Complexity and integrability in 4D bi-rational maps with two invariants

In this letter we give fourth-order autonomous recurrence relations with two invariants, whose degree growth is cubic or exponential. These examples contradict the common belief that maps with sufficiently many invariants can have at most quadratic growth. Cubic growth may reflect the existence of non-elliptic fibrations of invariants, whereas we conjecture that the exponentially growing cases lack the necessary conditions for the applicability of the discrete Liouville theorem.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figure

Spin-Glass Model for Inverse Freezing

We analyze the Blume-Emery-Griffiths model with disordered magnetic interaction displaying the inverse freezing phenomenon. The behaviour of this spin-1 model in crystal field is studied throughout the phase diagram and the transition and spinodal lines for the model are computed using the Full Replica Symmetry Breaking Ansatz that always yelds a thermodynamically stable phase. We compare the results both with the quenched disordered model with Ising spins on lattice gas - where no reentrance takes place - and with the model with generalized spin variables recently introduced by Schupper and Shnerb [Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 037202 (2004)]. The simplest version of all these models, known as Ghatak-Sherrington model, turns out to hold all the general features characterizing an inverse transition to an amorphous phase, including the right thermodynamic behavior.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in the Proceeding for the X International Workshop on Disordered Systems (2006), Molveno, Ital

Interface localization near criticality

The theory of interface localization in near-critical planar systems at phase coexistence is formulated from first principles. We show that mutual delocalization of two interfaces, amounting to interfacial wetting, occurs when the bulk correlation length crit- ical exponent \u3bd is larger than or equal to 1. Interaction with a boundary or defect line involves an additional scale and a dependence of the localization strength on the distance from criticality. The implications are particularly rich in the boundary case, where de- localization proceeds through different renormalization patterns sharing the feature that the boundary field becomes irrelevant in the delocalized regime. The boundary delocal- ization (wetting) transition is shown to be continuous, with surface specific heat and layer thickness exponents which can take values that we determine

Suicide among persons with childhood leukaemia in Slovenia

Pri osebah, ki so v otroštvu zbolele za rakom, so pogosto prisotne telesne in psihosocialne posledice bolezni ter njenega zdravljenja. Mnoge raziskave so pokazale, da je pri osebah z izkušnjo raka v otroštvu depresivnost in samomorilno vedenje močneje izraženo. V naši raziskavi smo proučili pojavljanje samomorov pri osebah, ki so v otroštvu zbolele za levkemijo, v primerjavi s splošno populacijo v Sloveniji, v obdobju 1978–2010. Pričakovano število samomorov smo izračunali na osnovi kontrolne skupine posameznikov iz splošne populacije, ki je bila s skupino preiskovancev, tj. oseb, ki so v otroštvu zbolele za levkemijo, izenačena po spolu, starosti ob začetku opazovanja, letu začetka opazovanja in dolžini opazovanja. Raziskava je pokazala, da med tistimi, ki so v otroštvu zboleli za levkemijo, v letih 1978–2010 nobena oseba ni storila samomora, kar se statistično značilno ne razlikuje od pričakovanega števila samomorov (0,448) v primerljivi splošni populaciji v Sloveniji. Ugotovitve raziskave nakazujejo, da kljub znano bolj izraženem samomorilnem vedenju med preživelimi raka v otroštvu v Sloveniji v primerjavi s splošno populacijo pojavljanje samomorov pri osebah, zbolelih za levkemijo v otroštvu, ni pogostejše kot v splošni populaciji.Persons with childhood leukaemia often suffer from physical and psychosocial consequences of the disease and its treatment. Several studies have shown that depression and suicidal behaviour are expressed strongly in persons with a childhood cancer experience. In our study, we researched the occurrence of suicides among persons with childhood leukaemia compared to the general population in Slovenia in the period 1978–2010. The expected number of suicides was calculated based on the control group of individuals from the general population with the same gender, age at the beginning of observation, starting year and duration of observation as the research group, thus group of persons with childhood cancer. The study showed that none of the persons with childhood cancer committed suicide in the period 1978-2010, which is not statistically different from the expected number of suicides (0.448) in comparison with the general population in Slovenia. The findings of this study indicate that, despite the significantly increased expression of suicidal behaviour among survivors of childhood leukaemia in Slovenia compared to the general population, suicides do not occur more often among people with childhood leukaemia than among the general population

The Lysosome and Intracellular Signalling.

In addition to being the terminal degradative compartment of the cell's endocytic and autophagic pathways, the lysosome is a multifunctional signalling hub integrating the cell's response to nutrient status and growth factor/hormone signalling. The cytosolic surface of the limiting membrane of the lysosome is the site of activation of the multiprotein complex mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), which phosphorylates numerous cell growth-related substrates, including transcription factor EB (TFEB). Under conditions in which mTORC1 is inhibited including starvation, TFEB becomes dephosphorylated and translocates to the nucleus where it functions as a master regulator of lysosome biogenesis. The signalling role of lysosomes is not limited to this pathway. They act as an intracellular Ca2+ store, which can release Ca2+ into the cytosol for both local effects on membrane fusion and pleiotropic effects within the cell. The relationship and crosstalk between the lysosomal and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ stores play a role in shaping intracellular Ca2+ signalling. Lysosomes also perform other signalling functions, which are discussed. Current views of the lysosomal compartment recognize its dynamic nature. It includes endolysosomes, autolysosome and storage lysosomes that are constantly engaged in fusion/fission events and lysosome regeneration. How signalling is affected by individual lysosomal organelles being at different stages of these processes and/or at different sites within the cell is poorly understood, but is discussed

Intraperitoneal drain placement and outcomes after elective colorectal surgery: international matched, prospective, cohort study

Despite current guidelines, intraperitoneal drain placement after elective colorectal surgery remains widespread. Drains were not associated with earlier detection of intraperitoneal collections, but were associated with prolonged hospital stay and increased risk of surgical-site infections.Background Many surgeons routinely place intraperitoneal drains after elective colorectal surgery. However, enhanced recovery after surgery guidelines recommend against their routine use owing to a lack of clear clinical benefit. This study aimed to describe international variation in intraperitoneal drain placement and the safety of this practice. Methods COMPASS (COMPlicAted intra-abdominal collectionS after colorectal Surgery) was a prospective, international, cohort study which enrolled consecutive adults undergoing elective colorectal surgery (February to March 2020). The primary outcome was the rate of intraperitoneal drain placement. Secondary outcomes included: rate and time to diagnosis of postoperative intraperitoneal collections; rate of surgical site infections (SSIs); time to discharge; and 30-day major postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo grade at least III). After propensity score matching, multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to estimate the independent association of the secondary outcomes with drain placement. Results Overall, 1805 patients from 22 countries were included (798 women, 44.2 per cent; median age 67.0 years). The drain insertion rate was 51.9 per cent (937 patients). After matching, drains were not associated with reduced rates (odds ratio (OR) 1.33, 95 per cent c.i. 0.79 to 2.23; P = 0.287) or earlier detection (hazard ratio (HR) 0.87, 0.33 to 2.31; P = 0.780) of collections. Although not associated with worse major postoperative complications (OR 1.09, 0.68 to 1.75; P = 0.709), drains were associated with delayed hospital discharge (HR 0.58, 0.52 to 0.66; P < 0.001) and an increased risk of SSIs (OR 2.47, 1.50 to 4.05; P < 0.001). Conclusion Intraperitoneal drain placement after elective colorectal surgery is not associated with earlier detection of postoperative collections, but prolongs hospital stay and increases SSI risk