The computational complexity of Kauffman nets and the P versus NP problem

Complexity theory as practiced by physicists and computational complexity theory as practiced by computer scientists both characterize how difficult it is to solve complex problems. Here it is shown that the parameters of a specific model can be adjusted so that the problem of finding its global energy minimum is extremely sensitive to small changes in the problem statement. This result has implications not only for studies of the physics of random systems but may also lead to new strategies for resolving the well-known P versus NP question in computational complexity theory.Comment: 4 pages, no figure

L’ADAPTATION POSITIVE DES FAMILLES LATINOS AVEC UN ENFANT AYANT UNE DÉFICIENCE INTELLECTUELLE: UNE PREMIÈRE VUE DE LA THÉORIE DE L’ADAPTATION POSITIVE

Historically, research on disability and family dynamics drew from Psychology and Medicine. Consequently, eugenics models, grief theory, and other largely decontextualized frameworks of stress and coping were used to explain families of children with disabilities. This is a report of an initial test of a set of ideas the Singer research team has combined in order to explore the cognitive and problem-solving approaches of families of children with disabilities. Our purpose is to propose a contextualized theory for explaining how cultural diversity has an impact on positive adaptation to a child’s disability. This theory addresses the following: 1) attachment; 2) internal and external cultural resistance to stigmas about disability; and 3) perceived informal (family/friends) and formal (professionals) sources of support for positive views about disability and parenting. Sampling Latino families demonstrated how cultural contexts demonstrate a different flavour from majority culture interpretations of these cognitive terms of our proposed theory. Transcripts of the interviews were coded using grounded theory analysis, specifically, the constant comparative method. We discuss the goodness of fit for themes emerging from the coding process with the proposed theory terms. Results confirm attachment, social supports, and cultural resistance as terms for future development of this proposed theory. Keywords: Disability and parenting, positive adaptation, Latinos and disability, culture and disabilityÀ travers l’histoire, la recherche sur les handicapés et les relations intrafamiliales utilisait comme sources la psychologie et la médicine. Par conséquent, les modèles de l’eugénisme, les théories sur le deuil, et d’autres cadres analytiques sur le stress et les stratégies d’adaptation, plutôt décontextualisés, étaient utilisés afin d’expliquer aux autres comment fonctionnaient les familles avec un enfant handicapé. Ceci est un reportage sur un test initial d’un ensemble d’idées qu’a combiné l’équipe de recherche Singer afin d’aborder les approches cognitives et méthodes actives des familles des enfants handicapés. Nous proposons une théorie contextualisée afin d’expliquer comment la diversité culturelle aurait un effet sur l’adaptation positive de la famille face à l’handicap de leur enfant. Cette théorie aborde les idées suivantes : 1) l’attachement; 2) les résistances culturelles internes et externes aux stigmates sur l’handicap; et 3) les sources d’information sur l’handicap et le parentage liées à l’adaptation positive perçues comme informelles (famille/amis) et formelles (les professionnels). En utilisant un échantillon de familles Latinos, nous démontrons comment les contextes culturels démontrent des interprétations différentes des termes cognitifs de notre théorie, et non l’interprétation de la culture majoritaire. Les transcriptions des interviews étaient codées selon la théorie ancrée, plus spécifiquement la méthode de la comparaison constante. Nous discutons la concordance des thèmes venus via le processus d’encodage avec les termes clés de la nouvelle théorie proposée. Les résultats de cette recherche confirment que l’attachement, le soutien social, et la résistance culturelle seront des termes clés dans le développement de cette théorie proposée. Mots clés : Handicap et parentage, Adaptation positive, Latinos et handicap, culture et handica

Diagnosis and control of Equine Infectious Anemia in a horse farm located in Buenos Aires province, Argentina

Inst.de VirologíaFil: Vissani, Aldana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Virología; ArgentinaFil: Reynal O'Connor, J. Laboratorio Equino S.R.L.; ArgentinaFil: Olguin Perglione, Cecilia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Virología; ArgentinaFil: Traverso, S. Laboratorio Equino S.R.L.; ArgentinaFil: Gutierrez, G. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, Irene. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Barrandeguy, Maria Edith. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Virología; Argentina. Universidad del Salvador. Escuela de Veterinaria; Argentin

The Asymptotic Number of Attractors in the Random Map Model

The random map model is a deterministic dynamical system in a finite phase space with n points. The map that establishes the dynamics of the system is constructed by randomly choosing, for every point, another one as being its image. We derive here explicit formulas for the statistical distribution of the number of attractors in the system. As in related results, the number of operations involved by our formulas increases exponentially with n; therefore, they are not directly applicable to study the behavior of systems where n is large. However, our formulas lend themselves to derive useful asymptotic expressions, as we show.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure. Minor changes. To be published in Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Genera

Computational core and fixed-point organisation in Boolean networks

In this paper, we analyse large random Boolean networks in terms of a constraint satisfaction problem. We first develop an algorithmic scheme which allows to prune simple logical cascades and under-determined variables, returning thereby the computational core of the network. Second we apply the cavity method to analyse number and organisation of fixed points. We find in particular a phase transition between an easy and a complex regulatory phase, the latter one being characterised by the existence of an exponential number of macroscopically separated fixed-point clusters. The different techniques developed are reinterpreted as algorithms for the analysis of single Boolean networks, and they are applied to analysis and in silico experiments on the gene-regulatory networks of baker's yeast (saccaromices cerevisiae) and the segment-polarity genes of the fruit-fly drosophila melanogaster.Comment: 29 pages, 18 figures, version accepted for publication in JSTA

