102 research outputs found
Deformation Quantization: Quantum Mechanics Lives and Works in Phase-Space
Wigner's quasi-probability distribution function in phase-space is a special
(Weyl) representation of the density matrix. It has been useful in describing
quantum transport in quantum optics; nuclear physics; decoherence (eg, quantum
computing); quantum chaos; "Welcher Weg" discussions; semiclassical limits. It
is also of importance in signal processing.
Nevertheless, a remarkable aspect of its internal logic, pioneered by Moyal,
has only emerged in the last quarter-century: It furnishes a third,
alternative, formulation of Quantum Mechanics, independent of the conventional
Hilbert Space, or Path Integral formulations. In this logically complete and
self-standing formulation, one need not choose sides--coordinate or momentum
space. It works in full phase-space, accommodating the uncertainty principle.
This is an introductory overview of the formulation with simple illustrations.Comment: LaTeX, 22 pages, 2 figure
Stability of Tsallis antropy and instabilities of Renyi and normalized Tsallis entropies: A basis for q-exponential distributions
The q-exponential distributions, which are generalizations of the
Zipf-Mandelbrot power-law distribution, are frequently encountered in complex
systems at their stationary states. From the viewpoint of the principle of
maximum entropy, they can apparently be derived from three different
generalized entropies: the Renyi entropy, the Tsallis entropy, and the
normalized Tsallis entropy. Accordingly, mere fittings of observed data by the
q-exponential distributions do not lead to identification of the correct
physical entropy. Here, stabilities of these entropies, i.e., their behaviors
under arbitrary small deformation of a distribution, are examined. It is shown
that, among the three, the Tsallis entropy is stable and can provide an
entropic basis for the q-exponential distributions, whereas the others are
unstable and cannot represent any experimentally observable quantities.Comment: 20 pages, no figures, the disappeared "primes" on the distributions
are added. Also, Eq. (65) is correcte
Continuity and Stability of Partial Entropic Sums
Extensions of Fannes' inequality with partial sums of the Tsallis entropy are
obtained for both the classical and quantum cases. The definition of kth
partial sum under the prescribed order of terms is given. Basic properties of
introduced entropic measures and some applications are discussed. The derived
estimates provide a complete characterization of the continuity and stability
properties in the refined scale. The results are also reformulated in terms of
Uhlmann's partial fidelities.Comment: 9 pages, no figures. Some explanatory and technical improvements are
made. The bibliography is extended. Detected errors and typos are correcte
Validity of the second law in nonextensive quantum thermodynamics
The second law of thermodynamics in nonextensive statistical mechanics is
discussed in the quantum regime. Making use of the convexity property of the
generalized relative entropy associated with the Tsallis entropy indexed by q,
Clausius' inequality is shown to hold in the range of q between zero and two.
This restriction on the range of the entropic index, q, is purely quantum
mechanical and there exists no upper bound of q for validity of the second law
in classical theory.Comment: 12 pages, no figure
Generalized entropy optimized by an arbitrary distribution
We construct the generalized entropy optimized by a given arbitrary
statistical distribution with a finite linear expectation value of a random
quantity of interest. This offers, via the maximum entropy principle, a unified
basis for a great variety of distributions observed in nature, which can hardly
be described by the conventional methods. As a simple example, we explicitly
derive the entropy associated with the stretched exponential distribution. To
include the distributions with the divergent moments (e.g., the Levy stable
distributions), it is necessary to modify the definition of the expectation
value.Comment: 10 pages, no figure
On observability of Renyi's entropy
Despite recent claims we argue that Renyi's entropy is an observable
quantity. It is shown that, contrary to popular belief, the reported domain of
instability for Renyi entropies has zero measure (Bhattacharyya measure). In
addition, we show the instabilities can be easily emended by introducing a
coarse graining into an actual measurement. We also clear up doubts regarding
the observability of Renyi's entropy in (multi--)fractal systems and in systems
with absolutely continuous PDF's.Comment: 18 pages, 1 EPS figure, REVTeX, minor changes, accepted to Phys. Rev.
Relations for certain symmetric norms and anti-norms before and after partial trace
Changes of some unitarily invariant norms and anti-norms under the operation
of partial trace are examined. The norms considered form a two-parametric
family, including both the Ky Fan and Schatten norms as particular cases. The
obtained results concern operators acting on the tensor product of two
finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. For any such operator, we obtain upper
bounds on norms of its partial trace in terms of the corresponding
dimensionality and norms of this operator. Similar inequalities, but in the
opposite direction, are obtained for certain anti-norms of positive matrices.
Through the Stinespring representation, the results are put in the context of
trace-preserving completely positive maps. We also derive inequalities between
the unified entropies of a composite quantum system and one of its subsystems,
where traced-out dimensionality is involved as well.Comment: 11 pages, no figures. A typo error in Eq. (5.15) is corrected. Minor
improvements. J. Stat. Phys. (in press
OP0137 GENOME-WIDE WHOLE-BLOOD TRANSCRIPTOME PROFILING IN A LARGE EUROPEAN COHORT OF SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS PATIENTS
Background:The analysis of annotated transcripts from genome-wide expression studies data is of paramount importance to understand the molecular phenomena underlying the occurrence of complex diseases, such as systemic sclerosis (SSc).Objectives:To perform whole-blood transcriptome and pathway analysis on whole-blood (WB) RNA collected in two cohorts of European SSc patients. Via a discovery and validation strategy we aimed at characterizing the molecular pathways that differentiate SSc from controls and that are reproducible in geographically diverse populations.Methods:WB samples from 252 controls and 162 SSc patients were collected in RNA stabilizers. Patients were divided into a discovery (n=79; Southern Europe) and validation cohort (n=83; Central-Western Europe). RNA sequencing was performed by an Illumina assay. Functional annotations of Reactome pathways were performed with the FAIME algorithm. In parallel, a immunophenotyping analysis on 28 circulating cell populations was assessed. We then tested: the presence of differentially expressed genes or pathways and the correlation between absolute cell counts and RNA transcripts/FAIME scores in regression models. Results significant in both populations were considered as replicated.Results:A total of 15224 genes and 1277 related functional pathways were available for analysis. Among these, 99 genes and 225 pathways were significant in both sets. The heatmap in figure shows the relative expression of replicated pathways and the distribution of cases and controls (red and green bars). Among the significant pathways we found a deregulation in: type-I IFN, TLR-cascade and signalling, function of the tumor suppressor p53 protein, platelet degranulation and activation. Correlation analysis showed that the count of several cell subtypes is jointly associated with RNA transcripts or FAIME scores with strong differences in relation to the geographical origin of samples; neutrophils emerged as the major determinant of gene expression in SSc-whole-blood samples.Conclusion:We discovered a set of differentially expressed genes and pathways that could be validated in two independent sets of SSc patients highlighting a number of deregulated molecular processes that have relevance for the pathogenesis of autoimmunity and SSc.Acknowledgments:This work was supported by EU/EFPIA/Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking PRECISESADS grant No. 115565.Disclosure of Interests:Lorenzo Beretta Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Guillermo Barturen: None declared, Barbara Vigone: None declared, Chiara Bellocchi: None declared, Nicolas Hunzelmann: None declared, Ellen Delanghe: None declared, László Kovács: None declared, Ricard Cervera: None declared, Maria Gerosa: None declared, Rafaela Ortega Castro: None declared, Isabel Almeida: None declared, Divi Cornec: None declared, Carlo Chizzolini Consultant of: Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Jacques-Olivier Pers: None declared, Zuzanna Makowska Employee of: Bayer AG, Anne buttgereit Employee of: Bayer AG, Ralf Lesche Employee of: Bayer, Martin Kerick: None declared, Marta Alarcon-Riquelme: None declared, Javier Martin Ibanez: None declare
Essential oil from leaves of Lantana camara: a potential source of medicine against leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is an infection of viscera or tegument caused by protozoa Leishmania sp. The extensive period required for the treatment, which involves the use of toxic medicines, leads patients to drop treatment increasing the development of resistant forms of Leishmania sp. Lantana camara L., Verbenaceae, is a tropical plant native from America. Folk uses have been described for treatment of tumors, tetanus, rheumatism and malaria. This study evaluates the leishmanicidal activity of the essential oil of leaves from L. camara on promastigote forms of Leishmania chagasi and L. amazonensis and its toxic effects on Artemia salina (brine shrimp test), macrophage cultures and BALB/c mice. The chemical composition was evaluated using the gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Thirty substances, mostly mono and sesquiterpenes were identified. The most representative constituents were: germacrene D (24.90%), farnesene derivatives (22%) and (E)-cariophylene (14.31%). Bioassays revealed a significant leishmanicidal activity of essential oil against L. amazonensis (IC50 0.25 µg/ mL) and a potential toxic effect on Brine shrimp (LC50 10 µg/mL) and macrophage assays (CC50 4 µg/mL), while there was no toxic manifestation on mice. The data show the relevant potential of L. camara as a source of medicine for leishmaniasis treatment
Contour identical implants to bridge mandibular continuity defects - individually generated by LaserCUSING® - A feasibility study in animal cadavers
Background
Ablative tumor surgery often results in continuity defects of the mandible. When an immediate reconstruction using autologous bone grafts is not possible the bridging of the defects with a variety of bridging plates might be achieved. However, those bridging plates have the risk of plate fractures or exposure. Customized titanium implants manufactured using CAD/CAM and the LaserCUSING® technique might be an alternative.
Methods
In the present study, computed tomographies (CT) of porcine cadaver mandibles were generated and transferred into DICOM data. Following, different continuity defects were surgically created in the mandibles. Based on the DICOM data customized titanium implants were manufactured using CAD/CAM procedures and the LaserCUSING® technique. The implants were fixed to the remaining stumps with screws. Subsequently, the accuracy of the reconstructed mandibles was tested using plaster casts.
Results
The workflow from the CT to the application of the customized implants was proved to be practicable. Furthermore, a stable fixation of the customized implant to the remaining stumps could be achieved. The control of the accuracy showed no frictions or obstacles.
Conclusion
The customized titanium implant seems to be a promising approach to bridge continuity defects of the mandible whenever an immediate reconstruction with autologous bone is not possible
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