Positive Function Research Articles

A quantitative second order estimate for (weighted) p-harmonic functions in manifolds under curvature-dimension condition

We build up a quantitative second-order Sobolev estimate of ln⁡w for positive p-harmonic functions w in Riemannian manifolds under Ricci curvature bounded from below and also for positive weighted p-harmonic functions w in weighted manifolds under the Bakry-Émery curvature-dimension condition.

Adolescents’ Subjective Well-Being: The Unique Contribution of Fathers

BackgroundCaregiver relationships are associated with adolescent subjective well-being. Yet, little is known about the contributions of father-adolescent relationship quality to well-being including perseverance, connectedness, and happiness or the specific contributions of father-adolescent relationship quality to these outcomes after accounting for covariates.ObjectiveThis study aimed to understand how father-adolescent relationships and school connectedness interact with one another when positive adolescent functioning are the outcomes.MethodsAdolescents (N = 2,509; Mage = 15.5; 51.8% male; Black and African American (47.9%), Hispanic (24.8%), and white (17.7%) participating in the FFCWBS provided cross-sectional data. A series of hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine direct associations between father-adolescent relationship quality and each of the three adolescent subjective well-being outcomes (perseverance, connectedness, and happiness), and to evaluate the moderating role of adolescent biological sex in these associations. Covariates included race, household income, father’s residential status, the adolescent’s relationship with the mother and school connectedness.ResultsRegressions showed that father-adolescent relationship quality was significantly associated with each well-being outcome beyond the contributions of demographics, mother-adolescent relationships, and school connectedness, and had similar associations with the outcomes by sex.ConclusionsOur conclusions highlight the priority of including and retaining fathers in research and interventions.

The psychological impacts of positivity in pediatric oncology patients

Despite technological developments in the health field, the physical, emotional and social impacts of childhood cancer diagnosis are still enormous and long-lasting, as it manifests itself at a stage of life that is critical to human development. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the psychological impacts of positivity in pediatric oncology patients. A cross-sectional, qualitative study was conducted with children undergoing cancer treatment followed by the pediatric oncology sector of a reference hospital of the Unified Health System (SUS), in Pernambuco, from September 2021 to August 2023. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured audio-recorded interviews with the participants' consent, transcribed in full and analyzed according to Laurence Bardin's content analysis technique. Ten children participated in the study, four females and six males, aged between 8 and 12 years, an average of 9.9 years. The results pointed to the protective function of positivity in the face of stressful events, as a psychic strengthener linked to the adaptive management of limitations and difficulties arising from pediatric oncology treatment.

Event‐triggered bipartite consensus for high‐order nonlinear multi‐agent systems with actuator faults

AbstractThis article addresses the event‐triggered bipartite consensus problem for high‐order nonlinear multi‐agent systems with antagonistic interactions. Intermittent actuator faults covering bias and partial loss of effectiveness are also investigated. To achieve consensus, a relative‐output‐dependent compensator is constructed based on a time‐varying gain. Subsequently, by integrating adaptive compensation mechanisms as well as an event‐triggered mechanism, an output‐feedback fault‐tolerant consensus protocol is proposed for the sake of fault compensation. It is worth noting that a positive function is embedded in the triggering function to adjust the triggering threshold and exclude the Zeno behavior. Under a signed digraph, it is shown that the designed protocol enables all agents to achieve consensus with opposite signs, even if the total number of unknown faults is infinite. Finally, a simulation is presented to illustrate the validity of the obtained protocol.

Generalizing Choi map in M3 beyond circulant scenario

We introduce a family of positive linear maps in the algebra of 3 × 3 complex matrices, which generalizes the seminal positive non-decomposable map originally proposed by Choi. Necessary and sufficient conditions for decomposability are derived and demonstrated. Specifically, the proposed maps evolve the circulant structure with three parameters into a doubly stochastic structure with five parameters.

