Physical and biological models often have hundreds of inputs, many of which may have a negligible effect on a model's response. Establishing parameters that can be fixed at nominal values without significantly affecting model outputs is often challenging; sometimes these parameters cannot be simply discerned by the outputs. Thus, verifying that a parameter is noninfluential is both computationally challenging and quite expensive.
Culture
Chicago, 31 March 2016 - Patients undergoing minimally invasive mitral valve repair or replacement (mini-MVR) have similar outcomes as patients undergoing conventional surgery and also experience shorter hospital stays and fewer blood transfusions, according to an article posted online today by The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
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WASHINGTON, DC, March 28, 2016 -- A new study reveals that while homicide victimization rates declined for whites, blacks, and Hispanics in the United States from 1990-2010, the drop was much more precipitous for the two minority groups.
Doctors are failing to help people with gender dysphoria, argues a leading doctor in The BMJ this week.
James Barrett, a consultant psychiatrist at Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic in London and President of the British Association of Gender Identity Specialists, argues that conservatism in treating trans people in primary care is unacceptable.
Waking up to the bubbling melody of a dawn chorus is one of life's simple pleasures, but not all birds indulge in vocal displays of virtuosity. Some, like hummingbirds, produce exotic buzzing sounds as their wing feathers vibrate while they bustle around. Fascinated by several wing-singing species, Richard Prum and Christopher Clark from Yale University, USA, were keen to expand their repertoire of birds that produce song with their feathers. 'We knew broadbills were reported to make fantastic sounds', says Clark.
In a pivotal phase-3 trial led by a Stanford University School of Medicine investigator, a novel drug for rheumatoid arthritis substantially reduced symptoms and improved daily physical functioning in patients for whom other therapies had failed.
New research reveals that nine laws designed to reduce underage drinking have been instrumental in saving more than 1,100 lives each year in the states that have adopted them, and that an additional 210 lives could be saved annually if they were adopted in every state.
SAN DIEGO, Calif., March 30, 2016 - Renova™ Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing gene therapy treatments for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, announced the publication of Phase 2 clinical trial results of AC6 gene transfer for the treatment of patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction in JAMA Cardiology. This trial was funded via a public-private partnership between the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and Renova Therapeutics.
A sweeping new report assessing chronic kidney disease in the United States offers startling statistics about a condition that affects almost 14 percent of the U.S. population and costs billions in Medicare spending each year.
Suffering from emotional problems in adolescence is an important risk factor for future joblessness, irrespective of socio-economic background, according to a new report by academics at the University of Stirling.
The research, which examined the employment patterns of over 7,000 Americans over a 12 year period, found clear evidence that distressed adolescents - who tend to feel nervous or depressed rather than calm or happy - subsequently experienced higher levels of joblessness in early adulthood.
When Tootsie Roll chairman and CEO Melvin Gordon died unexpectedly on Jan. 20, 2015, the firm's value saw an immediate 7 percent increase, which was equivalent to about $140 million. Craig Crossland, an assistant professor of management at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, and his research colleagues examined 240 sudden and unexpected CEO deaths like Gordon's to determine how shareholders' perceptions of CEO significance have changed over time. They found that market reactions to these events in U.S. public firms have increased markedly between 1950 and 2009.
The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care recommends against using a screening tool to identify developmental delay in children aged 1 to 4 years who have no apparent signs or parental concerns, according to a new guideline published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
New groundbreaking research shows that with improved fishing approaches -- compared to business as usual -- the majority of the world's wild fisheries could be at healthy levels in just 10 years and global fish populations could double by 2050.
The study conducted by researchers from UC Santa Barbara, the University of Washington and the Environmental Defense Fund appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Archaeologists in Italy have discovered what may be a rare sacred text in the Etruscan language that is likely to yield rich details about Etruscan worship of a god or goddess.
The lengthy text is inscribed on a large 6th century BCE sandstone slab that was uncovered from an Etruscan temple.
A new religious artifact is rare. Most Etruscan discoveries typically have been grave and funeral objects.
BOSTON - Nearly 1 million people in the United States receive coronary artery stents each year. Nearly all stent patients are expected to take dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) using the combination of aspirin and a second antiplatelet medication to prevent the formation of blood clots. Exactly how long patients should receive DAPT has been debatable.