2,628 research outputs found
Recognizing Members of the Tournament Equilibrium Set is NP-hard
A recurring theme in the mathematical social sciences is how to select the
"most desirable" elements given a binary dominance relation on a set of
alternatives. Schwartz's tournament equilibrium set (TEQ) ranks among the most
intriguing, but also among the most enigmatic, tournament solutions that have
been proposed so far in this context. Due to its unwieldy recursive definition,
little is known about TEQ. In particular, its monotonicity remains an open
problem up to date. Yet, if TEQ were to satisfy monotonicity, it would be a
very attractive tournament solution concept refining both the Banks set and
Dutta's minimal covering set. We show that the problem of deciding whether a
given alternative is contained in TEQ is NP-hard.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
Climate Change and invasibility of the Antarctic benthos
Benthic communities living in shallow-shelf habitats in Antarctica (<100-m depth) are archaic in their structure and function. Modern predators, including fast-moving, durophagous (skeleton-crushing) bony fish, sharks, and crabs, are rare or absent; slow-moving invertebrates are the top predators; and epifaunal suspension feeders dominate many soft substratum communities. Cooling temperatures beginning in the late Eocene excluded durophagous predators, ultimately resulting in the endemic living fauna and its unique food-web structure. Although the Southern Ocean is oceanographically isolated, the barriers to biological invasion are primarily physiological rather than geographic. Cold temperatures impose limits to performance that exclude modern predators. Global warming is now removing those physiological barriers, and crabs are reinvading Antarctica. As sea temperatures continue to rise, the invasion of durophagous predators will modernize the shelf benthos and erode the indigenous character of marine life in Antarctica
Nonequilibrium Dynamics in Noncommutative Spacetime
We study the effects of spacetime noncommutativity on the nonequilibrium
dynamics of particles in a thermal bath. We show that the noncommutative
thermal bath does not suffer from any further IR/UV mixing problem in the sense
that all the finite-temperature non-planar quantities are free from infrared
singularities. We also point out that the combined effect of finite temperature
and noncommutative geometry has a distinct effect on the nonequilibrium
dynamics of particles propagating in a thermal bath: depending on the momentum
of the mode of concern, noncommutative geometry may switch on or switch off
their decay and thermalization. This momentum dependent alternation of the
decay and thermalization rates could have significant impacts on the
nonequilibrium phenomena in the early universe at which spacetime
noncommutativity may be present. Our results suggest a re-examination of some
of the important processes in the early universe such as reheating after
inflation, baryogenesis and the freeze-out of superheavy dark matter
candidates.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figure
General Form of the Color Potential Produced by Color Charges of the Quark
Constant electric charge satisfies the continuity equation where is the current density of the electron.
However, the Yang-Mills color current density of the quark
satisfies the equation which is not a continuity
equation () which implies that a color charge
of the quark is not constant but it is time dependent where
are color indices. In this paper we derive general form of color
potential produced by color charges of the quark. We find that the general form
of the color potential produced by the color charges of the quark at rest is
given by \Phi^a(x) =A_0^a(t,{\bf x}) =\frac{q^b(t-\frac{r}{c})}{r}\[\frac{{\rm
exp}[g\int dr \frac{Q(t-\frac{r}{c})}{r}] -1}{g \int dr
\frac{Q(t-\frac{r}{c})}{r}}\]_{ab} where integration is an indefinite
integration, ~~ , ~~, ~~ is the retarded time, ~~ is the speed
of light, ~~ is the position of the quark at the retarded
time and the repeated color indices (=1,2,...8) are summed. For constant
color charge we reproduce the Coulomb-like potential
which is consistent with the Maxwell theory where
constant electric charge produces the Coulomb potential
.Comment: Final version, two more sections added, 45 pages latex, accepted for
publication in JHE
Analytical characterization and pharmacological evaluation of the new psychoactive substance 4-fluoromethylphenidate (4F-MPH) and differentiation between the (±)-threo- and (±)-erythro- diastereomers
Misuse of (±)-threo-methylphenidate (methyl-2-phenyl-2-(piperidin-2-yl)acetate; Ritalin®, MPH) has long been acknowledged, but the appearance of MPH analogs in the form of ‘research chemicals’ has only emerged in more recent years. 4-Fluoromethylphenidate (4F-MPH) is one of these recent examples and this study presents the identification and analytical characterization of two powdered 4F-MPH products that were obtained from an online vendor in 2015. Interestingly, the products appeared to have originated from two distinct batches given that one product consisted of (±)-threo-4F-MPH isomers whereas the second sample consisted of a mixture of (±)-threo and (±)-erythro 4F-MPH. Monoamine transporter studies using rat brain synaptosomes revealed that the biological activity of the 4F-MPH mixture resided with the (±)-threo- and not the (±)-erythro isomers based on higher potencies determined for blockage of dopamine uptake (IC50 4F-MPHmixture = 66 nM vs. IC50 (±)-threo = 61 nM vs. IC50 (±)-erythro = 8,528 nM) and norepinephrine uptake (IC50 4F-MPHmixture = 45 nM vs. (±)-threo = 31 nM vs. IC50 (±)-erythro = 3,779 nM). In comparison, MPH was three times less potent than (±)-threo-4F-MPH at the dopamine transporter (IC50 = 131 nM) and around 2.5-times less potent at the norepinephrine transporter (IC50 = 83 nM). Both substances were catecholamine selective with IC50 values of 8,805 nM and >10,000 nM for (±)-threo-4F-MPH and MPH at the serotonin transporter. These findings suggest that the psychostimulant properties of (±)-threo-4F-MPH might be more potent in humans than MPH
The APOSTEL recommendations for reporting quantitative optical coherence tomography studies
OBJECTIVE: To develop consensus recommendations for reporting of quantitative optical coherence tomography (OCT) study results.
METHODS: A panel of experienced OCT researchers (including 11 neurologists, 2 ophthalmologists, and 2 neuroscientists) discussed requirements for performing and reporting quantitative analyses of retinal morphology and developed a list of initial recommendations based on experience and previous studies. The list of recommendations was subsequently revised during several meetings of the coordinating group.
RESULTS: We provide a 9-point checklist encompassing aspects deemed relevant when reporting quantitative OCT studies. The areas covered are study protocol, acquisition device, acquisition settings, scanning protocol, funduscopic imaging, postacquisition data selection, postacquisition data analysis, recommended nomenclature, and statistical analysis.
CONCLUSIONS: The Advised Protocol for OCT Study Terminology and Elements recommendations include core items to standardize and improve quality of reporting in quantitative OCT studies. The recommendations will make reporting of quantitative OCT studies more consistent and in line with existing standards for reporting research in other biomedical areas. The recommendations originated from expert consensus and thus represent Class IV evidence. They will need to be regularly adjusted according to new insights and practices
Sphaerodoridae (Annelida: Polychaeta) from the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) with the description of two new species
The examination of polychaete collections obtained during the Spanish Bentart 2006expedition to the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) revealed the presence of several sphaerodorid species. In this work, species belonging to the genera Sphaerodorum Örsted, 1843, Ephesiella Chamberlin, 1919, Clavodorum Hartman and Fauchald, 1971 and Sphaerephesia Fauchald, 1972 are reported including two new species belonging to Sphaerodorum and Sphaerephesia, respectively. A specimen identified as Ephesiella sp. might also represent a new species but, due to its poor state of preservation, a formal description is not possible yet. Furthermore, Sphaerodoropsis polypapillata Hartmann-Schröder and Rosenfeldt, 1988 is transferred to the genus Clavodorum Hartman and Fauchald, 1971 after examination of the type series and specimens obtained from the Bellingshausen Sea.Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología; REN 2001-1074/ANTComisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología; CGL2004-0185
The Regge Limit for Green Functions in Conformal Field Theory
We define a Regge limit for off-shell Green functions in quantum field
theory, and study it in the particular case of conformal field theories (CFT).
Our limit differs from that defined in arXiv:0801.3002, the latter being only a
particular corner of the Regge regime. By studying the limit for free CFTs, we
are able to reproduce the Low-Nussinov, BFKL approach to the pomeron at weak
coupling. The dominance of Feynman graphs where only two high momentum lines
are exchanged in the t-channel, follows simply from the free field analysis. We
can then define the BFKL kernel in terms of the two point function of a simple
light-like bilocal operator. We also include a brief discussion of the gravity
dual predictions for the Regge limit at strong coupling.Comment: 23 pages 2 figures, v2: Clarification of relation of the Regge limit
defined here and previous work in CFT. Clarification of causal orderings in
the limit. References adde
Artificial intelligence extension of the OSCAR-IB criteria
Artificial intelligence (AI)-based diagnostic algorithms have achieved ambitious aims through automated image pattern recognition. For neurological disorders, this includes neurodegeneration and inflammation. Scalable imaging technology for big data in neurology is optical coherence tomography (OCT). We highlight that OCT changes observed in the retina, as a window to the brain, are small, requiring rigorous quality control pipelines. There are existing tools for this purpose. Firstly, there are human-led validated consensus quality control criteria (OSCAR-IB) for OCT. Secondly, these criteria are embedded into OCT reporting guidelines (APOSTEL). The use of the described annotation of failed OCT scans advances machine learning. This is illustrated through the present review of the advantages and disadvantages of AI-based applications to OCT data. The neurological conditions reviewed here for the use of big data include Alzheimer disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson disease, and epilepsy. It is noted that while big data is relevant for AI, ownership is complex. For this reason, we also reached out to involve representatives from patient organizations and the public domain in addition to clinical and research centers. The evidence reviewed can be grouped in a five-point expansion of the OSCAR-IB criteria to embrace AI (OSCAR-AI). The review concludes by specific recommendations on how this can be achieved practically and in compliance with existing guidelines
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