of the extragalactic and even cosmology communities, due to the role they could play as actors and probes of re-ionization, galactic archeology and the dark matter content of galaxies, among many others. In the era of the exploitation and the preparation of large stellar surveys (Gaia, APOGEE, 4MOS

The project “Energy and Society”, sponsored by the Swedish Secretariat for Futures Studies, has studied different indigenous alternatives to imported oil in Sweden. Having no domestic oil, gas or coal, Sweden is 70% dependent on imported oil. This will have to change, either due to resource depletion within the next several decades, or due to oil-rich countries limiting export. Both Nuclear Sweden

The Mesa-Lago/Perez-Lopez World Bank Study (MLPL) begins with the assertion that the Cuban statistical yearbook's Anuario Estadistico de Cuba section on macro-indicators usually has only one page of data and no discussion of methodology. The MLPL study correctly notes that a process of enterprise mergers during the 1960s significantly reduced the number of enterprises and that a process of enterpr

This article aims to contribute to the growing scholarly literature on the implementation of shariʿa-based family law codes by describing and analyzing the gender implications of religiously inspired judicial activism in relation to judicial divorce through khulʿ. The article highlights two functions played by family court judges and other legal professionals. First, I argue that Egyptian family c

We have been investigating populations of cataclysmic variables (CVs) in a set of more than 300 globular cluster (GC) models evolved with themoccacode.[-120pt] One of the main questions we have intended to answer is whether most CVs in GCs are dynamically formed or not. Contrary to what has been argued for a long time, we found that dynamical destruction of primordial CV progenitors is much strong

The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to a better understanding of the relations between music technology and girls and transgender persons (aged 13–21) in music making. The research subject is leisure time music making in music technology learning environments, where issues of gender equality are emphasized. A further aim is to discuss the music technology learning environment from th

beans is a tool for distributed data analysis. It provides web and command line interface for data analysis and plotting for huge datasets. beans is written in a general form and can be used in any field of research to analyze the data. The main purpose of beans is to provide to the community a versatile tool to store, analyze and then visualize any amount of scientific data (e.g. numerical simula

In this study the effect of irrigation by dam water in Bigherd area (Fars province, Iran) on groundwater quality one and three years after Dam construction was investigated. To conduct this study the major ion concentrations, including HCO3−, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, SO42− and Cl−, and water levels in 10 water wells and the dam reservoir were measured during two periods (June 2009 and June 2011), anal

Groundwater is a major source of drinking and agricultural water supply in arid and semiarid regions. Poor groundwater quality can be a threat to human health especially when it is combined with hazardous pollutants like heavy metals. In this study, an innovative method involving entropy weighted groundwater quality index for both physicochemical and heavy metal content was used for a semiarid reg

The present study reports findings concerning light in an intensive care unit setting presented from 3 aspects, giving a wide view. The first part is a systematic review of intervention studies concerning cycled light compared with dim light/noncycled light. The findings showed that cycled light may be beneficial to preterm infant health. Second, a lighting intervention in the intensive care unit

Background: The importance of alerting health care systems of patients carrying multidrug-resistant bacteria (MRB) is highlighted in numerous guidelines. In the absence of electronic alert systems, notification cards are often recommended, but have rarely been evaluated. We evaluated patient experiences of receiving and using a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) notification card.

Previous research highlights the impact of care and treatment in ICUs on the patient recovery process and wellbeing. However, little is known about how the interior design in the ICU settings may affect patients' wellbeing. Objective: The aim of this study is, by using a lifeworld perspective, to reveal the meanings of the ICU settings as a place of care. Design: Nine patients from three ICUs in S

The management of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) has evolved from the first reports on bladder endoscopy and transurethral resection to the introduction of adjuvant intravesical treatment. However, disease recurrence and progression remain an ongoing risk, placing a heavy burden on healthcare resources and on patients’ quality of life. Deeper understanding of the molecular basis of the

Palliative care is an integral part of care and takes place in many settings-including the home, special accommodations, and hospitals. However, research shows that palliative care often ends with a death in the hospital due to the heavy burden on the primary caregiver. This study explores the meaning of being the primary caregiver of a close one who is terminally ill and is based on qualitative i

The number of medically fragile children cared for at home is increasing; however, there are few studies about the professional support these families receive in their homes. The aim of the study was to understand the meanings that parents had about the support they received from health care professionals who offered care for their ventilator-assisted child in the family home. A phenomenological-h