43 research outputs found
Holder exponents of irregular signals and local fractional derivatives
It has been recognized recently that fractional calculus is useful for
handling scaling structures and processes. We begin this survey by pointing out
the relevance of the subject to physical situations. Then the essential
definitions and formulae from fractional calculus are summarized and their
immediate use in the study of scaling in physical systems is given. This is
followed by a brief summary of classical results. The main theme of the review
rests on the notion of local fractional derivatives. There is a direct
connection between local fractional differentiability properties and the
dimensions/ local Holder exponents of nowhere differentiable functions. It is
argued that local fractional derivatives provide a powerful tool to analyse the
pointwise behaviour of irregular signals and functions.Comment: 20 pages, Late
Quantum Cosmology and Open Universes
Quantum creation of Universes with compact spacelike sections that have
curvature either closed, flat or open, i.e. are studied. In the
flat and open cases, the superpotential of the Wheeler De Witt equation is
significantly modified, and as a result the qualitative behaviour of a typical
wavefunction differs from the traditional closed case. Using regularity
arguments, it is shown that the only consistent state for the wavefunction is
the Tunneling one. By computing the quantum probabilities for the curvature of
the sections, it is shown that quantum cosmology actually favours that the
Universe be open, . In all cases sufficient inflation
e-foldings is predicted: this is an improvement over classical measures that
generally are ambiguous as to whether inflation is certain to occur.Comment: 11 pages, Revtex, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in PRD. New
material and important corrections added in response to referee's repor
Dyson summation without violating Ward identities and the Goldstone-boson equivalence theorem
In contrast to the conventional treatment of gauge theories, in the
background-field method the Ward identities for connected Green functions are
not violated by Dyson summation of self-energies in finite orders of
perturbation theory. Thus, Dyson summation does not spoil gauge cancelations at
high energies which are ruled by the Goldstone-boson equivalence theorem.
Moreover, in the background-field method the precise formulation of the
equivalence theorem in higher orders (including questions of renormalization)
is simplified rendering actual calculations easier. Finally, the equivalence
theorem is also formulated for the Standard Model with a non-linearly realized
scalar sector and for the gauged non-linear -model.Comment: 26 pages, latex, complete ps-file available via anonymous ftp from
ftp://ftp.physik.uni-wuerzburg.de/pub/preprint/1996/WUE-ITP-96-002.ps,
reference added and some comments on Ref.[6] modifie
Genetic research: the role of citizens, public health and international stakeholders
Background: Genetic research has become an indispensable instrument for medical research, and the subjects involved have both divergent and convergent interests. Objective: The possibility of having more detailed genetic information undoubtedly offers benefits for the health of the subject, but could also pose risks and make the subject vulnerable to discrimination. Methods: The scientific community has viewed very favorably the public health utility of family history, in which data from a family whose members suffer from chronic pathologies is collected and filed, in order to develop a sort of “stratification of family risk.” Even though in the last decade the scientific and juridical literature has contributed greatly to the topic of biobanks, the perplexities that continue to surround this theme give the idea that current ethical protocols on research are inadequate. Results: Researchers, citizens, International stakeholders, mass media, Public Health and Governments play a key role in genetic research. It is obvious that the methods used for genetic research do not present intrinsic risks; they are much less dangerous than other activities of diagnosis and research. Before authorizing a research project, it is important to reflect on the responsibility and transparency of the studies to be conducted, and on the impact they may have on the interests of public health. Conclusion: We believe that the highest priority need is to develop a common language on the theme, as is the case in the sphere of clinical experimentation where rules of good clinical practice, albeit at times conflicting, have led to uniform convergences in the scientific world on the points to be actuated
Susceptibility profile and metabolic mechanisms involved in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus resistant to DDT and deltamethrin in the Central African Republic
Theories of schizophrenia: a genetic-inflammatory-vascular synthesis
BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia, a relatively common psychiatric syndrome, affects virtually all brain functions yet has eluded explanation for more than 100 years. Whether by developmental and/or degenerative processes, abnormalities of neurons and their synaptic connections have been the recent focus of attention. However, our inability to fathom the pathophysiology of schizophrenia forces us to challenge our theoretical models and beliefs. A search for a more satisfying model to explain aspects of schizophrenia uncovers clues pointing to genetically mediated CNS microvascular inflammatory disease. DISCUSSION: A vascular component to a theory of schizophrenia posits that the physiologic abnormalities leading to illness involve disruption of the exquisitely precise regulation of the delivery of energy and oxygen required for normal brain function. The theory further proposes that abnormalities of CNS metabolism arise because genetically modulated inflammatory reactions damage the microvascular system of the brain in reaction to environmental agents, including infections, hypoxia, and physical trauma. Damage may accumulate with repeated exposure to triggering agents resulting in exacerbation and deterioration, or healing with their removal. There are clear examples of genetic polymorphisms in inflammatory regulators leading to exaggerated inflammatory responses. There is also ample evidence that inflammatory vascular disease of the brain can lead to psychosis, often waxing and waning, and exhibiting a fluctuating course, as seen in schizophrenia. Disturbances of CNS blood flow have repeatedly been observed in people with schizophrenia using old and new technologies. To account for the myriad of behavioral and other curious findings in schizophrenia such as minor physical anomalies, or reported decreased rates of rheumatoid arthritis and highly visible nail fold capillaries, we would have to evoke a process that is systemic such as the vascular and immune/inflammatory systems. SUMMARY: A vascular-inflammatory theory of schizophrenia brings together environmental and genetic factors in a way that can explain the diversity of symptoms and outcomes observed. If these ideas are confirmed, they would lead in new directions for treatments or preventions by avoiding inducers of inflammation or by way of inflammatory modulating agents, thus preventing exaggerated inflammation and consequent triggering of a psychotic episode in genetically predisposed persons