A numerical and symbolical approximation of the Nonlinear Anderson Model

A modified perturbation theory in the strength of the nonlinear term is used to solve the Nonlinear Schroedinger Equation with a random potential. It is demonstrated that in some cases it is more efficient than other methods. Moreover we obtain error estimates. This approach can be useful for the solution of other nonlinear differential equations of physical relevance.Comment: 21 pages and 7 figure

Perturbation theory for the Nonlinear Schroedinger Equation with a random potential

A perturbation theory for the Nonlinear Schroedinger Equation (NLSE) in 1D on a lattice was developed. The small parameter is the strength of the nonlinearity. For this purpose secular terms were removed and a probabilistic bound on small denominators was developed. It was shown that the number of terms grows exponentially with the order. The results of the perturbation theory are compared with numerical calculations. An estimate on the remainder is obtained and it is demonstrated that the series is asymptotic.Comment: 30 pages, 7 figures, accepted to Nonlinearit

The Nonlinear Schroedinger Equation with a random potential: Results and Puzzles

The Nonlinear Schroedinger Equation (NLSE) with a random potential is motivated by experiments in optics and in atom optics and is a paradigm for the competition between the randomness and nonlinearity. The analysis of the NLSE with a random (Anderson like) potential has been done at various levels of control: numerical, analytical and rigorous. Yet, this model equation presents us with a highly inconclusive and often contradictory picture. We will describe the main recent results obtained in this field and propose a list of specific problems to focus on, that we hope will enable to resolve these outstanding questions.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figure

Utility of clinical parameters to identify HIV infection in infants below ten weeks of age in South Africa: a prospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>As HIV-infected infants have high mortality, the World Health Organization now recommends initiating antiretroviral therapy as early as possible in the first year of life. However, in many settings, laboratory diagnosis of HIV in infants is not readily available. We aimed to develop a clinical algorithm for HIV presumptive diagnosis in infants < 10 weeks old using screening data from the Children with HIV Early Antiretroviral therapy (CHER) study in South Africa.</p> <p>HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected exposed infants < 10 weeks of age were identified through Vertical Transmission Prevention programs. Clinical and laboratory data were systematically recorded, groups were compared using Kruskal-Wallis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Fisher's exact tests. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were compiled using combinations of clinical findings.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>417 HIV-infected and 125 HIV-exposed, uninfected infants, median age 46 days (IQR 38-55), were included. The median CD4 percentage in HIV-infected infants was 34 (IQR 28-41)%. HIV-infected infants had lower weight-for-age, more lymphadenopathy, oral thrush, and hepatomegaly than exposed uninfected infants (Adjusted Odds Ratio 0.51, 8.8, 5.6 and 23.5 respectively; p < 0.001 for all). Sensitivity of individual signs was low (< 20%) but specificity high (98-100%). If any one of oral thrush, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, diaper dermatitis, weight < 50^thcentile are present, sensitivity for HIV infection amongst HIV-exposed infants was 86%. These algorithms performed similarly when used to predict severe immune suppression.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A combination of physical findings is helpful in identifying infants most likely to be HIV-infected. This may inform management algorithms and provide guidance for focused laboratory testing in some settings, and should be further validated in these settings and elsewhere.</p

Influenza vaccination of pregnant women and protection of their infants

BACKGROUND There are limited data on the efficacy of vaccination against confirmed influenza in pregnant women with and those without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and protection of their infants. METHODS We conducted two double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials of trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV3) in South Africa during 2011 in pregnant women infected with HIV and during 2011 and 2012 in pregnant women who were not infected. The immunogenicity, safety, and efficacy of IIV3 in pregnant women and their infants were evaluated until 24 weeks after birth. Immune responses were measured with a hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) assay, and influenza was diagnosed by means of reverse-transcriptase–polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assays of respiratory samples. RESULTS The study cohorts included 2116 pregnant women who were not infected with HIV and 194 pregnant women who were infected with HIV. At 1 month after vaccination, seroconversion rates and the proportion of participants with HAI titers of 1:40 or more were higher among IIV3 recipients than among placebo recipients in both cohorts. Newborns of IIV3 recipients also had higher HAI titers than newborns of placebo recipients. The attack rate for RT-PCR–confirmed influenza among both HIV-uninfected placebo recipients and their infants was 3.6%. The attack rates among HIV-uninfected IIV3 recipients and their infants were 1.8% and 1.9%, respectively, and the respective vaccine-efficacy rates were 50.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.5 to 71.2) and 48.8% (95% CI, 11.6 to 70.4). Among HIV-infected women, the attack rate for placebo recipients was 17.0% and the rate for IIV3 recipients was 7.0%; the vaccine-efficacy rate for these IIV3 recipients was 57.7% (95% CI, 0.2 to 82.1). CONCLUSIONS Influenza vaccine was immunogenic in HIV-uninfected and HIV-infected pregnant women and provided partial protection against confirmed influenza in both groups of women and in infants who were not exposed to HIV. (Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others; ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT01306669 and NCT01306682.)The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1002747), the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (UL1 TR000154, for REDCap), the South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology and National Research Foundation in Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, and the Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit of the Medical Research Council.http://www.nejm.org/am201

