A composition theorem for the Fourier Entropy-Influence conjecture

The Fourier Entropy-Influence (FEI) conjecture of Friedgut and Kalai [FK96] seeks to relate two fundamental measures of Boolean function complexity: it states that $H[f] \leq C Inf[f]$ holds for every Boolean function $f$, where $H[f]$ denotes the spectral entropy of $f$, $Inf[f]$ is its total influence, and $C > 0$ is a universal constant. Despite significant interest in the conjecture it has only been shown to hold for a few classes of Boolean functions. Our main result is a composition theorem for the FEI conjecture. We show that if $g_1,...,g_k$ are functions over disjoint sets of variables satisfying the conjecture, and if the Fourier transform of $F$ taken with respect to the product distribution with biases $E[g_1],...,E[g_k]$ satisfies the conjecture, then their composition $F(g_1(x^1),...,g_k(x^k))$ satisfies the conjecture. As an application we show that the FEI conjecture holds for read-once formulas over arbitrary gates of bounded arity, extending a recent result [OWZ11] which proved it for read-once decision trees. Our techniques also yield an explicit function with the largest known ratio of $C \geq 6.278$ between $H[f]$ and $Inf[f]$, improving on the previous lower bound of 4.615

Prediction of Ferromagnetic Ground State of NaCl-type FeN

Ab-initio results for structural and electronic properties of NaCl-type FeN are presented in a framework of plane-wave and ultrasoft pseudopotentials. Competition among different magnetic ordering is examined. We find the ferromagnetic phase stable overall. Stabilization over the unpolarized phase is obtained by splitting one flat t_2g-type band crossing the Fermi energy. A comparison with CrN is considered. We find large differences in the properties of the two systems that can be addressed to the smaller ionicity and magnetization of FeN.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, twocolumn latex style Sentence changed in Section III line 1

Hydrocortisone inhibits prostaglandin production but not arachidonic acid release from cultured macrophages

AbstractWe have investigated the action of hydrocortisosone on arachidonic acid mobilisation in cultures of mouse peritoneal macrophages, mouse L929 cells and the mouse macrophage-like cell line RAW264. Hydrocortisone inhibits both arachidonic acid release and prostaglandin production by L929 cells. However, prostaglandin production by macrophages or RAW264 cells is inhibited with a concomitant stimulation rather than inhibition of arachidonic acid release. These data suggest that hydrocortisone acts at the level of phospholipase activity in fibroblasts but at a later stage of prostanoid production in macrophages

Theory of Exciton Recombination from the Magnetically Induced Wigner Crystal

We study the theory of itinerant-hole photoluminescence of two-dimensional electron systems in the regime of the magnetically induced Wigner crystal. We show that the exciton recombination transition develops structure related to the presence of the Wigner crystal. The form of this structure depends strongly on the separation $d$ between the photo-excited hole and the plane of the two-dimensional electron gas. When $d$ is small compared to the magnetic length, additional peaks appear in the spectrum due to the recombination of exciton states with wavevectors equal to the reciprocal lattice vectors of the crystal. For $d$ larger than the magnetic length, the exciton becomes strongly confined to an interstitial site of the lattice, and the structure in the spectrum reflects the short-range correlations of the Wigner crystal. We derive expressions for the energies and the radiative lifetimes of the states contributing to photoluminescence, and discuss how the results of our analysis compare with experimental observations.Comment: 10 pages, no figures, uses Revtex and multicol.st

Sexuality and Affection among Elderly German Men and Women in Long-Term Relationships: Results of a Prospective Population-Based Study

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.The study was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Families, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (AZ 314-1722-102/16; AZ 301-1720-295/2), the Ministry for Science, Research and Art Baden-Württemberg, and the University of Rostock (FORUN 989020; 889048)

