This thesis proposes a new approach for the automated analysis of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, based on the framework of probabilistic modelling. The approach makes use of a number of techniques from machine learning, speech recognition and time-frequency analysis. The problem is to estimate from an ECG signal a number of timing intervals which occur in every heartbeat. The accurate measure...

We study the classical generalized gln Landau-Lifshitz (L-L) model with special boundary conditions that preserve integrability. We explicitly derive the first non-trivial local integral of motion, which corresponds to the boundary Hamiltonian for the sl2 L-L model. Novel expressions of the modified Lax pairs associated to the integrals of motion are also extracted. The relevant equations of mo...

The association of timestamps with various data items such as tuples or attribute values is fundamental to the management of time-varying information. Using intervals in timestamps, as do most data models, leaves a data model with a variety of choices for giving a meaning to timestamps. Specifically, some such data models claim to be point-based while other data models claim to be interval-base...

We present one more proof of the fact that the class of proper interval graphs is precisely the class of unit interval graphs. The proof leads to a new and efficient O(n) time and space algorithm that transforms a proper interval model of the graph into a unit model, where all the extremes are integers in the range 0 to O(n2), solving a problem posed by Gardi (Discrete Math., 307 (22), 2906–290...

BACKGROUND Despite universal health care, there continues to be regional access disparities to coronary angiography in Canada. Our objective was to evaluate the extent to which demand-side factors such as clinical urgency/need, and supply-side factors, as reflected by differences in physician and procedural supply account for these inequalities. METHODS Our cohort consisted of 74,254 consecut...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether fungus-derived statins are associated with a lower risk of incident Alzheimer disease (AD) compared with synthetic statins using real-world clinical practice data. METHODS We identified a population-based retrospective cohort of patients aged ≥60 years newly prescribed a statin between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 2012, and followed until March 31, 2015, ...

The objective of this paper is to re-evaluate the effect of the 1985 ”Employment Services for Ex-Offenders” (ESEO) program on recidivism, in San Diego, Chicago and Boston. The initial group of program participants was split randomly in a control group and a treatment group. The actual treatment (mainly being job related counseling) only takes place conditional on finding a job, and not having b...

PURPOSE Several researchers have suggested that the rs4779584 (15q13.3) polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). However, past results remain inconclusive. We addressed this controversy by performing a meta-analysis of the relationship between rs4779584 of GREM1-SCG5 and colorectal cancer. METHODS We selected 12 case-control studies involving 11...

Whether an individual becomes infected in an infectious disease outbreak depends on many interconnected risk factors, which may relate to characteristics of the individual (e.g., age, sex), his or her close relatives (e.g., household members), or the wider community. Studies monitoring individuals in households or schools have helped elucidate the determinants of transmission in small social st...

Composite interval mapping (CIM) is the most commonly used method for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) with populations derived from biparental crosses. However, the algorithm implemented in the popular QTL Cartographer software may not completely ensure all its advantageous properties. In addition, different background marker selection methods may give very different mapping results, and ...