Factors controlling plankton community production, export flux, and particulate matter stoichiometry in the coastal upwelling system off Peru

Eastern boundary upwelling systems (EBUS) are among the most productive marine ecosystems on Earth. The production of organic material is fueled by upwelling of nutrient-rich deep waters and high incident light at the sea surface. However, biotic and abiotic factors can modify surface production and related biogeochemical processes. Determining these factors is important because EBUS are considered hotspots of climate change, and reliable predictions of their future functioning requires understanding of the mechanisms driving the biogeochemical cycles therein. In this field experiment, we used in situ mesocosms as tools to improve our mechanistic understanding of processes controlling organic matter cycling in the coastal Peruvian upwelling system. Eight mesocosms, each with a volume of ∼55 m3, were deployed for 50 d ∼6 km off Callao (12∘ S) during austral summer 2017, coinciding with a coastal El Niño phase. After mesocosm deployment, we collected subsurface waters at two different locations in the regional oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) and injected these into four mesocosms (mixing ratio ≈1.5 : 1 mesocosm: OMZ water). The focus of this paper is on temporal developments of organic matter production, export, and stoichiometry in the individual mesocosms. The mesocosm phytoplankton communities were initially dominated by diatoms but shifted towards a pronounced dominance of the mixotrophic dinoflagellate (Akashiwo sanguinea) when inorganic nitrogen was exhausted in surface layers. The community shift coincided with a short-term increase in production during the A. sanguinea bloom, which left a pronounced imprint on organic matter C : N : P stoichiometry. However, C, N, and P export fluxes did not increase because A. sanguinea persisted in the water column and did not sink out during the experiment. Accordingly, export fluxes during the study were decoupled from surface production and sustained by the remaining plankton community. Overall, biogeochemical pools and fluxes were surprisingly constant for most of the experiment. We explain this constancy by light limitation through self-shading by phytoplankton and by inorganic nitrogen limitation which constrained phytoplankton growth. Thus, gain and loss processes remained balanced and there were few opportunities for blooms, which represents an event where the system becomes unbalanced. Overall, our mesocosm study revealed some key links between ecological and biogeochemical processes for one of the most economically important regions in the oceans

Use of Multiplex Quantitative PCR To Evaluate the Impact of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine on Nasopharyngeal Pneumococcal Colonization in African Children

ABSTRACT Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) immunization of children induces shifts in colonizing pneumococcal serotypes. This study evaluated the effect of infant vaccination with 7-valent PCV (PCV7) on vaccine serotype (VT) colonization and whether the increase in nonvaccine serotype (NVT) was due to either unmasking of previously low-density-colonizing serotypes or increase in acquisition of NVT. A multiplex quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to evaluate VT and NVT nasopharyngeal colonization in archived swabs of PCV-vaccinated and PCV-unvaccinated African children at 9 and 15 to 16 months of age. Molecular qPCR clearly identified the vaccine effect typified by a decrease in VT colonization and an increase in NVT colonization. Serotype 19A was primarily responsible for the higher NVT carriage among PCV vaccinees at 9 months of age (53.4% difference; P = 0.021) and 16 months of age (70.7% difference; P < 0.001). Furthermore, the density of serotype 19A colonization was higher in PCV-vaccinated groups than in PCV-unvaccinated groups (3.76 versus 2.83 CFU/ml [P = 0.046], respectively, and 4.15 versus 3.04 CFU/ml [P = 0.013], respectively) at 9 and 16 months of age, respectively. Furthermore, serotype 19A was also more commonly reported as a primary isolate (by having the highest density among other cocolonizing serotypes identified in the sample) in PCV7-vaccinated children, while being equally a primary (46.2%) or nonprimary (53.8%) isolate in PCV-unvaccinated children. Molecular qPCR showed both serotype replacement and unmasking to be the cause for the increase in NVT colonization in PCV7-vaccinated children, as some serotypes were associated with an absolute increase in colonization (replacement), while others were associated with an increase in detection (unmasking). IMPORTANCE This study focused on evaluating the effect of infant vaccination with 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7), using a multiplex qPCR method, on the density of serotype-specific nasopharyngeal colonization in order to delineate the relative role of serotype replacement versus unmasking as the cause for the increase in nonvaccine serotype colonization in PCV7-vaccinated children. This is pertinent in the context of the ongoing deployment of PCV immunization in children, with surveillance of colonization considered an early proxy for disease that might arise from nonvaccine serotypes, as well as the success of childhood vaccination on indirect effect in the community through the interruption of pneumococcal transmission from vaccinated young children