595 research outputs found
Self-consistent solutions of canonical proper self-gravitating quantum systems
Generic self-gravitating quantum solutions that are not critically dependent
on the specifics of microscopic interactions are presented. The solutions
incorporate curvature effects, are consistent with the universality of gravity,
and have appropriate correspondence with Newtonian gravitation. The results are
consistent with known experimental results that indicate the maintenance of the
quantum coherence of gravitating systems, as expected through the equivalence
principle.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure
Voluntary running exercise protects against sepsis-induced early inflammatory and pro-coagulant responses in aged mice
Background: Despite many animal studies and clinical trials, mortality in sepsis remains high. This may be due to the fact that most experimental studies of sepsis employ young animals, whereas the majority of septic patients are elderly (60 - 70 years). The objective of the present study was to examine the sepsis-induced inflammatory and pro-coagulant responses in aged mice. Since running exercise protects against a variety of diseases, we also examined the effect of voluntary running on septic responses in aged mice. Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice were housed in our institute from 2-3 to 22 months (an age mimicking that of the elderly). Mice were prevented from becoming obese by food restriction (given 70-90% of ad libitum consumption amount). Between 20 and 22 months, a subgroup of mice ran voluntarily on wheels, alternating 1-3 days of running with 1-2 days of rest. At 22 months, mice were intraperitoneally injected with sterile saline (control) or 3.75 g/kg fecal slurry (septic). At 7 h post injection, we examined (1) neutrophil influx in the lung and liver by measuring myeloperoxidase and/or neutrophil elastase in the tissue homogenates by spectrophotometry, (2) interleukin 6 (IL6) and KC in the lung lavage by ELISA, (3) pulmonary surfactant function by measuring percentage of large aggregates, (4) capillary plugging (pro-coagulant response) in skeletal muscle by intravital microscopy, (5) endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) protein in skeletal muscle (eNOS-derived NO is putative inhibitor of capillary plugging) by immunoblotting, and (6) systemic blood platelet counts by hemocytometry. Results: Sepsis caused high levels of pulmonary myeloperoxidase, elastase, IL6, KC, liver myeloperoxidase, and capillary plugging. Sepsis also caused low levels of surfactant function and platelet counts. Running exercise increased eNOS protein and attenuated the septic responses. Conclusions: Voluntary running protects against exacerbated sepsis-induced inflammatory and pro-coagulant responses in aged mice. Protection against pro-coagulant responses may involve eNOS upregulation. The present discovery in aged mice calls for clinical investigation into potential beneficial effects of exercise on septic outcomes in the elderly
X-Ray Scattering Measurements of the Transient Structure of a Driven Charge-Density-Wave
We report time-resolved x-ray scattering measurements of the transient
structural response of the sliding {\bf Q} charge-density-wave (CDW) in
NbSe to a reversal of the driving electric field. The observed time scale
characterizing this response at 70K varies from 15 msec for driving
fields near threshold to 2 msec for fields well above threshold. The
position and time-dependent strain of the CDW is analyzed in terms of a
phenomenological equation of motion for the phase of the CDW order parameter.
The value of the damping constant, eV
seconds \AA, is in excellent agreement with the value
determined from transport measurements. As the driving field approaches
threshold from above, the line shape becomes bimodal, suggesting that the CDW
does not depin throughout the entire sample at one well-defined voltage.Comment: revtex 3.0, 7 figure
A weakly stable algorithm for general Toeplitz systems
We show that a fast algorithm for the QR factorization of a Toeplitz or
Hankel matrix A is weakly stable in the sense that R^T.R is close to A^T.A.
