Flow updates for domain decomposition of entropic optimal transport

Domain decomposition has been shown to be a computationally efficient distributed method for solving large scale entropic optimal transport problems. However, a naive implementation of the algorithm can freeze in the limit of very fine partition cells ( i.e . it asymptotically becomes stationary and does not find the global minimizer), since information can only travel slowly between cells. In practice this can be avoided by a coarse-to-fine multiscale scheme. In this article we introduce flow updates as an alternative approach. Flow updates can be interpreted as a variant of the celebrated algorithm by Angenent, Haker, and Tannenbaum, and can be combined canonically with domain decomposition. We prove convergence to the global minimizer and provide a formal discussion of its continuity limit. We give a numerical comparison with naive and multiscale domain decomposition, and show that the flow updates prevent freezing in the regime of very many cells. While the multiscale scheme is observed to be faster than the hybrid approach in general, the latter could be a viable alternative in cases where a good initial coupling is available. Our numerical experiments are based on a novel GPU implementation of domain decomposition that we describe in the appendix

Mononuclear and dinuclear tetravalent zirconium compounds as catalysts for the synthesis of aliphatic polyesters and aliphatic polycarbonates

http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001409 Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Indiahttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001843 Science and Engineering Research Boar

Extent of coronary artery disease and clinical outcomes with ticagrelor monotherapy versus aspirin after coronary artery bypass grafting: Insights from the TiCAB trial

Abstract OBJECTIVES Patients with extensive coronary artery disease (CAD) have a higher risk of cardiovascular events. This post hoc analysis of the Ticagrelor in CABG (TiCAB) trial examined the association of ticagrelor monotherapy versus aspirin with clinical outcomes after CABG in relation to the extent of CAD. METHODS The TiCAB trial randomized CABG patients to ticagrelor (90 mg twice daily) or aspirin (100 mg daily) for 12 months. Patients were stratified by SYNTAX score terciles: low (≤22), intermediate (23–32), and high (≥33). The primary end-point was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) at 12 months, including cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or repeat revascularization. Secondary end-points included individual MACCE components and major bleeding events. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess treatment effects. RESULTS Among 752 patients, 33.4% had low, 36.0% intermediate, and 30.6% high SYNTAX scores (median 26.5 [20.0–33.0]). MACCE rates were similar across groups (low: 7.8%; intermediate: 9.2%; high: 8.8%; p = 0.87), though the incidence of repeat revascularization differed significantly among SYNTAX score groups (p = 0.02). Ticagrelor did not show a significant MACCE benefit over aspirin in any SYNTAX score group (low: HR 2.27, 95% CI 0.87–5.94; intermediate: HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.46–2.27; high: HR 1.76, 95% CI 0.70–4.46; Pint=0.41). Secondary outcomes, including bleeding, aligned with overall trial results. CONCLUSIONS This analysis did not find a differential benefit of ticagrelor versus aspirin across CAD complexity levels as measured by the SYNTAX score. Further studies are warranted to refine antiplatelet strategies for patients with complex CAD undergoing CABG

Expected tracking performance of the ATLAS Inner Tracker at the High-Luminosity LHC

Abstract The high-luminosity phase of LHC operations (HL-LHC), will feature a large increase in simultaneous proton-proton interactions per bunch crossing up to 200, compared with a typical leveling target of 64 in Run 3. Such an increase will create a very challenging environment in which to perform charged particle trajectory reconstruction, a task crucial for the success of the ATLAS physics program, and will exceed the capabilities of the current ATLAS Inner Detector (ID). A new all-silicon Inner Tracker (ITk) will replace the current ID in time for the start of the HL-LHC. To ensure successful use of the ITk capabilities in Run 4 and beyond, the ATLAS tracking software has been successfully adapted to achieve state-of-the-art track reconstruction in challenging high-luminosity conditions with the ITk detector. This paper presents the expected tracking performance of the ATLAS ITk based on the latest available developments since the ITk technical design reports

Phenol as a breath marker for hemodialysis of chronic kidney disease patients

Abstract We aimed to identify biomarkers in breath analysis with multicapillary column-ion mobility spectrometry (MCC-IMS) to monitor the haemodialysis for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients fast and non-invasive. Six patients’ breath was analyzed via MCC-IMS before and after dialysis and compared to blood plasma samples analyzed via ultra performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector for potential renal failure biomarkers. Additionally, breath from six healthy control persons was analyzed. Phenol was found as a breath marker for CKD. For three patients the phenol concentration in breath and plasma was elevated before and decreased during dialysis and reached values in the range of healthy control persons. The peak-intensity of phenol-monomer peaks of P 01– P 04 was reduced from an average of 16.58 (5.42–27.28) a.U. to 7.03 (0.00–13.65) a.U., which is a reduction by 42.51 (−10.55–100.00) %. The control group has an average peak-intensity of 8.50 (5.00–12.00) a.U. This study shows that the measurement of phenol via breath analysis could be used to monitor the haemodialysis for CKD-patients and might also be usable for the calculation of haemodialysis dose in the future. The study is registered in the German Clinical Trials Register under number DRKS00029679