Adult Perceptions of Child Adjustment in Institutional versus Family Care in Ghana

Research on institutional child care consistently has documented detrimental developmental outcomes. However, recent work in Ghana revealed a range in patterns of adjustment among children living in institutional care. The developmental patterns of children living in institutional care often were not significantly different from patterns seen among children living in families. A grounded-theory approach was used to understand Ghanaian adults’ perceptions of adjustment of children living in both institutional care and with families, and their beliefs about contributions to positive functioning. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 38 caregivers, social workers, and teachers recruited from the Accra region in Ghana. Thematic analysis of responses was used to identify common themes described in the interviews. Interviews with participants revealed beliefs that children may struggle in one or more areas while still having strengths. Having basic needs met, a stable home, and a high level of adult support were the most common factors believed to contribute to positive functioning in both groups of children. Future studies or interventions targeting these areas will likely gain buy-in from stakeholders.

Exploring Age and Gender Identification Through Mandibular Parameters Using Orthopantomography: An Observational Study.

Aim This study aimsto examine five mandibular parameters: coronoid ramus height, condylar ramus height, projective ramus height, minimum ramus breadth, and gonial angle, using orthopantomography (OPG). Introduction The mandible, a crucial part of the human skull, demonstrates sexual dimorphism, which makes it an important tool for determining sex in forensic and anthropological investigations.Its form and structure are relatively resistant to significant changes after death. Among all skeletal components, the mandible stands out as a primary indicator of sexual differences. In forensic investigations, establishing the age and sex of an individual is considered a crucial initial step. This process can be particularly challenging in scenarios involving mass casualties, natural calamities, or extensively fragmented remains. Due to its responsiveness to growth patterns, the mandible is adept at accurately determining both age and sex. Materials and methods This study employed a sample size of 500 individuals, split equally between males and females, with 250 participants each. The age bracket chosen for this cohort ranged from 20 to 30 years, considering that bone growth characteristics within this range can assist in sex determination. The height of the mandibular ramus was assessed using Planmeca software, and subsequent data analysis was conducted using SPSS. Results When estimating age, the condylar ramus height exhibited the smallest standard error (0.010), whereas the maximum standard error for the gonial angle was 0.028. Positive t values were observed for the gonial angle (1.182), minimum ramus breadth (0.114), and coronoid ramus height (0.733). In terms of determining sex, the gonial angle, coronoid ramus height, and projective ramus height demonstrated positive coefficient functions, specifically 0.676, 0.090, and 0.286, respectively. Conversely, both the minimum ramus breadth and the condylar ramus height displayed negative values of -0.385 and -0.126, respectively. Conclusion Among the parameters evaluated, condylar ramus height emerges as the most suitable choice for estimating age, while gonial angle, coronoid ramus height, and projective ramus height are preferable for determining sex.

Operator algebra generalization of a theorem of Watrous and mixed unitary quantum channels

We establish an operator algebra generalization of Watrous’ theorem (Watrous 2009 Quantum Inf. Comput. 9 403–413) on mixing unital quantum channels (completely positive trace-preserving maps) with the completely depolarizing channel, wherein the more general objects of focus become (finite-dimensional) von Neumann algebras, the unique trace preserving conditional expectation onto the algebra, the group of unitary operators in the commutant of the algebra, and the fixed point algebra of the channel. As an application, we obtain a result on the asymptotic theory of quantum channels, showing that all unital channels are eventually mixed unitary. We also discuss the special case of the diagonal algebra in detail, and draw connections to the theory of correlation matrices and Schur product maps.

A chimp algorithm based on the foraging strategy of manta rays and its application.

To address the issue of poor performance in the chimp optimization (ChOA) algorithm, a new algorithm called the manta ray-based chimpa optimization algorithm (MChOA) was developed. Introducing the Latin hypercube method to construct the initial population so that the individuals of the initial population are evenly distributed in the solution space, increasing the diversity of the initial population. Introducing nonlinear convergence factors based on positive cut functions to changing the convergence of algorithms, the early survey capabilities and later development capabilities of the algorithm are balanced. The manta ray foraging strategy is introduced at the position update to make up for the defect that the algorithm is prone to local optimization, which effectively improves the optimization performance of the algorithm. To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, 27 well-known test reference functions were selected for experimentation, which showed significant advantages compared to other algorithms. Finally, in order to further verify the algorithm's applicability in actual production processes, it was applied to solve scheduling problems in three flexible workshop scenarios and an aviation engine job shop scheduling in an enterprise. This confirmed its efficacy in addressing complex real-world problems.

