Entropy, time irreversibility and Schroedinger equation in a primarily discrete space-time

In this paper we show that the existence of a primarily discrete space-time may be a fruitful assumption from which we may develop a new approach of statistical thermodynamics in pre-relativistic conditions. The discreetness of space-time structure is determined by a condition that mimics the Heisenberg uncertainty relations and the motion in this space-time model is chosen as simple as possible. From these two assumptions we define a path-entropy that measures the number of closed paths associated with a given energy of the system preparation. This entropy has a dynamical character and depends on the time interval on which we count the paths. We show that it exists an like-equilibrium condition for which the path-entropy corresponds exactly to the usual thermodynamic entropy and, more generally, the usual statistical thermodynamics is reobtained. This result derived without using the Gibbs ensemble method shows that the standard thermodynamics is consistent with a motion that is time-irreversible at a microscopic level. From this change of paradigm it becomes easy to derive a $H-theorem$. A comparison with the traditional Boltzmann approach is presented. We also show how our approach can be implemented in order to describe reversible processes. By considering a process defined simultaneously by initial and final conditions a well defined stochastic process is introduced and we are able to derive a Schroedinger equation, an example of time reversible equation.Comment: latex versio

Intake of caffeine and its association with physical and mental health status among university students

In Western populations, the caffeine intake of young adults has received significant attention in the research literature; our knowledge in other societies remained limited. The objective of this research is to quantify the amount of ingested caffeine and how this is related to measures of physical and mental health in a Bahraini population. A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to estimate caffeine intake from coffee, tea, cocoa, soft drinks, energy drinks, chocolates, and over-the-counter medications. Associations between caffeine intake, demographic variables and 25 symptoms measured using the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 were examined. A convenience sample of university students in Bahrain (n = 727) was surveyed. Caffeine, in any form, was consumed by 98% of students. Mean daily caffeine consumption was 268 mg/day, with males consuming more than females. Coffee was the main source of caffeine intake, followed by black tea and energy drinks. Participants consuming 400 mg/day or more showed a statistically and significantly twice as high risk for five symptoms, these were: headaches, spells of terror or panic, feeling trapped or caught, worrying too much about things, and having feelings of worthlessness. The prevalence of caffeine intake among university students in Bahrain is high. The overall mean intake of caffeine from all sources by university students was within levels considered to be acceptable by many dietary recommendations. High caffeine intake was associated with an anxiogenic effect in the surveyed students. View Full-Tex

Peri-adolescent drinking of ethanol and/or nicotine modulates astroglial glutamate transporters and metabotropic glutamate receptor-1 in female alcohol-preferring rats

Impairment in glutamate neurotransmission mediates the development of dependence upon nicotine (NIC) and ethanol (EtOH). Previous work indicates that continuous access to EtOH or phasic exposure to NIC reduces expression of the glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) and cystine/glutamate antiporter (xCT) but not the glutamate/aspartate transporter (GLAST). Additionally, metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) expression was affected following exposure to EtOH or NIC. However, little is known about the effects of EtOH and NIC co-consumption on GLT-1, xCT, GLAST, and mGluR1 expression. In this study, peri-adolescent female alcohol preferring (P) rats were given binge-like access to water, sucrose (SUC), SUC-NIC, EtOH, or EtOH-NIC for four weeks. The present study determined the effects of these reinforcers on GLT-1, xCT, GLAST, and mGluR1 expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), hippocampus (HIP) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). GLT-1 and xCT expression were decreased in the NAc following both SUC-NIC and EtOH-NIC. In addition, only xCT expression was downregulated in the HIP in both of these latter groups. Also, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in the HIP was reduced following SUC, SUC-NIC, EtOH, and EtOH-NIC consumption. Similar to previous work, GLAST expression was not altered in any brain region by any of the reinforcers. However, mGluR1 expression was increased in the NAc in the SUC-NIC, EtOH, and EtOH-NIC groups. These results indicate that peri-adolescent binge-like drinking of EtOH or SUC with or without NIC may exert differential effects on astroglial glutamate transporters and receptors. Our data further parallel some of the previous findings observed in adult rats

CMS Monte Carlo production in the WLCG computing Grid

Monte Carlo production in CMS has received a major boost in performance and scale since the past CHEP06 conference. The production system has been re-engineered in order to incorporate the experience gained in running the previous system and to integrate production with the new CMS event data model, data management system and data processing framework. The system is interfaced to the two major computing Grids used by CMS, the LHC Computing Grid (LCG) and the Open Science Grid (OSG). Operational experience and integration aspects of the new CMS Monte Carlo production system is presented together with an analysis of production statistics. The new system automatically handles job submission, resource monitoring, job queuing, job distribution according to the available resources, data merging, registration of data into the data bookkeeping, data location, data transfer and placement systems. Compared to the previous production system automation, reliability and performance have been considerably improved. A more efficient use of computing resources and a better handling of the inherent Grid unreliability have resulted in an increase of production scale by about an order of magnitude, capable of running in parallel at the order of ten thousand jobs and yielding more than two million events per day