Salivary Metabolomic Signatures and Body Mass Index in Italian Adolescents: A Pilot Study

Context: Obesity surveillance is scarce in adolescents, and little is known on whether salivary metabolomics data, emerging minimally invasive biomarkers, can characterize metabolic patterns associated with overweight or obesity in adolescents. Objective: This pilot study aims to identify the salivary molecular signatures associated with body mass index (BMI) in Italian adolescents. Methods: Saliva samples and BMI were collected in a subset of n = 74 young adolescents enrolled in the Public Health Impact of Metal Exposure study (2007-2014). A total of 217 untargeted metabolites were identified using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. Robust linear regression was used to cross-sectionally determine associations between metabolomic signatures and sex-specific BMI-for-age z-scores (z-BMI). Results: Nearly 35% of the adolescents (median age: 12 years; 51% females) were either obese or overweight. A higher z-BMI was observed in males compared to females (P = .02). One nucleoside (deoxyadenosine) and 2 lipids (18:0-18:2 phosphatidylcholine and dipalmitoyl-phosphoethanolamine) were negatively related to z-BMI (P < .05), whereas 2 benzenoids (3-hydroxyanthranilic acid and a phthalate metabolite) were positively associated with z-BMI (P < .05). In males, several metabolites including deoxyadenosine, as well as deoxycarnitine, hyodeoxycholic acid, N-methylglutamic acid, bisphenol P, and trigonelline were downregulated, while 3 metabolites (3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, theobromine/theophylline/paraxanthine, and alanine) were upregulated in relation to z-BMI (P < .05). In females, deoxyadenosine and dipalmitoyl-phosphoethanolamine were negatively associated with z-BMI while deoxycarnitine and a phthalate metabolite were positively associated (P < .05). A single energy-related pathway was enriched in the identified associations in females (carnitine synthesis, P = .04). Conclusion: Salivary metabolites involved in nucleotide, lipid, and energy metabolism were primarily altered in relation to BMI in adolescents

Spin and magnetization effects in plasmas

We give a short review of a number of different models for treating magnetization effects in plasmas. In particular, the transition between kinetic models and fluid models is discussed. We also give examples of applications of such theories. Some future aspects are discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 1 figure. To appear in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, Special Issue for the 37th ICPP, Santiago, Chil

Prediction of lethal and synthetically lethal knock-outs in regulatory networks

The complex interactions involved in regulation of a cell's function are captured by its interaction graph. More often than not, detailed knowledge about enhancing or suppressive regulatory influences and cooperative effects is lacking and merely the presence or absence of directed interactions is known. Here we investigate to which extent such reduced information allows to forecast the effect of a knock-out or a combination of knock-outs. Specifically we ask in how far the lethality of eliminating nodes may be predicted by their network centrality, such as degree and betweenness, without knowing the function of the system. The function is taken as the ability to reproduce a fixed point under a discrete Boolean dynamics. We investigate two types of stochastically generated networks: fully random networks and structures grown with a mechanism of node duplication and subsequent divergence of interactions. On all networks we find that the out-degree is a good predictor of the lethality of a single node knock-out. For knock-outs of node pairs, the fraction of successors shared between the two knocked-out nodes (out-overlap) is a good predictor of synthetic lethality. Out-degree and out-overlap are locally defined and computationally simple centrality measures that provide a predictive power close to the optimal predictor.Comment: published version, 10 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables; supplement at http://www.bioinf.uni-leipzig.de/publications/supplements/11-01

Schumpeterian economic dynamics as a quantifiable minimum model of evolution

We propose a simple quantitative model of Schumpeterian economic dynamics. New goods and services are endogenously produced through combinations of existing goods. As soon as new goods enter the market they may compete against already existing goods, in other words new products can have destructive effects on existing goods. As a result of this competition mechanism existing goods may be driven out from the market - often causing cascades of secondary defects (Schumpeterian gales of destruction). The model leads to a generic dynamics characterized by phases of relative economic stability followed by phases of massive restructuring of markets - which could be interpreted as Schumpeterian business `cycles'. Model timeseries of product diversity and productivity reproduce several stylized facts of economics timeseries on long timescales such as GDP or business failures, including non-Gaussian fat tailed distributions, volatility clustering etc. The model is phrased in an open, non-equilibrium setup which can be understood as a self organized critical system. Its diversity dynamics can be understood by the time-varying topology of the active production networks.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figure

Antiplasmodial and leishmanicidal activities of 2-cyano-3-(4-phenylpiperazine-1-carboxamido) quinoxaline 1,4-dioxide derivatives.

Malaria and leishmaniasis are two of the World’s most important tropical parasitic diseases. Thirteen new 2-cyano-3-(4-phenylpiperazine-1-carboxamido) quinoxaline 1,4-dioxide derivatives (CPCQs) were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antimalarial and antileishmanial activity against erythrocytic forms of Plasmodium falciparum and axenic forms of Leishmania infantum. Their toxicity against VERO cells (normal monkey kidney cells) was also assessed. None of the tested compounds was efficient against Plasmodium, but two of them showed good activity against Leishmania. Toxicity on VERO was correlated with leishmanicidal properties