Study on the Equivalence Transformation between Blasting Vibration Velocity and Acceleration.

The evaluation of blasting vibrations primarily hinges on two physical quantities: velocity and acceleration. A significant challenge arises when attempting to reference the two types of vibration data in relation to one another, such as different types of seismometers, noise, etc., necessitating a method for their equivalent transformation. To address this, a transformation method is discussed in detail with a case study, and equations for the ratio (Ra) of the particle peak velocity (PPV) to the particle peak acceleration (PPA) are proposed. The findings are twofold: (1) The conventional data conversion processes often suffer from low accuracy due to the presence of trend terms and noise in the signal. To mitigate this, the built-in MATLAB function is used for trend term elimination, complemented by a combined approach that integrates CEEMDAN with WD/WDP for noise reduction. These significantly enhance the accuracy of the transformation. (2) This analysis reveals a positive power function correlation between Ra and the propagation distance of the blast vibrations, contrasted by a negative correlation with the maximum charge per delay. Intriguingly, the Ra values observed in pre-splitting blasting operations are consistently lower than those in bench blasting. The established Ra equations offer a rapid, direct method for assessing the transformation between the PPV and PPA, providing valuable insights for the optimization of blasting design.

Detailed One-Year Follow-Up in Left Bundle Branch Area Pacing: Echocardiography, Natriuretic Peptide, Electrical Parameters and Complications.

Background: LBBAP is a promising method of cardiac pacing. Data on some follow-up details are still limited. We aimed to evaluate LBBAP over a one-year follow-up period. Methods: The studied population consisted of 110 patients who underwent LBBAP device implantation (93 for bradycardia indications, 17 for CRT). Echocardiography and NT-proBNP measurement were performed before the procedure and after one year. Electrical parameters, complications and some other conditions that required attention were noted during the observation period. Results: In total, 89 patients completed the one-year follow-up. NT-proBNP and echocardiographic parameters (LVEF, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, left atrium dimension) improved after the one-year follow-up, especially in the patients with CRT indications, but also in the bradycardia patients. The independent predictors of a positive heart function response were higher baseline NT-proBNP and the presence of either RBBB or LBBB. The electrical parameters were satisfactory but a slight raise in the pacing threshold was observed at subsequent control visits. Major complications occurred in 4.5% of patients in the acute phase and in 4.4% during the follow-up (the most common was dislodgement of the non-LBBAP lead). One patient is presumed to have developed pacing-induced cardiomyopathy. The most frequent mild complications were intraprocedural RBBB (9.1%) and conversion to deep septal pacing during the follow-up period (5.5%). In addition, 4.4% of the patients required individual programming of the pacing output to maintain the optimal type of capture. Conclusions: The impact of LBBAP device implantation on cardiac function parameters is positive in a wide range of indications, especially in patients with RBBB or LBBB. The prevalence of complications is relatively high but major complications are rarely associated with LBBAP issues.

Positive maps from the walled Brauer algebra

We present positive maps and matrix inequalities for variables from the positive cone. These inequalities contain partial transpose and reshuffling operations, and can be understood as positive multilinear maps that are in one-to-one correspondence with elements from the walled Brauer algebra. Using our formalism, these maps can be obtained in a systematic and clear way by manipulating partially transposed permutation operators under a partial trace. Additionally, these maps are reasonably easy in construction by combining an algorithmic approach with graphical calculus.

