Parameterized Domination in Circle Graphs

A circle graph is the intersection graph of a set of chords in a circle. Keil [Discrete Applied Mathematics, 42(1):51-63, 1993] proved that Dominating Set, Connected Dominating Set, and Total Dominating Set are NP-complete in circle graphs. To the best of our knowledge, nothing was known about the parameterized complexity of these problems in circle graphs. In this paper we prove the following results, which contribute in this direction: Dominating Set, Independent Dominating Set, Connected Dominating Set, Total Dominating Set, and Acyclic Dominating Set are W[1]-hard in circle graphs, parameterized by the size of the solution. Whereas both Connected Dominating Set and Acyclic Dominating Set are W[1]-hard in circle graphs, it turns out that Connected Acyclic Dominating Set is polynomial-time solvable in circle graphs. If T is a given tree, deciding whether a circle graph has a dominating set isomorphic to T is NP-complete when T is in the input, and FPT when parameterized by |V(T)|. We prove that the FPT algorithm is subexponential

Microscopic Theory of Josephson Mesoscopic Constrictions

We present a microscopic theory for the d.c. Josephson effect in model mesoscopic constrictions. Our method is based on a non-equilibrium Green function formalism which allows for a self-consistent determination of the order parameter profile along the constriction. The various regimes defined by the different length scales (Fermi wavelength $\lambda_F$, coherence length $\xi_0$ and constriction length $L_C$) can be analyzed, including the case where all these lengths are comparable. For the case $\lambda_F \tilde{<} (L_C,\xi_0)$ phase oscillations with spatial period $\lambda_F/2$ can be observed. In the case of $L_C>\xi_0$ solutions with a phase-slip center inside the constriction can be found, in agreement with previous phenomenological theories.Comment: 4 pages (RevTex 3.0), 3 postscript figures available upon request, 312456-C

Observation of Orbitally Excited B_s Mesons

We report the first observation of two narrow resonances consistent with states of orbitally excited (L=1) B_s mesons using 1 fb^{-1} of ppbar collisions at sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV collected with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. We use two-body decays into K^- and B^+ mesons reconstructed as B^+ \to J/\psi K^+, J/\psi \to \mu^+ \mu^- or B^+ \to \bar{D}^0 \pi^+, \bar{D}^0 \to K^+ \pi^-. We deduce the masses of the two states to be m(B_{s1}) = 5829.4 +- 0.7 MeV/c^2 and m(B_{s2}^*) = 5839.7 +- 0.7 MeV/c^2.Comment: Version accepted and published by Phys. Rev. Let

Measurement of the Bottom-Strange Meson Mixing Phase in the Full CDF Data Set

We report a measurement of the bottom-strange meson mixing phase \beta_s using the time evolution of B0_s -> J/\psi (->\mu+\mu-) \phi (-> K+ K-) decays in which the quark-flavor content of the bottom-strange meson is identified at production. This measurement uses the full data set of proton-antiproton collisions at sqrt(s)= 1.96 TeV collected by the Collider Detector experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron, corresponding to 9.6 fb-1 of integrated luminosity. We report confidence regions in the two-dimensional space of \beta_s and the B0_s decay-width difference \Delta\Gamma_s, and measure \beta_s in [-\pi/2, -1.51] U [-0.06, 0.30] U [1.26, \pi/2] at the 68% confidence level, in agreement with the standard model expectation. Assuming the standard model value of \beta_s, we also determine \Delta\Gamma_s = 0.068 +- 0.026 (stat) +- 0.009 (syst) ps-1 and the mean B0_s lifetime, \tau_s = 1.528 +- 0.019 (stat) +- 0.009 (syst) ps, which are consistent and competitive with determinations by other experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett 109, 171802 (2012

Synchronization of coupled limit cycles

A unified approach for analyzing synchronization in coupled systems of autonomous differential equations is presented in this work. Through a careful analysis of the variational equation of the coupled system we establish a sufficient condition for synchronization in terms of the geometric properties of the local limit cycles and the coupling operator. This result applies to a large class of differential equation models in physics and biology. The stability analysis is complemented with a discussion of numerical simulations of a compartmental model of a neuron.Comment: Journal of Nonlinear Science, accepte

Toward a 21st-century health care system: Recommendations for health care reform

The coverage, cost, and quality problems of the U.S. health care system are evident. Sustainable health care reform must go beyond financing expanded access to care to substantially changing the organization and delivery of care. The FRESH-Thinking Project (www.fresh-thinking.org) held a series of workshops during which physicians, health policy experts, health insurance executives, business leaders, hospital administrators, economists, and others who represent diverse perspectives came together. This group agreed that the following 8 recommendations are fundamental to successful reform: 1. Replace the current fee-for-service payment system with a payment system that encourages and rewards innovation in the efficient delivery of quality care. The new payment system should invest in the development of outcome measures to guide payment. 2. Establish a securely funded, independent agency to sponsor and evaluate research on the comparative effectiveness of drugs, devices, and other medical interventions. 3. Simplify and rationalize federal and state laws and regulations to facilitate organizational innovation, support care coordination, and streamline financial and administrative functions. 4. Develop a health information technology infrastructure with national standards of interoperability to promote data exchange. 5. Create a national health database with the participation of all payers, delivery systems, and others who own health care data. Agree on methods to make de-identified information from this database on clinical interventions, patient outcomes, and costs available to researchers. 6. Identify revenue sources, including a cap on the tax exclusion of employer-based health insurance, to subsidize health care coverage with the goal of insuring all Americans. 7. Create state or regional insurance exchanges to pool risk, so that Americans without access to employer-based or other group insurance could obtain a standard benefits package through these exchanges. Employers should also be allowed to participate in these exchanges for their employees' coverage. 8. Create a health coverage board with broad stakeholder representation to determine and periodically update the affordable standard benefit package available through state or regional insurance exchanges

Deficiency of TET3 leads to a genome-wide DNA hypermethylation episignature in human whole blood (vol 6, 92, 2021)

Genetics of disease, diagnosis and treatmen

The comparative responsiveness of Hospital Universitario Princesa Index and other composite indices for assessing rheumatoid arthritis activity

Objective To evaluate the responsiveness in terms of correlation of the Hospital Universitario La Princesa Index (HUPI) comparatively to the traditional composite indices used to assess disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to compare the performance of HUPI-based response criteria with that of the EULAR response criteria. Methods Secondary data analysis from the following studies: ACT-RAY (clinical trial), PROAR (early RA cohort) and EMECAR (pre-biologic era long term RA cohort). Responsiveness was evaluated by: 1) comparing change from baseline (Delta) of HUPI with Delta in other scores by calculating correlation coefficients; 2) calculating standardised effect sizes. The accuracy of response by HUPI and by EULAR criteria was analyzed using linear regressions in which the dependent variable was change in global assessment by physician (Delta GDA-Phy). Results Delta HUPI correlation with change in all other indices ranged from 0.387 to 0.791); HUPI's standardized effect size was larger than those from the other indices in each database used. In ACT-RAY, depending on visit, between 65 and 80% of patients were equally classified by HUPI and EULAR response criteria. However, HUPI criteria were slightly more stringent, with higher percentage of patients classified as non-responder, especially at early visits. HUPI response criteria showed a slightly higher accuracy than EULAR response criteria when using Delta GDA-Phy as gold standard. Conclusion HUPI shows good responsiveness in terms of correlation in each studied scenario (clinical trial, early RA cohort, and established RA cohort). Response criteria by HUPI seem more stringent than EULAR''s