The Application of Electric Fields in Biology and Medicine

We discuss a wide range of applications of electric fields in biology and medicine. For example, physiological strength (<500 V/m) fields are used to improve the healing of wounds, the stimulation of neurons, and the positioning and activation of cells on scaffolds for tissue engineering purposes. The brief, strong pulses used in electroporation are used to improve the insertion of drugs into tumors and DNA into cell nuclei. The references direct readers to detailed reviews of these applications. The mechanism by which cells detect physiological strength fields is not well understood. We also describe a field-transduction mechanism that shares features common to the detection of fluid shear by cells. We then provide some experimental evidence that supports our model

Query Complexity of Approximate Equilibria in Anonymous Games

We study the computation of equilibria of anonymous games, via algorithms that may proceed via a sequence of adaptive queries to the game's payoff function, assumed to be unknown initially. The general topic we consider is \emph{query complexity}, that is, how many queries are necessary or sufficient to compute an exact or approximate Nash equilibrium. We show that exact equilibria cannot be found via query-efficient algorithms. We also give an example of a 2-strategy, 3-player anonymous game that does not have any exact Nash equilibrium in rational numbers. However, more positive query-complexity bounds are attainable if either further symmetries of the utility functions are assumed or we focus on approximate equilibria. We investigate four sub-classes of anonymous games previously considered by \cite{bfh09, dp14}. Our main result is a new randomized query-efficient algorithm that finds a $O(n^{-1/4})$-approximate Nash equilibrium querying $\tilde{O}(n^{3/2})$ payoffs and runs in time $\tilde{O}(n^{3/2})$. This improves on the running time of pre-existing algorithms for approximate equilibria of anonymous games, and is the first one to obtain an inverse polynomial approximation in poly-time. We also show how this can be utilized as an efficient polynomial-time approximation scheme (PTAS). Furthermore, we prove that $\Omega(n \log{n})$ payoffs must be queried in order to find any $\epsilon$-well-supported Nash equilibrium, even by randomized algorithms

Topological Charge Evolution in the Markov-Chain of QCD

The topological charge is studied on lattices of large physical volume and fine lattice spacing. We illustrate how a parity transformation on the SU(3) link-variables of lattice gauge configurations reverses the sign of the topological charge and leaves the action invariant. Random applications of the parity transformation are proposed to traverse from one topological charge sign to the other. The transformation provides an improved unbiased estimator of the ensemble average and is essential in improving the ergodicity of the Markov chain process.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Coffee consumption and prostate cancer risk: further evidence for inverse relationship

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Higher consumption of coffee intake has recently been linked with reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer (PC) incidence, although meta-analysis of other studies that examine the association between coffee consumption and overall PC risk remains inconclusive. Only one recent study investigated the association between coffee intake and grade-specific incidence of PC, further evidence is required to understand the aetiology of aggressive PCs. Therefore, we conducted a prospective study to examine the relationship between coffee intake and overall as well as grade-specific PC risk.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a prospective cohort study of 6017 men who were enrolled in the Collaborative cohort study in the UK between 1970 and 1973 and followed up to 31st December 2007. Cox Proportional Hazards Models were used to evaluate the association between coffee consumption and overall, as well as Gleason grade-specific, PC incidence.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Higher coffee consumption was inversely associated with risk of high grade but not with overall risk of PC. Men consuming 3 or more cups of coffee per day experienced 55% lower risk of high Gleason grade disease compared with non-coffee drinkers in analysis adjusted for age and social class (HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.23-0.90, p value for trend 0.01). This association changed a little after additional adjustment for Body Mass Index, smoking, cholesterol level, systolic blood pressure, tea intake and alcohol consumption.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Coffee consumption reduces the risk of aggressive PC but not the overall risk.</p