Optimized backstepping consensus control using adaptive observer-critic–actor reinforcement learning for strict-feedback multi-agent systems

In this paper, we present a novel control method, combining observer-based optimized backstepping (OB) control, reinforcement learning (RL) strategy, and adaptive neural networks (NN), for strict-feedback multi-agent systems with unmeasurable states. The primary objective is to enhance the overall system backstepping controller by optimizing both virtual and actual controllers for corresponding subsystems. To achieve this, we develop an observer-critic–actor RL approach based on NN approximation in all backstepping steps. The observers are utilized to estimate the unmeasurable system states, while the critic–actor algorithm assesses the control performance and executes control actions. Our optimized control method offers advantages such as not requiring the state observer to satisfy the Hurwitz equation. Additionally, our designed RL algorithm is simple due to the critic–actor adaptive laws obtained by means of the negative gradient of a simple positive function associated with the partial derivative of Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (HJB) equation. Consequently, our proposed control method ensures that all error states of the multi-agent systems are semi-globally uniformly ultimately bounded (SGUUB), and that all outputs can synchronously follow the reference signal with desired accuracy. Finally, we demonstrate the efficacy of our control strategy by means of theoretical analysis and simulation results.

The Influence of Selection, Talent Management, and Employee Placement on Employee Performance and Its Impact on the Performance of Pt Pupuk Iskandar Muda Aceh

This research examines the role of employee performance in mediating the selection, talent management, and placement influence on the performance of PT Pupuk Iskandar Muda Aceh. This research has the same population and sample size, namely 305 because it uses proportionate stratified random sampling techniques and is analyzed through SEM AMOS. The research results prove that selection, talent management, placement, employee performance, and organizational performance have gone well; selection, talent management, and placement have a significant influence and positive function on increasing employee and company performance; and employee performance has a positive and significant influence on PT Pupuk Iskandar Muda Aceh's performance. Employee performance is significant and has a positive function in mediating the position of talent selection and management, as well as placement, and its mediating influence is partial.

Global boundedness and asymptotic stabilization in a chemotaxis system with density-suppressed motility and nonlinear signal production

In this paper, we study the following chemotaxis model with density-suppressed motility and nonlinear production{ut=Δ(φ(v)u)+ru−μuα,x∈Ω,t>0,vt=Δv−v+wβ,x∈Ω,t>0,wt=Δw−w+uγ,x∈Ω,t>0 under homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions in a bounded domain Ω⊂Rn(n≥2) with smooth boundary, where r∈R,μ,β,γ>0 and α>1. The positive motility function satisfies φ(s)∈C3([0,∞)) and φ′(s)≤0 for all s≥0. It is showed that the system admits a globally bounded and classical solution under some conditions on α,β and γ. Then, under stricter constraints on φ, we obtained that the parameter β has a wider range than before, which is enough to ensure the global boundedness of the solution. Furthermore, if μ is sufficiently large, we proved that the solution converges to ((r+μ)1α−1,(r+μ)βγα−1,(r+μ)γα−1) in L∞(Ω) as t→∞ for all r∈R,μ,β,γ>0 and α>1, where r+:=max⁡{r,0}. Finally, we showed that the convergence is exponential in cases r>0 and r<0.

HEALTH SYSTEM PERFORMANCE, DISASTER RESPONSE AND POLITICAL IDENTITIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE

In this paper, we developed a model to assess the government’s disaster response during the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring variations across jurisdictions dominated by different political identities in the United States. The model defines an individual’s payoff as a positive function of his/her income and the government’s disaster response. The individual is more prone to wear a mask if the government is more responsive to the disaster during the pandemic, and there can be a lower income loss for the individual during the pandemic when he/she has higher compliance to the government’s order of face mask. Utilizing this model, we derive the government’s disaster response to be positively correlated with the impact of COVID-19 deaths on masking behavior and negatively correlated with the change of the death toll relative to income. This allows us to evaluate the unobserved disaster response of the government explicitly using regression results. We compare the government’s disaster response across jurisdictions dominated by different political identities in the United States. The results highlight a more resilient disaster response in Democratic states, translating into superior health system performance compared to their Republican counterparts. These findings emphasize the crucial role of policies designed to strengthen disaster response, especially in addressing collective action problems such as those posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crises.