Thus, when the algorithm is used to solve the semi-normal equations R^T.Rx =
A^Tb, we obtain a weakly stable method for the solution of a nonsingular
Toeplitz or Hankel linear system Ax = b. The algorithm also applies to the
solution of the full-rank Toeplitz or Hankel least squares problem.Comment: 17 pages. An old Technical Report with postscript added. For further
details, see http://wwwmaths.anu.edu.au/~brent/pub/pub143.htm
Semiparametric theory and empirical processes in causal inference
In this paper we review important aspects of semiparametric theory and
empirical processes that arise in causal inference problems. We begin with a
brief introduction to the general problem of causal inference, and go on to
discuss estimation and inference for causal effects under semiparametric
models, which allow parts of the data-generating process to be unrestricted if
they are not of particular interest (i.e., nuisance functions). These models
are very useful in causal problems because the outcome process is often complex
and difficult to model, and there may only be information available about the
treatment process (at best). Semiparametric theory gives a framework for
benchmarking efficiency and constructing estimators in such settings. In the
second part of the paper we discuss empirical process theory, which provides
powerful tools for understanding the asymptotic behavior of semiparametric
estimators that depend on flexible nonparametric estimators of nuisance
functions. These tools are crucial for incorporating machine learning and other
modern methods into causal inference analyses. We conclude by examining related
extensions and future directions for work in semiparametric causal inference
Probabilistic Anonymity
The concept of anonymity comes into play in
a wide range of situations, varying from voting
and anonymous donations to postings on bulletin
boards and sending mails. A formal definition of
this concept has been given in literature in
terms of nondeterminism. In this paper, we
investigate a notion of anonymity based on
probability theory, and we we discuss the relation
with the nondeterministic one. We then formulate
this definition in terms of observables for
processes in the probabilistic -calculus, and
propose a method to verify automatically the
anonymity property. We illustrate the method by
using the example of the dining cryptographers
Empirical Phi-Discrepancies and Quasi-Empirical Likelihood: Exponential Bounds
We review some recent extensions of the so-called generalized empirical likelihood method, when the Kullback distance is replaced by some general convex divergence. We propose to use, instead of empirical likelihood, some regularized form or quasi-empirical likelihood method, corresponding to a convex combination of Kullback and χ2 discrepancies. We show that for some adequate choice of the weight in this combination, the corresponding quasi-empirical likelihood is Bartlett-correctable. We also establish some non-asymptotic exponential bounds for the confidence regions obtained by using this method. These bounds are derived via bounds for self-normalized sums in the multivariate case obtained in a previous work by the authors. We also show that this kind of results may be extended to process valued infinite dimensional parameters. In this case some known results about self-normalized processes may be used to control the behavior of generalized empirical likelihood
Effect of maternal oxytocin on umbilical venous and arterial blood flows during physiological-based cord clamping in preterm lambs
Background Delayed umbilical cord clamping (UCC) after birth is thought to cause placental to infant blood transfusion, but the mechanisms are unknown. It has been suggested that uterine contractions force blood out of the placenta and into the infant during delayed cord clamping. We have investigated the effect of uterine contractions, induced by maternal oxytocin administration, on umbilical artery (UA) and venous (UV) blood flows before and after ventilation onset to determine whether uterine contractions cause placental transfusion in preterm lambs.Methods and findingsAt similar to 128 days of gestation, UA and UV blood flows, pulmonary arterial blood flow (PBF) and carotid arterial (CA) pressures and blood flows were measured in three groups of fetal sheep during delayed UCC; maternal oxytocin following mifepristone, mifepristone alone, and saline controls. Each successive uterine contraction significantly (pDevelopmen
Codes of Fair Competition: The National Recovery Act, 1933-1935, and the Women’s Dress Manufacturing Industry
Controversial issues prevalent in today’s ready-to-wear apparel industry include the right of workers to join unions, the proliferation of sweatshops and sweatshop conditions, and design piracy. The idea of forming codes of conduct to establish criteria of ethical business practices is not new to the apparel industry. Indeed, the women’s dress manufacturing industry discussed and debated codes of fair competition under the New Deal Policies of the National Recovery Act (NRA) of 1933 to 1935. Primary sources for this study included governmental hearings in the establishment of the NRA Dress Code, The New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily, and the Journal of the Patent Office Society. The history of the NRA codes implemented in the U.S. women’s ready-to-wear apparel industry provides an important case study highlighting the difficulties and complexities of creating and achieving industry-wide standard practices through self-regulation. The failure of the NRA demonstrates that even with the joint cooperation of industry, labor, and consumer groups and the backing of the force of law, codes of fair competition proved impossible to enforce
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