Identifying the starting point of a spreading process in complex networks

When dealing with the dissemination of epidemics, one important question that can be asked is the location where the contamination began. In this paper, we analyze three spreading schemes and propose and validate an effective methodology for the identification of the source nodes. The method is based on the calculation of the centrality of the nodes on the sampled network, expressed here by degree, betweenness, closeness and eigenvector centrality. We show that the source node tends to have the highest measurement values. The potential of the methodology is illustrated with respect to three theoretical complex network models as well as a real-world network, the email network of the University Rovira i Virgili

Oblique-incidence reflectometry: one relative profile measurement of diffuse reflectance yields two optical parameters

A new, simple and quick approach, oblique-incidence reflectometry, was used to measure the absorption and reduced scattering coefficients of a semi-infinite turbid medium. An obliquely incident light beam causes the center of the far diffuse reflectance to shift from the point of incidence, where the far diffuse reflectance refers to the diffuse reflectance that is several transport mean free paths away from the incident point. The amount of shift yields the diffusion constant by a simple formula, and the slope of the diffuse reflectance yields the attenuation coefficient. Only the relative profile of the diffuse reflectance is needed to deduce both optical parameters, which makes this method attractive in clinical settings because it does not require a stringent calibration for absolute quantity measurements. This method was tested theoretically by Monte Carlo simulations and experimentally by a reflectometer. Because this method can be used to measure optical properties of biological tissues quickly and requires only inexpensive equipment, it has potential clinical application to the diagnosis of disease or monitoring of treatments

Galaxy luminosity evolution: how much is due to a model choice?

The cluster and field luminosity functions (LFs) determined on large homogeneous samples (N>2200 galaxies each) are almost indistinguishable, down to M^*+4 in the r and i filters, hence suggesting that the effect of the cluster environment on the galaxy properties does not affect the galaxy luminosity function in red bands. The similarity of the red band LFs in different environments suggests that the galaxy mass function is preserved during the galaxy infall in the cluster. By analyzing a large sample of galaxies in clusters, ideal from many points of view (multicolor data, large size, many clusters, metric magnitudes) we found that luminosity evolution is required by the data but the latter do not unambiguously derive its flavour if a differential luminosity evolution between bright and faint galaxies is allowed. We show that the LF parameters (slope, characteristic magnitude and their evolution) and errors depend on assumptions in a way seldom recognized in literature. We also point out logical inconsistencies between hypothesis assumed in deriving literature LF and presented results, suggesting caution in interpreting similar published results.Comment: A&A, in pres

\u201cGive, but Give until It Hurts\u201d: The Modulatory Role of Trait Emotional Intelligence on the Motivation to Help

Two studies investigated the effect of trait Emotional Intelligence (trait EI) on people\u2019s moti- vation to help. In Study 1, we developed a new computer-based paradigm that tested partic- ipants\u2019 motivation to help by measuring their performance on a task in which they could gain a hypothetical amount of money to help children in need. Crucially, we manipulated partici- pants\u2019 perceived efficacy by informing them that they had been either able to save the chil- dren (positive feedback) or unable to save the children (negative feedback). We measured trait EI using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire\u2013Short Form (TEIQue-SF) and assessed participants\u2019 affective reactions during the experiment using the PANAS-X. Results showed that high and low trait EI participants performed differently after the presen- tation of feedback on their ineffectiveness in helping others in need. Both groups showed increasing negative affective states during the experiment when the feedback was negative; however, high trait EI participants better managed their affective reactions, modulating the impact of their emotions on performance and maintaining a high level of motivation to help. In Study 2, we used a similar computerized task and tested a control situation to explore the effect of trait EI on participants\u2019 behavior when facing failure or success in a scenario unre- lated to helping others in need. No effect of feedback emerged on participants\u2019 emotional states in the second study. Taken together our results show that trait EI influences the impact of success and failure on behavior only in affect-rich situation like those in which people are asked to help others in need

Growing up in Bradford: protocol for the age 7-11 follow up of the Born in Bradford birth cohort.

BACKGROUND: Born in Bradford (BiB) is a prospective multi-ethnic pregnancy and birth cohort study that was established to examine determinants of health and development during childhood and, subsequently, adult life in a deprived multi-ethnic population in the north of England. Between 2007 and 2010, the BiB cohort recruited 12,453 women who experienced 13,776 pregnancies and 13,858 births, along with 3353 of their partners. Forty five percent of the cohort are of Pakistani origin. Now that children are at primary school, the first full follow-up of the cohort is taking place. The aims of the follow-up are to investigate the determinants of children's pre-pubertal health and development, including through understanding parents' health and wellbeing, and to obtain data on exposures in childhood that might influence future health. METHODS: We are employing a multi-method approach across three data collection arms (community-based family visits, school based physical assessment, and whole classroom cognitive, motor function and wellbeing measures) to follow-up over 9000 BiB children aged 7-11 years and their families between 2017 and 2021. We are collecting detailed parent and child questionnaires, cognitive and sensorimotor assessments, blood pressure, anthropometry and blood samples from parents and children. Dual x-ray absorptiometry body scans, accelerometry and urine samples are collected on subsamples. Informed consent is collected for continued routine data linkage to health, social care and education records. A range of engagement activities are being used to raise the profile of BiB and to disseminate findings. DISCUSSION: Our multi-method approach to recruitment and assessment provides an efficient method of collecting rich data on all family members. Data collected will enhance BiB as a resource for the international research community to study the interplay between ethnicity, socioeconomic circumstances and biology in relation to cardiometabolic health, mental health, education, cognitive and sensorimotor development and wellbeing

A broad distribution of the alternative oxidase in microsporidian parasites

Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular parasitic eukaryotes that were considered to be amitochondriate until the recent discovery of highly reduced mitochondrial organelles called mitosomes. Analysis of the complete genome of Encephalitozoon cuniculi revealed a highly reduced set of proteins in the organelle, mostly related to the assembly of ironsulphur clusters. Oxidative phosphorylation and the Krebs cycle proteins were absent, in keeping with the notion that the microsporidia and their mitosomes are anaerobic, as is the case for other mitosome bearing eukaryotes, such as Giardia. Here we provide evidence opening the possibility that mitosomes in a number of microsporidian lineages are not completely anaerobic. Specifically, we have identified and characterized a gene encoding the alternative oxidase (AOX), a typically mitochondrial terminal oxidase in eukaryotes, in the genomes of several distantly related microsporidian species, even though this gene is absent from the complete genome of E. cuniculi. In order to confirm that these genes encode functional proteins, AOX genes from both A. locustae and T. hominis were over-expressed in E. coli and AOX activity measured spectrophotometrically using ubiquinol-1 (UQ-1) as substrate. Both A. locustae and T. hominis AOX proteins reduced UQ-1 in a cyanide and antimycin-resistant manner that was sensitive to ascofuranone, a potent inhibitor of the trypanosomal AOX. The physiological role of AOX microsporidia may be to reoxidise reducing equivalents produced by glycolysis, in a manner comparable to that observed in trypanosome

Streptococcal bacteraemia in patients submitted to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation : the role of tooth brushing and use of chlorhexidine

A retrospective evaluation of 73 consecutive recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was conducted to investigated the role of oral care and incidence of streptococcal bacteremia in patients submitted to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Patients were retrospectively evaluated and divided into group A (GA=38) and group B (GB=35). During hospitalization patients from GA performed oral hygiene daily with extra soft toothbrush and toothpaste besides performing mouth cleaning with an ethanol-free 0.12% chlorhexidine solution tree times a day. In contrast GB patients performed mouth cleaning with extra soft toothbrush and toothpaste, but no chlorhexidine was used. Using the Chi square test it was observed that all patients from GA presented negative blood culture for alpha-hemolytic Streptococcus viridans and Candida albicans and only 1 patient without oral mucositis from GB presented positive blood cultures for Streptococcus intermedius (p=0.48). The results indicate that methodology used for oral care before the HSCT and the practice of tooth brushing during the period were effective in preventing streptococcal bacteremia. Moreover, our data suggest that the mouth cleaning with chlorhexidine during HSCT may be not mandatory