Reducing Polarization Mode Dispersion With Controlled Polarization Rotations

One of the fundamental limitations to high bit rate, long distance, telecommunication in optical fibers is Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD). Here we introduce a conceptually new method to reduce PMD in optical fibers by carrying out controlled rotations of polarization at predetermined locations along the fiber. The distance between these controlled polarization rotations must be less than both the beat length and the mode coupling length of the fiber. This method can also be combined with the method in which the fiber is spun while it drawn. The incidence of imperfections on the efficiency of the method is analysed.Comment: 4 page

Learning Convex Partitions and Computing Game-theoretic Equilibria from Best Response Queries

Suppose that an $m$-simplex is partitioned into $n$ convex regions having disjoint interiors and distinct labels, and we may learn the label of any point by querying it. The learning objective is to know, for any point in the simplex, a label that occurs within some distance $\epsilon$ from that point. We present two algorithms for this task: Constant-Dimension Generalised Binary Search (CD-GBS), which for constant $m$ uses $poly(n, \log \left( \frac{1}{\epsilon} \right))$ queries, and Constant-Region Generalised Binary Search (CR-GBS), which uses CD-GBS as a subroutine and for constant $n$ uses $poly(m, \log \left( \frac{1}{\epsilon} \right))$ queries. We show via Kakutani's fixed-point theorem that these algorithms provide bounds on the best-response query complexity of computing approximate well-supported equilibria of bimatrix games in which one of the players has a constant number of pure strategies. We also partially extend our results to games with multiple players, establishing further query complexity bounds for computing approximate well-supported equilibria in this setting.Comment: 38 pages, 7 figures, second version strengthens lower bound in Theorem 6, adds footnotes with additional comments and fixes typo

Cocaine Modulates Locomotion Behavior in C. elegans

Cocaine, a potent addictive substance, is an inhibitor of monoamine transporters, including DAT (dopamine transporter), SERT (serotonin transporter) and NET (norepinephrine transporter). Cocaine administration induces complex behavioral alterations in mammals, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we tested the effect of cocaine on C. elegans behavior. We show for the first time that acute cocaine treatment evokes changes in C. elegans locomotor activity. Interestingly, the neurotransmitter serotonin, rather than dopamine, is required for cocaine response in C. elegans. The C. elegans SERT MOD-5 is essential for the effect of cocaine, consistent with the role of cocaine in targeting monoamine transporters. We further show that the behavioral response to cocaine is primarily mediated by the ionotropic serotonin receptor MOD-1. Thus, cocaine modulates locomotion behavior in C. elegans primarily by impinging on its serotoninergic system

Some properties of the newly observed X(1835) state at BES

Recently the BES collaboration has announced observation of a resonant state in the $\pi^+\pi^- \eta'$ spectrum in $J/\psi \to \gamma \pi^+\pi^-\eta'$ decay. Fitting the data with a $0^{-+}$ state, the mass is determined to be 1833.7 MeV with $7.7\sigma$ statistic significance. This state is consistent with the one extracted from previously reported $p \bar p$ threshold enhancement data in $J/\psi \to \gamma p \bar p$. We study the properties of this state using QCD anomaly and QCD sum rules assuming X(1835) to be a pseudoscalar and show that it is consistent with data. We find that this state has a sizeable matrix element $$ leading to branching ratios of $(2.61\sim 7.37)\times 10^{-3}$ and $(2.21\sim 10.61)\times 10^{-2}$ for $J/\psi \to \gamma G_p$ and for $G_p \to \pi^+\pi^- \eta'$, respectively. Combining the calculated branching ratio of $J/\psi \to \gamma G_p$ and data on threshold enhancement in $J/\psi \to \gamma p \bar p$, we determine the coupling for $G_p- p-\bar p$ interaction. We finally study branching ratios of other $J/\psi \to \gamma + {three mesons}$ decay modes. We find that $J/\psi \to \gamma G_p \to \gamma (\pi^+\pi^- \eta, K K \pi^0)$ can provide useful tests for the mechanism proposed.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures. The final version to appear at EPJ