Induced current by a cosmic string and a brane in high-dimensional AdS spacetime

In this paper we investigate the bosonic current induced by a brane and a magnetic flux running along the idealized cosmic string in a (D+1)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$(D+1)$$\\end{document}-dimensional anti-de Sitter (AdS) background. We consider the brane is parallel to the AdS boundary and the cosmic string is orthogonal to them. Moreover, we assume that on the brane the charged bosonic field obeys the Robin boundary condition. The brane divides the space into two regions with different properties of the vacuum state. We show that the only nonzero component of the current density is along the azimuthal direction in both regions. In order to develop this analysis we calculate, for both regions, the positive frequency Wightman functions. Both functions present a part associated with the AdS in presence of a cosmic string only, and the other part induced by the brane. In this paper we consider only the contributions induced by the brane. We show that in both regions the azimuthal current densities are odd functions of the magnetic flux along the string. Different analytic and numerical analysis are performed and an application of our results is provided for the Randall-Sundrum braneworld model with a single brane.

Interior Multi-Peak Solutions for a Slightly Subcritical Nonlinear Neumann Equation

In this paper, we consider the nonlinear Neumann problem (Pε): −Δu+V(x)u=K(x)u(n+2)/(n−2)−ε, u&gt;0 in Ω, ∂u/∂ν=0 on ∂Ω, where Ω is a smooth bounded domain in Rn, n≥4, ε is a small positive real, and V and K are non-constant smooth positive functions on Ω¯. First, we study the asymptotic behavior of solutions for (Pε) which blow up at interior points as ε moves towards zero. In particular, we give the precise location of blow-up points and blow-up rates. This description of the interior blow-up picture of solutions shows that, in contrast to a case where K≡1, problem (Pε) has no interior bubbling solutions with clustered bubbles. Second, we construct simple interior multi-peak solutions for (Pε) which allow us to provide multiplicity results for (Pε). The strategy of our proofs consists of testing the equation with vector fields which make it possible to obtain balancing conditions which are satisfied by the concentration parameters. Thanks to a careful analysis of these balancing conditions, we were able to obtain our results. Our results are proved without any assumptions of the symmetry or periodicity of the function K. Furthermore, no assumption of the symmetry of the domain is needed.

Analysis of the Application of Unlawful Act Elements in Corruption Crime Cases against North Sulawesi Bank Debtors (Review of Decision Number 11/Pid.Sus-TPK/2021/PN Gto)

This research was conducted to determine the extent to which material criminal law was applied in the panel of judges' consideration of elements of unlawful acts in cases of criminal acts of corruption where the defendant was a debtor who had defaulted (bad credit) on his loan installments. Knowing the extent to which judges provide legal considerations using the lex specialist derogate generaly principle approach, as well as the existence of contradictions between Constitutional Court Decision Number 003/PUU-IV/2006 in the criminal justice practice order. The results of this research show that judges still apply unlawfulness in a positive function first without conducting an in-depth study and truly exploring whether the act is indeed an act that is considered evil and reprehensible to the wider community. Judges, in looking at the unlawful nature of material law, must consider the unlawful nature of the law in its negative function, not only in its positive function, so that actions carried out, even though they meet the formulation of an offense but do not violate negative material law, can be used as a justification that does not harm the state, does not benefit themselves, other people and corporations and the perpetrator's legal obligations are not subject to punishment.

The association between marital satisfaction and coparenting quality: A meta-analysis.

Coparenting refers to the way parents or caregivers relate to each other as parents. Marital satisfaction (MS) is the subjective evaluation of the overall quality of one's relationship, including the extent to which needs, expectations, and desires are met. The coparenting relationship is distinct from, yet intimately connected to, the marital relationship. The objective of this study was to summarize and analyze current evidence regarding the association between MS and coparenting quality (CQ). Meta-analyses of 108 published and unpublished articles were conducted to evaluate the association between MS and CQ. In the meta-analysis of samples including both mothers and fathers, a medium association was found between MS and CQ, r = .41; 95% CI [.37, .44]; Q(88) = 1253.42. Separate meta-analyses of samples including only mothers and only fathers and an analog analysis of variance examining the moderating effect of parent gender found larger effects for mothers (r = .48) than fathers (r = .42). Maternal age, paternal education level, relationship length, and number of children were also significant moderators, with larger effects being found with families with more advanced maternal age, lower paternal education, longer relationships, and more children. The country, person reporting on CQ, and measure of CQ were also found to be statistically significant moderators. This research has implications that may inform the work of parent and family support services and contribute to positive family functioning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).