Weakly interacting oscillators on dense random graphs

We consider a class of weakly interacting particle systems of mean-field type. The interactions between the particles are encoded in a graph sequence, i.e., two particles are interacting if and only if they are connected in the underlying graph. We establish a Law of Large Numbers for the empirical measure of the system that holds whenever the graph sequence is convergent in the sense of graph limits theory. The limit is shown to be the solution to a non-linear Fokker-Planck equation weighted by the (possibly random) graph limit. No regularity assumptions are made on the graphon limit so that our analysis allows for very general graph sequences, such as exchangeable random graphs. For these, we also prove a propagation of chaos result. Finally, we fully characterize the graph sequences for which the associated empirical measure converges to the mean-field limit, i.e., to the solution of the classical McKean-Vlasov equation.Comment: 25 page

Oil spill forecasting in the Mediterranean Sea

In this work sensitivity experiments to the coupled MFS (currents) and MEDSLIK (oil spill) input parameters will be shown and results will be compared with observations. In these experiments the drift angle, the drift factor, the currents depth, the type of oil, horizontal diffusivity and the horizontal and temporal current resolution were changed

Real-time optical manipulation of cardiac conduction in intact hearts

Optogenetics has provided new insights in cardiovascular research, leading to new methods for cardiac pacing, resynchronization therapy and cardioversion. Although these interventions have clearly demonstrated the feasibility of cardiac manipulation, current optical stimulation strategies do not take into account cardiac wave dynamics in real time. Here, we developed an all‐optical platform complemented by integrated, newly developed software to monitor and control electrical activity in intact mouse hearts. The system combined a wide‐field mesoscope with a digital projector for optogenetic activation. Cardiac functionality could be manipulated either in free‐run mode with submillisecond temporal resolution or in a closed‐loop fashion: a tailored hardware and software platform allowed real‐time intervention capable of reacting within 2 ms. The methodology was applied to restore normal electrical activity after atrioventricular block, by triggering the ventricle in response to optically mapped atrial activity with appropriate timing. Real‐time intraventricular manipulation of the propagating electrical wavefront was also demonstrated, opening the prospect for real‐time resynchronization therapy and cardiac defibrillation. Furthermore, the closed‐loop approach was applied to simulate a re‐entrant circuit across the ventricle demonstrating the capability of our system to manipulate heart conduction with high versatility even in arrhythmogenic conditions. The development of this innovative optical methodology provides the first proof‐of‐concept that a real‐time optically based stimulation can control cardiac rhythm in normal and abnormal conditions, promising a new approach for the investigation of the (patho)physiology of the heart

Mortality Associated With Acute Charcot Foot and Neuropathic Foot Ulceration

To compare the mortality of patients with an acute Charcot foot with a matched population with uninfected neuropathic foot ulcers (NFUs). Data were extracted from a specialist departmental database, supplemented by hospital records. The findings were compared with the results of earlier populations with Charcot foot and uninfected NFUs managed from 1980. Finally, the results of all patients with acute Charcot foot and all control subjects managed between 1980 and 2007 were compared with normative mortality data for the U.K. population. A total of 70 patients presented with an acute Charcot foot (mean age 57.4 +/- 12.0 years; 48 male [68.6%]) between 2001 and 2007; there were 66 matched control subjects. By 1 October 2008, 13 (eight male; 18.6%) patients with a Charcot foot had died, after a median of 2.1 years (interquartile range 1.1-3.3). Twenty-two (20 male; 33.3%) control subjects had also died after a median of 1.3 years (0.6-2.5). There was no difference in survival between the two groups (log-rank P > 0.05). Median survival of all 117 patients with acute Charcot foot managed between 1980 and 2007 was 7.88 years (4.0-15.4) and was not significantly different from the control NFU patients (8.43 years [3.4-15.8]). When compared with normative U.K. population data, life expectancy in the two groups was reduced by 14.4 and 13.9 years, respectively. These data confirm that the mortality in patients presenting to our unit with either an acute Charcot foot and an uninfected neuropathic ulcer was unexpectedly hig

Environmental variables and machine learning models to predict cetacean abundance in the Central-eastern Mediterranean Sea

: Although the Mediterranean Sea is a crucial hotspot in marine biodiversity, it has been threatened by numerous anthropogenic pressures. As flagship species, Cetaceans are exposed to those anthropogenic impacts and global changes. Assessing their conservation status becomes strategic to set effective management plans. The aim of this paper is to understand the habitat requirements of cetaceans, exploiting the advantages of a machine-learning framework. To this end, 28 physical and biogeochemical variables were identified as environmental predictors related to the abundance of three odontocete species in the Northern Ionian Sea (Central-eastern Mediterranean Sea). In fact, habitat models were built using sighting data collected for striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba, common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus, and Risso's dolphins Grampus griseus between July 2009 and October 2021. Random Forest was a suitable machine learning algorithm for the cetacean abundance estimation. Nitrate, phytoplankton carbon biomass, temperature, and salinity were the most common influential predictors, followed by latitude, 3D-chlorophyll and density. The habitat models proposed here were validated using sighting data acquired during 2022 in the study area, confirming the good performance of the strategy. This study provides valuable information to support management decisions and conservation measures in the EU marine spatial planning context