On a (\beta,q)-generalized Fisher information and inequalities involving q-Gaussian distributions

In the present paper, we would like to draw attention to a possible generalized Fisher information that fits well in the formalism of nonextensive thermostatistics. This generalized Fisher information is defined for densities on $\mathbb{R}^{n}.$ Just as the maximum R\'enyi or Tsallis entropy subject to an elliptic moment constraint is a generalized q-Gaussian, we show that the minimization of the generalized Fisher information also leads a generalized q-Gaussian. This yields a generalized Cram\'er-Rao inequality. In addition, we show that the generalized Fisher information naturally pops up in a simple inequality that links the generalized entropies, the generalized Fisher information and an elliptic moment. Finally, we give an extended Stam inequality. In this series of results, the extremal functions are the generalized q-Gaussians. Thus, these results complement the classical characterization of the generalized q-Gaussian and introduce a generalized Fisher information as a new information measure in nonextensive thermostatistics.Comment: v2: corrected equation (A5

Serum Ferritin Levels Lack Diagnostic Accuracy for Liver Fibrosis in Patients With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

BACKGROUND & AIM: Series studies have associated increased serum levels of ferritin with liver fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aimed to determine the accuracy with which measurements of serum ferritin determine the presence and severity of liver fibrosis, and whether combining noninvasive scoring systems with serum ferritin analysis increases the accuracy of diagnosis of advanced liver fibrosis. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of data from 1014 patients with liver biopsy-confirmed NAFLD. Three cut-points of serum ferritin level, adjusted for sex, were established based on receiver operating characteristics curve analysis: 1.0 (the upper limit of normal [ULN]), 1.5-fold ULN, and 2.0-fold ULN. Three multiple logistic regression models were created to determine the association of these cutoff values with liver fibrosis, adjusting for age, sex, race, diabetes, body mass index, and level of alanine aminotransferase. RESULTS: A greater proportion of patients with increased serum levels of ferritin had definitive NASH and more-advanced fibrosis than patients without increased levels. In all models, serum level of ferritin was significantly associated with the presence and severity of liver fibrosis. However, for all 3 cutoff values, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values were low (less than 0.60) for the presence of fibrosis or any stage of liver fibrosis; ferritin level identified patients with fibrosis with 16%–41% sensitivity and 70%–92% specificity. The accuracy with which noninvasive scoring systems identified patients with advanced fibrosis did not change with inclusion of serum ferritin values. CONCLUSIONS: Although serum levels of ferritin correlate with more-severe liver fibrosis, based on adjusted multiple logistic regression analysis, serum ferritin levels alone have a low level of diagnostic accuracy for the presence or severity of liver fibrosis in patients with NAFLD

New Lidocaine-Based Pharmaceutical Cocrystals: Preparation, Characterization, and Influence of the Racemic vs. Enantiopure Coformer on the Physico-Chemical Properties

This study describes the preparation, characterization, and influence of the enantiopure vs. racemic coformer on the physico-chemical properties of a pharmaceutical cocrystal. For that purpose, two new 1:1 cocrystals, namely lidocaine:dl-menthol and lidocaine:d-menthol, were prepared. The menthol racemate-based cocrystal was evaluated by means of X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, Raman, thermal analysis, and solubility experiments. The results were exhaustively compared with the first menthol-based pharmaceutical cocrystal, i.e., lidocaine:l-menthol, discovered in our group 12 years ago. Furthermore, the stable lidocaine/dl-menthol phase diagram has been screened, thoroughly evaluated, and compared to the enantiopure phase diagram. Thus, it has been proven that the racemic vs. enantiopure coformer leads to increased solubility and improved dissolution of lidocaine due to the low stable form induced by menthol molecular disorder in the lidocaine:dl-menthol cocrystal. To date, the 1:1 lidocaine:dl-menthol cocrystal is the third menthol-based pharmaceutical cocrystal, after the 1:1 lidocaine:l-menthol and the 1:2 lopinavir:l-menthol cocrystals reported in 2010 and 2022, respectively. Overall, this study shows promising potential for designing new materials with both improved characteristics and functional properties in the fields of pharmaceutical sciences and crystal engineering