Pasteurization Preserves IL-8 in Human Milk

Background: Pasteurized donor human milk is an alternative feeding when mothers' own milk is not available for premature infants. The effects of pasteurization on the host defense properties of human milk are unclear. We investigated the effects of Holder pasteurization on concentrations of anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines in human milk.Objective: To compare concentrations of anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines before and after pasteurization of donor human milk.Study Design: A single milk sample was obtained from each of 24 mothers of premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit by electric breast pump and was stored at −80°C. At the time of pasteurization, milk samples were thawed and divided into two aliquots. The first aliquot was re-stored at −80°C and the second aliquot was heat-treated at 62.5°C for 30 min and then re-stored at −80°C. At the time of batch cytokine analyses samples were thawed rapidly.Results: Most cytokine concentrations declined following pasteurization. The most prevalent cytokine, IL-8, was preserved (89%) following pasteurization. There were no relationships between gestational age, postnatal age of milk collection, duration of milk storage, and the concentrations cytokines.Conclusion: In contrast to most cytokines after pasteurization, IL-8 is preserved or liberated from another compartment. The maintenance of IL-8 in human milk after pasteurization and the loss of anti-inflammatory cytokines following pasteurization, suggests that the effects of inflammatory activity in pasteurized human milk should be evaluated. These data may account, in part, for the lesser protective effect on the host of pasteurized donor human milk compared with mother's own milk

Theory of anyon excitons: Relation to excitons of nu=1/3 and nu=2/3 incompressible liquids

Elementary excitations of incompressible quantum liquids (IQL's) are anyons, i.e., quasiparticles carrying fractional charges and obeying fractional statistics. To find out how the properties of these quasiparticles manifest themselves in the optical spectra, we have developed the anyon exciton model (AEM) and compared the results with the finite-size data for excitons of nu=1/3 and nu=2/3 IQL's. The model considers an exciton as a neutral composite consisting of three quasielectrons and a single hole. The AEM works well when the separation between electron and hole confinement planes, h, is larger than the magnetic length l. In the framework of the AEM an exciton possesses momentum k and two internal quantum numbers, one of which can be chosen as the angular momentum, L, of the k=0 state. Existence of the internal degrees of freedom results in the multiple branch energy spectrum, crater-like electron density shape and 120 degrees density correlations for k=0 excitons, and the splitting of the electron shell into bunches for non-zero k excitons. For h larger than 2l the bottom states obey the superselection rule L=3m (m are integers starting from 2), all of them are hard core states. For h nearly 2l there is one-to-one correspondence between the low-energy spectra found for the AEM and the many- electron exciton spectra of the nu=2/3 IQL, whereas some states are absent from the many-electron spectra of the nu=1/3 IQL. We argue that this striking difference in the spectra originates from the different populational statistics of the quasielectrons of charge conjugate IQL's and show that the proper account of the statistical requirements eliminates excessive states from the spectrum. Apparently, this phenomenon is the first manifestation of the exclusion statistics in the anyon bound states.Comment: 26 pages with 9 figures, typos correcte

Enterprise Education Competitions: A Theoretically Flawed Intervention?

The demand for including enterprise in the education system, at all levels and for all pupils is now a global phenomenon. Within this context, the use of competitions and competitive learning activities is presented as a popular and effective vehicle for learning. The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate how a realist method of enquiry – which utilises theory as the unit of analysis – can shed new light on the assumed and unintended outcomes of enterprise education competitions. The case developed here is that there are inherent flaws in assuming that competitions will ‘work’ in the ways set out in policy and guidance. Some of the most prevalent stated outcomes – that competitions will motivate and reward young people, that they will enable the development of entrepreneurial skills, and that learners will be inspired by their peers – are challenged by theory from psychology and education. The issue at stake is that the expansion of enterprise education policy into primary and secondary education increases the likelihood that more learners will be sheep dipped in competitions, and competitive activities, without a clear recognition of the potential unintended effects. In this chapter, we employ a realist-informed approach to critically evaluate the theoretical basis that underpins the use of competitions and competitive learning activities in school-based enterprise education. We believe that our findings and subsequent recommendations will provide those who promote and practice the use of competitions with a richer, more sophisticated picture of the potential flaws within such activities.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio