657 research outputs found
Efficacy and safety of human intravenous immunoglobulin 5% (Ig VENA) in pediatric patients affected by primary immunodeficiency
Layer Features of the Lattice Gas Model for Self-Organized Criticality
A layer-by-layer description of the asymmetric lattice gas model for
1/f-noise suggested by Jensen [Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 3103 (1990)] is presented.
The power spectra of the lattice layers in the direction perpendicular to the
particle flux is studied in order to understand how the white noise at the
input boundary evolves, on the average, into 1/f-noise for the system. The
effects of high boundary drive and uniform driving force on the power spectrum
of the total number of diffusing particles are considered. In the case of
nearest-neighbor particle interactions, high statistics simulation results show
that the power spectra of single lattice layers are characterized by different
exponents such that as one approaches the outer
boundary.Comment: LaTeX, figures upon reques
Gait-related frequency modulation of beta oscillatory activity in the subthalamic nucleus of parkinsonian patients
Background: Abnormal beta band activity in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is known to be exaggerated in patients with Parkinson's disease, and the amplitude of such activity has been associated with akinetic rigid symptoms. New devices for deep brain stimulation (DBS) that operate by adapting the stimulation parameters generally rely on the detection of beta activity amplitude modulations in these patients. Movement-related frequency modulation of beta oscillatory activity has been poorly investigated, despite being an attractive variable for extracting information about basal ganglia activity. Objective: We studied the STN oscillatory activity associated with locomotion and proposed a new approach to extract movement related information from beta band activity. Methods: We recorded bilateral local field potential of the STN in eight parkinsonian patients implanted with DBS electrodes during upright quiet standing and unperturbed walking. Neurophysiological recordings were combined with kinematic measurements and individual molecular brain imaging studies. We then determined the information carried by the STN oscillatory activity about locomotion and we identified task-specific biomarkers. Results: We found a gait-related peak frequency modulation of the beta band of STN recordings of parkinsonian patients. This novel biomarker and the associated power modulations were highly informative to detect the walking state (with respect to standing) in each single patient. Conclusion: Frequency modulation in the human STN represents a fundamental aspect of information processing of locomotion. Our information-driven approach could significantly enrich the spectrum of Parkinson's neural markers, with input signals encoding ongoing tasks execution for an appropriate online tuning of DBS delivery
Spontaneous circadian rhythms in a cold-Adapted natural isolate of Aureobasidium pullulans
Indexación: Scopus.Circadian systems enable organisms to synchronize their physiology to daily and seasonal environmental changes relying on endogenous pacemakers that oscillate with a period close to 24 h even in the absence of external timing cues. The oscillations are achieved by intracellular transcriptional/translational feedback loops thoroughly characterized for many organisms, but still little is known about the presence and characteristics of circadian clocks in fungi other than Neurospora crassa. We sought to characterize the circadian system of a natural isolate of Aureobasidium pullulans, a cold-Adapted yeast bearing great biotechnological potential. A. pullulans formed daily concentric rings that were synchronized by light/dark cycles and were also formed in constant darkness with a period of 24.5 h. Moreover, these rhythms were temperature compensated, as evidenced by experiments conducted at temperatures as low as 10 °C. Finally, the expression of clock-essential genes, frequency, white collar-1, white collar-2 and vivid was confirmed. In summary, our results indicate the existence of a functional circadian clock in A. pullulans, capable of sustaining rhythms at very low temperatures and, based on the presence of conserved clock-gene homologues, suggest a molecular and functional relationship to well-described circadian systems.https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-14085-
Stochastics theory of log-periodic patterns
We introduce an analytical model based on birth-death clustering processes to
help understanding the empirical log-periodic corrections to power-law scaling
and the finite-time singularity as reported in several domains including
rupture, earthquakes, world population and financial systems. In our
stochastics theory log-periodicities are a consequence of transient clusters
induced by an entropy-like term that may reflect the amount of cooperative
information carried by the state of a large system of different species. The
clustering completion rates for the system are assumed to be given by a simple
linear death process. The singularity at t_{o} is derived in terms of
birth-death clustering coefficients.Comment: LaTeX, 1 ps figure - To appear J. Phys. A: Math & Ge
Assessing the risks of changing ongoing management of endangered species
Recovery programmes for endangered species can become increasingly demanding over time, but managers may be reluctant to change ongoing actions that are believed to be assisting recovery. We used a quantitative risk assessment to choose support strategies for a reintroduced population of Mauritius olive white‐eyes Zosterops chloronothos. Facing increasing costs, managers considered changing the ongoing supplementary feeding strategy, but at the same time worried this could jeopardize the observed positive population trend. We used a feeding experiment to compare the current feeding regime and a cheaper alternative (a simple sugar/water mix). Results suggested the cheaper alternative would only marginally reduce population vital rates. We assessed the influence of these results and the associated uncertainty on population recovery and management costs using two decision‐analytic criteria, incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio and stochastic dominance. The new feeding regime was expected to be, on average, more cost‐effective than the status quo. Moreover, even negative outcomes would only likely mean a slower growing population, not a declining one, whereas not changing feeding regime actually entailed greater risk. Because shifting from the current regime to a cheaper sugar/water mixture was both a risk‐averse and a cost‐effective choice, we decided to implement this change. Four years after the experiment, the population continues to grow and costs have been contained, matching predictions almost exactly. In this case, the field experiment provided useful empirical information about prospective actions; the risk analysis then helped us understand the real implications of changing the feeding regime. We encourage managers of recovery plans facing a similar situation to explicitly recognize trade‐offs and risk aversion, and address them by combining targeted research and formal decision analysis
Finite-Size Scaling in Two-dimensional Continuum Percolation Models
We test the universal finite-size scaling of the cluster mass order parameter
in two-dimensional (2D) isotropic and directed continuum percolation models
below the percolation threshold by computer simulations. We found that the
simulation data in the 2D continuum models obey the same scaling expression of
mass M to sample size L as generally accepted for isotropic lattice problems,
but with a positive sign of the slope in the ln-ln plot of M versus L. Another
interesting aspect of the finite-size 2D models is also suggested by plotting
the normalized mass in 2D continuum and lattice bond percolation models, versus
an effective percolation parameter, independently of the system structure (i.e.
lattice or continuum) and of the possible directions allowed for percolation
(i.e. isotropic or directed) in regions close to the percolation thresholds.
Our study is the first attempt to map the scaling behaviour of the mass for
both lattice and continuum model systems into one curve.Comment: 9 pages, Revtex, 2 PostScript figure
Oscillatory Finite-Time Singularities in Finance, Population and Rupture
We present a simple two-dimensional dynamical system where two nonlinear
terms, exerting respectively positive feedback and reversal, compete to create
a singularity in finite time decorated by accelerating oscillations. The power
law singularity results from the increasing growth rate. The oscillations
result from the restoring mechanism. As a function of the order of the
nonlinearity of the growth rate and of the restoring term, a rich variety of
behavior is documented analytically and numerically. The dynamical behavior is
traced back fundamentally to the self-similar spiral structure of trajectories
in phase space unfolding around an unstable spiral point at the origin. The
interplay between the restoring mechanism and the nonlinear growth rate leads
to approximately log-periodic oscillations with remarkable scaling properties.
Three domains of applications are discussed: (1) the stock market with a
competition between nonlinear trend-followers and nonlinear value investors;
(2) the world human population with a competition between a
population-dependent growth rate and a nonlinear dependence on a finite
carrying capacity; (3) the failure of a material subjected to a time-varying
stress with a competition between positive geometrical feedback on the damage
variable and nonlinear healing.Comment: Latex document of 59 pages including 20 eps figure
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