Pavlovian to instrumental transfer of control over fight or flight decisions

Abstract This study investigated outcome-selective Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) in fight-or-flight decision making. Participants learned to attack or retreat from monsters (instrumental phase) and to associate environments with specific monsters without responding (Pavlovian phase). In the transfer phase, they chose responses to unseen monsters while exposed to conditioned stimuli (CSs). Study 1 ( n  = 86) found that CSs influenced fight-or-flight decisions, demonstrating both outcome-selective and outcome-general PIT effects. Study 2 ( n  = 76) tested the operation of cognitive beliefs with post-training instructions that reversed the CS-outcome relations, revealing a reversed PIT effect. Study 3 ( n  = 83) manipulated threat levels by featuring highly dangerous monsters. Results showed a larger specific PIT under low versus high threat with standard instructions but not with reversal instructions. Findings suggest that associative knowledge about upcoming threats is integrated with knowledge of defensive actions into cognitive beliefs about which response is most effective for coping with danger

Induced awareness of stimulus differences impedes the generalization of extinction learning with various, highly similar stimuli

Fear extinction procedures serve as a laboratory model for a learning process involved in exposure treatment for anxiety disorders. Clinically, exposure is typically conducted with generalization stimuli (GSs) because originally acquired fear stimuli are inaccessible. Experimental studies, however, show limited generalization of extinction when GSs are used in extinction training (i.e., GS extinction). Stimulus variability may overcome limited extinction generalization. In a first study, we examined whether using multiple, perceptually similar GSs during fear extinction may overcome limited GS extinction generalization. A healthy sample (N = 120) underwent a two-day fear conditioning procedure, with three groups receiving extinction training with a single GS, multiple GSs or the original CS+. Surprisingly, no group differences appeared. Missing awareness of stimuli differences may explain these findings. Hence, in a second study, we aimed to manipulate awareness of stimulus differences between two groups (N = 80), using additional instructions and tasks. Results suggest that enhanced stimulus differentiation was successfully induced, and pivotally influenced extinction learning and generalization. Specifically, greater awareness of stimulus differences resulted in limited GS extinction generalization toward the original CS+. Results highlight a pivotal role of stimulus differentiation, presumably in interaction with attentional and higher-order cognitive processes, for GS extinction learning and its generalization

Do sex hormones influence mean duration of babbling in 5-months-old infants?

Introduction: Minipuberty is a period in early infancy, in which the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis is activated leading to a secretion of bioactive estradiol and testosterone. It is assumed to affect brain development and, as a result, vocal characteristics. While studies have found hormonal influences on fundamental frequency and articulatory characteristics in infants’ crying and babbling, temporal characteristics have not been studied so far. The aim of this study was therefore, as a first step, to investigate the potential influence of sex hormones on the mean duration of babbling vocalizations. Methods: Blood samples were taken from 20 infants at four, eight and 20 weeks and sex hormone concentrations were measured. The duration of individual infant vocalizations was analyzed from recordings of marginal babbling. A hierarchical, multiple regression approach was used to investigate associations between mean duration and bioactive hormone levels (estradiol (E2), testosterone (T)). Results: While no estradiol effects were found, the mean duration of an infant’s babbling at 20 weeks showed a significant negative association with the corresponding bioactive testosterone concentration in the same infant at the same age (p= 0.003). Conclusion: The results bolster the assumption that it is not sex per se, which seem to determine prelinguistic development. A better understanding of minipubertal influences is essential both for our understanding of gender-specific brain physiological mechanisms and for the resulting language performance

Tree Architecture and Structural Complexity in Mountain Forests of the Annapurna Region, Himalaya

ABSTRACT Mountain ranges comprise heterogeneous environments and high plant diversity, but little is known about the architecture and structural complexity of trees in mountain forests. We studied the relationship between tree architecture, environmental conditions, and tree structural complexity in forests of the Annapurna region in the Himalaya. We further asked whether and how tree structural complexity translates into forest stand structural complexity. The study covers 546 trees on 14 undisturbed study plots across wide ranges of elevation (1300 to 3400 m asl.) and annual precipitation (1180 to 3600 mm yr. −1 ). They were assessed by ground‐based mobile laser scanning. We found that tree structural complexity, expressed as box‐dimension ( D b ), was lowest for the needle‐leaved Pinus wallichiana and highest for the broad‐leaved Daphniphyllum himalense . A high share of the variation in D b was explained by tree architecture. In multivariate models, tree height, crown radius, and crown length explained more than 60% of the observed variation in D b . Stem density of the plot accounted for 19% of the variation in D b , and there was no influence of tree diversity. Precipitation explained l3% of the observed variation in tree D b , but elevation and slope did not have significant influences. As expected, tree height decreased with increasing elevation, but small trees often had relatively high D b values. The standard deviation of tree‐level D b within a plot explained 47% of the variation in stand‐level structural complexity among plots, surpassing the maximum tree‐level D b . This suggests that both the sole removal of small or large trees would reduce the stand‐level complexity by 36%. We conclude that in the Himalayan forests, species identity and tree architecture play a significant role in determining tree structural complexity, while environmental factors have a smaller role. Furthermore, structural variation among the trees within a plot plays a crucial role for the structural complexity at the stand level.Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst https://doi.org/10.13039/50110000165

The neuropeptide FLP-11 induces and self-inhibits sleep through the receptor DMSR-1 in Caenorhabiditis elegans

http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000781 European Research Councilhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100010563 Baillet Latour Fundhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659 German Research Foundatio