852 research outputs found
Generalized Hurst exponent and multifractal function of original and translated texts mapped into frequency and length time series
A nonlinear dynamics approach can be used in order to quantify complexity in
written texts. As a first step, a one-dimensional system is examined : two
written texts by one author (Lewis Carroll) are considered, together with one
translation, into an artificial language, i.e. Esperanto are mapped into time
series. Their corresponding shuffled versions are used for obtaining a "base
line". Two different one-dimensional time series are used here: (i) one based
on word lengths (LTS), (ii) the other on word frequencies (FTS). It is shown
that the generalized Hurst exponent and the derived curves
of the original and translated texts show marked differences. The original
"texts" are far from giving a parabolic function, - in contrast to
the shuffled texts. Moreover, the Esperanto text has more extreme values. This
suggests cascade model-like, with multiscale time asymmetric features as
finally written texts. A discussion of the difference and complementarity of
mapping into a LTS or FTS is presented. The FTS curves are more
opened than the LTS onesComment: preprint for PRE; 2 columns; 10 pages; 6 (multifigures); 3 Tables; 70
reference
Bouncing Universes with Varying Constants
We investigate the behaviour of exact closed bouncing Friedmann universes in
theories with varying constants. We show that the simplest BSBM varying-alpha
theory leads to a bouncing universe. The value of alpha increases
monotonically, remaining approximately constant during most of each cycle, but
increasing significantly around each bounce. When dissipation is introduced we
show that in each new cycle the universe expands for longer and to a larger
size. We find a similar effect for closed bouncing universes in Brans-Dicke
theory, where also varies monotonically in time from cycle to cycle.
Similar behaviour occurs also in varying speed of light theories
Akhet Khufu: Archaeo-astronomical Hints at a Common Project of the Two Main Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
Abstract. The architectural complexes composed by the two main pyramids of Giza together with their temples are investigated from an interdisciplinary point of view, taking into account their astronomical alignments as well as their relationships with the visible landscape. Combining already known facts together with new clues, the work strongly supports the idea that the two complexes were conceived as parts of a common project
Motivations of non-Buddhists visiting Buddhist temples
The current study employs the leisure motivation scale to examine motivations of non- Buddhists visiting Buddhist temples. Specifically, this investigation builds on tourism literature to explore the motivations of non-Buddhists visiting Buddhist temples in
Los Angeles, California. Motivations to Buddhist temples are of particular interest
given the increasing popularity in the West of Eastern spiritual activities, such as yoga and meditation, as well as the exponential growth of Buddhist-themed tourism
campaigns. The findings provide insights for tourism officials responsible for promoting ways to attract tourists to Buddhist temples within their respective
destinations
'Throughout my life I've had people walk all over me': trauma in the lives of violent men
In this article we present original qualitative data gathered during prolonged ethnographic fieldwork with violent men in deindustrialised communities in the north of England. We use the data as an empirical platform for a theoretical exploration of the symbolism and subjectivising influences of traumatic life experiences in these men’s biographies. We conclude by making the tentative suggestion that there is a complex and mediated causal link between traumatic experience and a deep subjective commitment to aggression and violence in adulthood
Clinical activity of a htert (vx-001) cancer vaccine as post-chemotherapy maintenance immunotherapy in patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer : final results of a randomised phase 2 clinical trial
The cancer vaccine Vx-001, which targets the universal tumour antigen TElomerase Reverse Transcriptase (TERT), can mount specific Vx-001/TERT CD8 + cytotoxic T cells; this immune response is associated with improved overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A randomised, double blind, phase 2b trial, in HLA-A*201-positive patients with metastatic, TERT-expressing NSCLC, who did not progress after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy were randomised to receive either Vx-001 or placebo. The primary endpoint of the trial was OS. Results: Two hundred and twenty-one patients were randomised and 190 (101 and 89 patients in the placebo and the Vx-001 arm, respectively) were analysed for efficacy. There was not treatment-related toxicity >grade 2. The study did not meet its primary endpoint (median OS 11.3 and 14.3 months for the placebo and the Vx-001, respectively; p = 0.86) whereas the median Time to Treatment Failure (TTF) was 3.5 and 3.6 months, respectively. Disease control for >6months was observed in 30 (33.7%) and 26 (25.7%) patients treated with Vx-001 and placebo, respectively. There was no documented objective CR or PR. Long lasting TERT-specific immune response was observed in 29.2% of vaccinated patients who experienced a significantly longer OS compared to non-responders (21.3 and 13.4 months, respectively; p = 0.004). Vx-001 could induce specific CD8 immune response but failed to meet its primary endpoint. Subsequent studies have to be focused on the identification and treatment of subgroups of patients able to mount an effective immunological response to Vx-001. Clinical trial registration: NCT0193515
Recommended from our members
Locating the festival, positioning the feast: natural and calendar festivals in medieval Slovenia
The astronomical cycles and occurrences of the Sun, Moon, planets and certain
star constellations were well known to prehistoric, Roman and medieval communities.
Archaeoastronomy studies how ancient societies incorporated this
knowledge into various aspects of past cultures. The discipline draws on modern
astronomy, geodesy, physics, statistics, anthropology, ethnology and archaeology
to study and interpret a wide range of source materials, from structural
alignments to art, artefacts and inscriptions. This paper presents archaeoastronomical
research on the orientation of Romanesque churches across the territory
of modern-day Slovenia, focusing on an array of medieval festivals associated
with the solstices and equinoxes. It demonstrates a profound connection
between these festivals and the alignment of churches
Yoga jam: remixing Kirtan in the Art of Living
Yoga Jam are a group of musicians in the United Kingdom who are active members of the Art of Living, a transnational Hindu-derived meditation group. Yoga Jam organize events—also referred to as yoga raves and yoga remixes—that combine Hindu devotional songs (bhajans) and chants (mantras) with modern Western popular musical genres, such as soul, rock, and particularly electronic dance music. This hybrid music is often played in a clublike setting, and dancing is interspersed with yoga and meditation. Yoga jams are creative fusions of what at first sight seem to be two incompatible phenomena—modern electronic dance music culture and ancient yogic traditions. However, yoga jams make sense if the Durkheimian distinction between the sacred and the profane is challenged, and if tradition and modernity are not understood as existing in a sort of inverse relationship. This paper argues that yoga raves are authenticated through the somatic experience of the modern popular cultural phenomenon of clubbing combined with therapeutic yoga practices and validated by identifying this experience with a reimagined Vedic tradition
- …