The Demography of Super-Massive Black Holes: Growing Monsters at the Heart of Galaxies

Supermassive black holes (BHs) appear to be ubiquitous at the center of all galaxies which have been observed at high enough sensitivities and resolution with the Hubble Space Telescope. Their masses are found to be tightly linked with the masses and velocity dispersions of their host galaxies. On the other hand, BHs are widely held to constitute the central engines of quasars and active galactic nuclei (AGN) in general. It is however still unclear how BHs have grown, and whether they have co-evolved with their hosts. In this Review I discuss how, in ways independent of specific models, constraints on the growth history of BHs and their host galaxies have been set by matching the statistics of local BHs to the emissivity, number density, and clustering properties of AGNs at different cosmological epochs. I also present some new results obtained through a novel numerical code which evolves the BH mass function and clustering adopting broad distributions of Eddington ratios. I finally review BH evolution in a wider cosmological context, connecting BH growth to galaxy evolution.Comment: 70 pages. New Astronomy Reviews, in pres

Comparative study of nonlinear properties of EEG signals of a normal person and an epileptic patient

Background: Investigation of the functioning of the brain in living systems has been a major effort amongst scientists and medical practitioners. Amongst the various disorder of the brain, epilepsy has drawn the most attention because this disorder can affect the quality of life of a person. In this paper we have reinvestigated the EEGs for normal and epileptic patients using surrogate analysis, probability distribution function and Hurst exponent. Results: Using random shuffled surrogate analysis, we have obtained some of the nonlinear features that was obtained by Andrzejak \textit{et al.} [Phys Rev E 2001, 64:061907], for the epileptic patients during seizure. Probability distribution function shows that the activity of an epileptic brain is nongaussian in nature. Hurst exponent has been shown to be useful to characterize a normal and an epileptic brain and it shows that the epileptic brain is long term anticorrelated whereas, the normal brain is more or less stochastic. Among all the techniques, used here, Hurst exponent is found very useful for characterization different cases. Conclusions: In this article, differences in characteristics for normal subjects with eyes open and closed, epileptic subjects during seizure and seizure free intervals have been shown mainly using Hurst exponent. The H shows that the brain activity of a normal man is uncorrelated in nature whereas, epileptic brain activity shows long range anticorrelation.Comment: Keywords:EEG, epilepsy, Correlation dimension, Surrogate analysis, Hurst exponent. 9 page

Attention-dependent modulation of cortical taste circuits revealed by granger causality with signal-dependent noise

We show, for the first time, that in cortical areas, for example the insular, orbitofrontal, and lateral prefrontal cortex, there is signal-dependent noise in the fMRI blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) time series, with the variance of the noise increasing approximately linearly with the square of the signal. Classical Granger causal models are based on autoregressive models with time invariant covariance structure, and thus do not take this signal-dependent noise into account. To address this limitation, here we describe a Granger causal model with signal-dependent noise, and a novel, likelihood ratio test for causal inferences. We apply this approach to the data from an fMRI study to investigate the source of the top-down attentional control of taste intensity and taste pleasantness processing. The Granger causality with signal-dependent noise analysis reveals effects not identified by classical Granger causal analysis. In particular, there is a top-down effect from the posterior lateral prefrontal cortex to the insular taste cortex during attention to intensity but not to pleasantness, and there is a top-down effect from the anterior and posterior lateral prefrontal cortex to the orbitofrontal cortex during attention to pleasantness but not to intensity. In addition, there is stronger forward effective connectivity from the insular taste cortex to the orbitofrontal cortex during attention to pleasantness than during attention to intensity. These findings indicate the importance of explicitly modeling signal-dependent noise in functional neuroimaging, and reveal some of the processes involved in a biased activation theory of selective attention