Escape-rate formalism, decay to steady states, and divergences in the entropy-production rate

In summer 1997 we were sitting with Bob Dorfman and a few other friends interested in chaotic systems and transport theory on a terrace close to Oktogon in Budapest. While taking our (decaf) coffee after a very nice Italian meal, we discussed about logarithmic divergences in the entropy production of systems with absorbing boundary conditions and their consequences for the escape-rate formalism. It was guessed at that time that the problem could be resolved by a careful discussion of the physical content of the absorbing boundary conditions. To our knowledge a thorough analysis of this long-standing question is still missing. We dedicate it hereby to Bob on occasion of his 65th birthday.Comment: 16 pages; RevTex 4 with graphicx package; eps-figure

Evidence Map of Pancreatic Surgery-A living systematic review with meta-analyses by the International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery (ISGPS)

Background: Pancreatic surgery is associated with considerable morbidity and, consequently, offers a large and complex field for research. To prioritize relevant future scientific projects, it is of utmost importance to identify existing evidence and uncover research gaps. Thus, the aim of this project was to create a systematic and living Evidence Map of Pancreatic Surgery. Methods: PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science were systematically searched for all randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews on pancreatic surgery. Outcomes from every existing randomized controlled trial were extracted, and trial quality was assessed. Systematic reviews were used to identify an absence of randomized controlled trials. Randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews on identical subjects were grouped according to research topics. A web-based evidence map modeled after a mind map was created to visualize existing evidence. Meta-analyses of specific outcomes of pancreatic surgery were performed for all research topics with more than 3 randomized controlled trials. For partial pancreatoduodenectomy and distal pancreatectomy, pooled benchmarks for outcomes were calculated with a 99% confidence interval. The evidence map undergoes regular updates. Results: Out of 30,860 articles reviewed, 328 randomized controlled trials on 35,600 patients and 332 systematic reviews were included and grouped into 76 research topics. Most randomized controlled trials were from Europe (46%) and most systematic reviews were from Asia (51%). A living meta-analysis of 21 out of 76 research topics (28%) was performed and included in the web-based evidence map. Evidence gaps were identified in 11 out of 76 research topics (14%). The benchmark for mortality was 2% (99% confidence interval: 1%–2%) for partial pancreatoduodenectomy and <1% (99% confidence interval: 0%–1%) for distal pancreatectomy. The benchmark for overall complications was 53% (99%confidence interval: 46%–61%) for partial pancreatoduodenectomy and 59% (99% confidence interval: 44%–80%) for distal pancreatectomy. Conclusion: The International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery Evidence Map of Pancreatic Surgery, which is freely accessible via www.evidencemap.surgery and as a mobile phone app, provides a regularly updated overview of the available literature displayed in an intuitive fashion. Clinical decision making and evidence-based patient information are supported by the primary data provided, as well as by living meta-analyses. Researchers can use the systematic literature search and processed data for their own projects, and funding bodies can base their research priorities on evidence gaps that the map uncovers

Equivalence of position–position auto-correlations in the Slicer Map and the Lévy–Lorentz gas

The Slicer Map is a one-dimensional non-chaotic dynamical system that shows sub-, super-, and normal diffusion as a function of its control parameter. In a recent paper [Salari et al., CHAOS 25, 073113 (2015)] it was found that the moments of the position distributions as the Slicer Map have the same asymptotic behaviour as the L\'evy-Lorentz gas, a random walk on the line in which the scatterers are randomly distributed according to a L\'evy-stable probability distribution. Here we derive analytic expressions for the position-position correlations of the Slicer Map and, on the ground of this result, we formulate some conjectures about the asymptotic behaviour of position-position correlations of the L\'evy-Lorentz gas, for which the information in the literature is minimal. The numerically estimated position-position correlations of the L\'evy-Lorentz show a remarkable agreement with the conjectured asymptotic scaling.Comment: Title changed. Abstract, Introduction and Discussion revised. 24 pages, 4 figure

Monitoring of Anti-Hepatitis E Virus Antibody Seroconversion in Asymptomatically Infected Blood Donors: Systematic Comparison of Nine Commercial Anti-HEV IgM and IgG Assays

Diagnosis of hepatitis E virus (HEV) is usually determined serologically by detection of the presence of immunoglobulin (Ig)M antibodies or rising anti-HEV IgG titers. However, serological assays have demonstrated a significant variation in their sensitivities and specificities. In this study, we present the systematic comparison of different immunological anti-HEV assays using complete seroconversion panels of 10 virologically confirmed HEV genotype 3 infected individuals. Assay sensitivities were further evaluated by testing serially diluted World Health Organization (WHO) reference reagent for hepatitis E virus antibody and one patient sample infected with HEV genotype 3. Anti-HEV IgM and IgG antibody presence was determined using the immunological assays Wantai HEV IgM/IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (Sanbio, Uden, The Netherlands), recomWell HEV IgM/IgG (Mikrogen, Neuried, Germany), HEV IgM ELISA 3.0, HEV ELISA, HEV ELISA 4.0, Assure HEV IgM Rapid Test (all MP Biomedicals Europe, Illkirch Cedex, France) and Anti-HEV ELISA (IgM/IgG, Euroimmun, Lübeck, Germany). The assays showed differences regarding their analytical and diagnostic sensitivities, with anti-HEV IgM assays (n = 5) being more divergent compared to anti-HEV IgG (n = 4) assays in this study. Considerable variations were observed particularly for the detection period of IgM antibodies. This is the first study systematically characterizing serologic assays on the basis of seroconversion panels, providing sample conformity for a conclusive comparison. Future studies should include the assay comparison covering the four different genotypes

Abbruchgruende von Studierenden der Fachhochschule Bergbau, Bochum (Kurzfassung)

UuStB Koeln(38)-850106246 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

"Musik: Atem der Statuen". Zeit als Untergang oder Fortschritt

L'impostazione spengleriana viene confrontata criticamente con la morfologia di Goethe, la filosofia della storia di Benjamin e le concezioni del tempo nella musica del secondo Novecento (Messiaen, Xenakis, Stockhausen et al.