The Meijer transformation of generalized functions

This paper extends the Meijer transformation, Mμ, given by (Mμf)(p)=2pΓ(1+μ)∫0∞f(t)(pt)μ/2Kμ(2pt)dt, where f belongs to an appropriate function space, μ ϵ (−1,∞) and Kμ is the modified Bessel function of third kind of order μ, to certain generalized functions. A testing space is constructed so as to contain the Kernel, (pt)μ/2Kμ(2pt), of the transformation. Some properties of the kernel, function space and its dual are derived. The generalized Meijer transform, M¯μf, is now defined on the dual space. This transform is shown to be analytic and an inversion theorem, in the distributional sense, is established

The continuous Jacobi transform

The purpose of this paper is to define the continuous Jacobi transform as an extension of the discrete Jacobi transform. The basic properties including the inversion theorem for the continuous Jacobi transform are studied. We also derive an inversion formula for the transform which maps L1(R+) into Lw2(−1,1) where w(x)=(1−x)α(1+x)β

Statistical Basis for Predicting Technological Progress

Forecasting technological progress is of great interest to engineers, policy makers, and private investors. Several models have been proposed for predicting technological improvement, but how well do these models perform? An early hypothesis made by Theodore Wright in 1936 is that cost decreases as a power law of cumulative production. An alternative hypothesis is Moore's law, which can be generalized to say that technologies improve exponentially with time. Other alternatives were proposed by Goddard, Sinclair et al., and Nordhaus. These hypotheses have not previously been rigorously tested. Using a new database on the cost and production of 62 different technologies, which is the most expansive of its kind, we test the ability of six different postulated laws to predict future costs. Our approach involves hindcasting and developing a statistical model to rank the performance of the postulated laws. Wright's law produces the best forecasts, but Moore's law is not far behind. We discover a previously unobserved regularity that production tends to increase exponentially. A combination of an exponential decrease in cost and an exponential increase in production would make Moore's law and Wright's law indistinguishable, as originally pointed out by Sahal. We show for the first time that these regularities are observed in data to such a degree that the performance of these two laws is nearly tied. Our results show that technological progress is forecastable, with the square root of the logarithmic error growing linearly with the forecasting horizon at a typical rate of 2.5% per year. These results have implications for theories of technological change, and assessments of candidate technologies and policies for climate change mitigation

Not All SLAPs Are Created Equal: A Comparison of Patients with Planned and Incidental SLAP Repair Procedures

Background. Epidemiological studies have shown a progressive increase in the rate of superior labrum anterior-posterior (SLAP) repair surgery after the year 2000. However, it is not clear whether this is due to increased recognition of isolated SLAP tears or increased SLAP repair performed secondarily during arthroscopy for other purposes. Hypothesis/Purpose. We hypothesized that both isolated SLAP repair and secondary SLAP repair increased with time and that patient age influenced the pathway to SLAP diagnosis and surgery - such that younger patients were more likely to have isolated SLAP repair surgery after being diagnosed in clinic. Study Design. Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods. Data were obtained from the MarketScan database from 2003 to 2013. CPT and ICD-9 codes were used to identify SLAP surgery patients and concomitant procedures. The timing of SLAP diagnosis relative to surgery was used to determine whether the injury was recognized preoperatively. Results. 64,497 SLAP surgery patients were included. Preoperative SLAP diagnosis increased from 17.1% in 2003 to 44.6% in 2013. Patients diagnosed preoperatively were younger and had fewer concomitant procedures. Increasing age and concomitant rotator cuff tear (RCT) repair corresponded to lower odds of preoperative SLAP diagnosis. Discussion. Younger patients were more likely to have their SLAP tear diagnosed prior to surgery. Those diagnosed before surgery had fewer simultaneous procedures during their operations, suggesting that SLAP repair was more likely the primary operation. From 2003 to 2013, SLAP tears were increasingly recognized in the preoperative setting

Janus and Multifaced Supersymmetric Theories

We investigate the various properties Janus supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories. A novel vacuum structure is found and BPS monopoles and dyons are studied. Less supersymmetric Janus theories found before are derived by a simpler method. In addition, we find the supersymmetric theories when the coupling constant depends on two and three spatial coordinates.Comment: 20 pages, no figures, typos, equations corrected. Additional comment

Nedd4-2 haploinsufficiency causes hyperactivity and increased sensitivity to inflammatory stimuli

Nedd4-2 (NEDD4L in humans) is a ubiquitin protein ligase best known for its role in regulating ion channel internalization and turnover. Nedd4-2 deletion in mice causes perinatal lethality associated with increased epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) expression in lung and kidney. Abundant data suggest that Nedd4-2 plays a role in neuronal functions and may be linked to epilepsy and dyslexia in humans. We used a mouse model of Nedd4-2 haploinsufficiency to investigate whether an alteration in Nedd4-2 levels of expression affects general nervous system functions. We found that Nedd4-2 heterozygous mice are hyperactive, have increased basal synaptic transmission and have enhanced sensitivity to inflammatory pain. Thus, Nedd4-2 heterozygous mice provide a new genetic model to study inflammatory pain. These data also suggest that in human, SNPs affecting NEDD4L levels may be involved in the development of neuropsychological deficits and peripheral neuropathies and may help unveil the genetic basis of comorbidities

Influence of operating parameters on the biodegradation of steroid estrogens and nonylphenolic compounds during biological wastewater treatment processes

This document is the unedited author's version of a Submitted Work that was subsequently accepted for publication in Environmental Science & Technology, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review. To access the final edited and published work see http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es901612v.This study investigated operational factors influencing the removal of steroid estrogens and nonylphenolic compounds in two sewage treatment works, one a nitrifying/denitrifying activated sludge plant and the other a nitrifying/denitrifying activated sludge plant with phosphorus removal. Removal efficiencies of >90% for steroid estrogens and for longer chain nonylphenol ethoxylates (NP4−12EO) were observed at both works, which had equal sludge ages of 13 days. However, the biological activity in terms of milligrams of estrogen removed per day per tonne of biomass was found to be 50−60% more efficient in the nitrifying/denitrifying activated sludge works compared to the works which additionally incorporated phosphorus removal. A temperature reduction of 6 °C had no impact on the removal of free estrogens, but removal of the conjugated estrone-3-sulfate was reduced by 20%. The apparent biomass sorption (LogKp) values were greater in the nitrifying/denitrifying works than those in the nitrifying/denitrifying works with phosphorus removal for both steroid estrogens and nonylphenolic compounds possibly indicating a different cell surface structure and therefore microbial population. The difference in biological activity (mg tonne−1 d−1) identified in this study, of up to seven times, suggests that there is the potential for enhancing the removal of estrogens and nonylphenols if more detailed knowledge of the factors responsible for these differences can be identified and maximized, thus potentially improving the quality of receiving waters.Public Utilities Board (Singapore), Anglian Water Ltd, Severn Trent Water Ltd, Thames Water Utilities Ltd, United Utilities 393 Plc and Yorkshire Water Services

Topological Chern-Simons Sigma Model

We consider topological twisting of recently constructed Chern-Simons-matter theories in three dimensions with N=4 or higher supersymmetry. We enumerate physically inequivalent twistings for each N, and find two different twistings for N=4, one for N=5,6, and four for N=8. We construct the two types of N=4 topological theories, which we call A/B-models, in full detail. The A-model has been recently studied by Kapustin and Saulina. The B-model is new and it consists solely of a Chern-Simons term of a complex gauge field up to BRST-exact terms. We also compare the new theories with topological Yang-Mills theories and find some interesting connections. In particular, the A-model seems to offer a new perspective on Casson invariant and its relation to Rozansky-Witten theory.Comment: 31 pages, no figure; v2. references adde

Intelligent Financial Fraud Detection Practices: An Investigation

Financial fraud is an issue with far reaching consequences in the finance industry, government, corporate sectors, and for ordinary consumers. Increasing dependence on new technologies such as cloud and mobile computing in recent years has compounded the problem. Traditional methods of detection involve extensive use of auditing, where a trained individual manually observes reports or transactions in an attempt to discover fraudulent behaviour. This method is not only time consuming, expensive and inaccurate, but in the age of big data it is also impractical. Not surprisingly, financial institutions have turned to automated processes using statistical and computational methods. This paper presents a comprehensive investigation on financial fraud detection practices using such data mining methods, with a particular focus on computational intelligence-based techniques. Classification of the practices based on key aspects such as detection algorithm used, fraud type investigated, and success rate have been covered. Issues and challenges associated with the current practices and potential future direction of research have also been identified.Comment: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Security and Privacy in Communication Networks (SecureComm 2014